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Death by Vehicle Lawyer in Raleigh

If you were arrested or you think that you could be under investigation for death by vehicle offense in North Carolina, it is in your best interest to exercise your right to remain silent until you have legal representation. Coolidge Law Firm aggressively defends clients accused of traffic crimes n communities all over Raleigh, such as Raleigh, Rolesville, Wendell, Garner, Morrisville, Holly Springs, Fuquay-Varina, and many others.

David Coolidge is an experienced criminal defense lawyer in Raleigh with more than a decade of experience defending clients charged with these types of offenses. Attorney Coolidge also understands the particularized circumstances that students must face when charged with these serious offenses. Attorney Coolidge has years of experience representing students at local colleges like William Peace University, the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill (UNC), Shaw University, North Carolina State University (NCSU), Wake Technical Community College (Wake Tech), and Duke University. Call today to have our attorney review your case and answer all of your legal questions during a free initial consultation.

Attorney for Death by Vehicle Arrests in Raleigh

Traffic accidents occur frequently in the United States, but negligent drivers in North Carolina can face criminal charges when crashes are the result of their violations of certain state or local traffic laws. Death by vehicle is a criminal offense that may be classified as a misdemeanor or a felony depending on the alleged traffic law violation.

A conviction for death by vehicle can result in large fines and a possible jail or prison sentence. People convicted of death by vehicle will also have their driver’s license suspended.

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Overview of Death by Vehicle in North Carolina

Death by Vehicle Penalties in Raleigh
Death by Vehicle Resources in North Carolina

Death by Vehicle Charges in Raleigh

North Carolina General Statute § 20-141.4 establishes multiple death by vehicle and injury by vehicle crimes. Each one of the following offenses requires the alleged traffic violation to be the proximate cause of death or injury:

A person commits the offense of felony death by vehicle under North Carolina General Statute § 20-141.4(a1) if he or she unintentionally causes the death of another person while he or she was engaged in the offense of impaired driving (commonly referred to as DUI or DWI). Felony death by vehicle is a Class D felony;

A person commits the offense of misdemeanor death by vehicle under North Carolina General Statute § 20-141.4(a2) if he or she unintentionally causes the death of another person while he or she was engaged in violation of any state law or local ordinance applying to the operation or use of a vehicle or to the regulation of traffic other than impaired driving. Misdemeanor death by vehicle is a Class A1 misdemeanor;

A person commits the offense of felony serious injury by vehicle under North Carolina General Statute § 20-141.4(a3) if he or she unintentionally causes serious injury to another person while he or she was engaged in the offense of impaired driving. Felony serious injury by vehicle is a Class F felony;

A person commits the offense of aggravated felony serious injury by vehicle under North Carolina General Statute § 20-141.4(a4) if he or she unintentionally causes serious injury to another person while he or she was engaged in the offense of impaired driving and the person has a previous conviction involving impaired driving within seven years of the date of the offense. Aggravated felony serious injury by vehicle is a Class E felony;

A person commits the offense of aggravated felony death by vehicle under North Carolina General Statute § 20-141.4(a5) if he or she unintentionally causes the death of another person while he or she was engaged in the offense of impaired driving and the person has a previous conviction involving impaired driving within seven years of the date of the offense. Aggravated felony death by vehicle is a Class D felony;

A person commits the offense of repeat felony death by vehicle under North Carolina General Statute § 20-141.4(a6) if he or she commits an offense under North Carolina General Statute § 20-141.4(a1) or North Carolina General Statute § 20-141.4(a5) and has a previous conviction under North Carolina General Statute § 20-141.4(a1), North Carolina General Statute § 20-141.4(a5), or murder or manslaughter and the basis of the conviction was the unintentional death of another person while engaged in the offense of impaired driving. Repeat felony death by vehicle is a Class B2 felony.

Death by Vehicle Penalties in Raleigh

North Carolina uses a “structured sentencing” system for all feloines and misdemeanors except DWI that takes into account both the nature of the crime an alleged offender is accused of and his or her prior criminal record,.. Felons are classified into one of six prior record levels depending on the extent and gravity of their prior record, while misdemeanor offenders are classified into one of three prior conviction levels depending on their number of prior convictions.

People who are convicted of crimes in North Carolina can receive one of three types of sentences: Active punishments involving terms of incarceration in state prisons or jails, intermediate punishments involving sentences of supervised probation as well as other possible conditions such as house arrest, a short jail sentence, or community service, and community punishments which generally involve a period of supervised or unsupervised probation.

When a person is convicted of the Class A1 misdemeanor offense of misdemeanor death by vehicle, he or she could receive one of the following sentences, depending on his or her prior criminal record:

Prior Conviction Level I — Community, intermediate, or active punishment of up to 60 days;

Prior Conviction Level II — Community, intermediate, or active punishment of up to 75 days; or

Prior Conviction Level III — Community, intermediate, or active punishment of up to 150 days.

All other death or injury by vehicle crimes are felony offenses. In felony cases, points are assigned to a person’s criminal record and the alleged offender is placed into one of six different prior record levels.

