One of the biggest fears that many Georgia parents have is that their child will get in a vehicle with a friend or acquaintance who’s under the influence or get behind the wheel him/herself after drinking or using drugs.
That fear came true for the parents of two boys earlier this month. A 15-year-old boy was killed earlier this month. He would have been in the tenth grade next fall at Rome High School. He and his 12-year-old brother were in an SUV being driven by an 18-year-old.
The Georgia State Patrol (GSP) says that the driver crashed into a brick mailbox after he lost control of his vehicle on a curve. According to the GSP, the vehicle “overturned several times.” The young man is being held in Polk County Jail without bond. He is facing multiple charges including DUI, marijuana possession and reckless driving and speeding. Authorities say he was driving at twice the speed limit of 35 miles per hour. He wasn’t injured.
The 12-year-old boy, who’s scheduled to go into seventh grade at Rome Middle School, was reported to be in critical condition at Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta at Egleston. He and his brother had to be extricated from the wreckage by first responders. The other person in the car, a 17-year-old young man, was uninjured.
While 18 is still considered underage for things like buying alcohol, it is a year older than the age at which a young person is considered an adult for the purposes of being tried in Georgia criminal courts. Anyone who has a child facing DUI-related