The possible punishment ranges for felony offenses are separated into three different ranges: a mitigated range for cases with more mitigating factors, an aggravated range for cases with more aggravating factors, and a presumptive range for cases with an equal amount of or no mitigating factors and aggravating factors. Felony convictions for death or injury by vehicle crimes are punishable as follows

	Prior Record Level I (0-1 point)	Prior Record Level II (2-5 points)	Prior Record Level III (6-9 points)	Prior Record Level IV (10-13 points)	Prior Record Level V (14-17 points)	Prior Record Level VI (18+ points)
Class B2	Active	Active	Active	Active	Active	Active
Aggravated	240-300 months	276-345 months	317-397 months	365-456 months	Life Without Parole	Life Without Parole
Presumptive	192-240 months	221-276 months	254-317 months	292-365 months	336-420 months	386-483 months
Mitigated	94-125 months	108-144 months	124-165 months	143-190 months	164-219 months	189-251 months
Class D	Active	Active	Active	Active	Active	Active
Aggravated	64-80 months	73-92 months	84-105 months	97-121 months	111-139 months	128-160 months
Presumptive	51-64 months	59-73 months	67-84 months	78-97 months	89-111 months	103-128 months
Mitigated	38-51 months	44-59 months	51-67 months	58-78 months	67-89 months	77-103 months
Class E	Intermediate or Active	Intermediate or Active	Active	Active	Active	Active
Aggravated	25-31 months	29-36 months	33-41 months	38-48 months	44-55 months	50-63 months
Presumptive	20-25 months	23-29 months	26-33 months	30-38 months	35-44 months	40-50 months
Mitigated	15-20 months	17-23 months	20-26 months	23-30 months	26-35 months	30-40 months
Class F	Intermediate or Active	Intermediate or Active	Intermediate or Active	Active	Active	Active
Aggravated	16-20 months	19-23 months	21-27 months	25-31 months	28-36 months	33-41 months
Presumptive	13-16 months	15-19 months	17-21 months	20-25 months	23-28 months	26-33 months
Mitigated	10-13 months	11-15 months	13-17 months	15-20 months	17-23 months	20-26 months

Death by Vehicle Resources in North Carolina

North Carolina 2016 Traffic Crash Facts | North Carolina Division of Motor Vehicles (NC DMV) — View the full text of the 2016 report from the NC DMV detailing traffic crash statistics for the state. You can learn more about fatalities by county, contributing circumstances, and death and injury rates for traffic crashes going back to 1960. The report also includes vehicle, city, and county data

North Carolina Crash Data — View a website provided by the Highway Safety Research Center (HSRC) at UNC, North Carolina Governor’s Highway Safety Program (GHSP), and NC DMV. You can use a data analysis tool that will create tables reflecting crash, vehicle, and person information for crashes in North Carolina in 2001–2016. You can customize the year, geographic area, and types of injuries involved in crashes.

Find a Death by Vehicle Defense Lawyer in Raleigh

Do you believe that you might be under investigation or were you already arrested for a death or injury by vehicle crime in the Research Triangle? You should avoid saying anything to authorities including EMS and medical personnel until you can contact Coolidge Law Firm.

Raleigh criminal defense attorney David Coolidge represents individuals in Wake Forest, Knightdale, Zebulon, Apex, Raleigh, Cary, and several other communities in Wake County. You can have our lawyer provide a complete evaluation of your case as soon as you call (919) 239-8448 or fill out an online contact form to schedule a free, confidential consultation.

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I can not say enough good about David Coolidge and the Law Firm! From the moment of our 1st interaction, I could tell that David TRULY cares and has a passion about the cases he takes on. I was anxious and nervous about my case from the beginning. David immediately showed his support and listened with an empathetic ear. From that moment on, I felt as though I knew I could trust him to put his whole heart into helping me with my case. He is intelligent, kind and completely nonjudgmental. He will listen to you and is so very supportive. I really felt, and still do, that he really cared about helping me. His passion for his work and in helping others shines. We VERY HAPPILY, had a GREAT outcome from the case and I could not be happier. As I told him when we left the court room that morning... “David, you have changed my life forever”. I would recommend David and this Law Firm to EVERYONE who is reading this review.

- Brian L.

David Coolidge is a wonderful attorney! I hired him twice for two different cases that I had which were only 2 months apart. He's very thorough and efficient. I was even able to reach him after hours through phone calls, texts, and email. Hopefully I never need his services again but if I am in a similar predicament I would most definitely hire David again.

- Tiffany C.

Excellent Customer Service. I had a Speeding ticket and they resolved it positively with no points on my Driver License. They represented me in Court and by midday on the Court date, they had updated me on the outcome. Very efficient service. I highly recommend them if you are in need of Legal Services.

- Stephen O.

I got a speeding ticket for going 17 over. They sent me a letter in the mail explaining that I could plead improper equipment and get no points on my insurance or license. They even gave me the fees straight out on the letter including court costs. They represented me and made the ticket go away.

- David G.

I cannot say enough about Attorney Coolidge and his staff. He’s handed several matters for me and in every instance he has exceeded my expectations. He even answered a frantic call from me on a Saturday night. I called in desperation not really expecting an answer. Mr. Coolidge delivered on all that he promised and more. I highly recommend.

- Craig S.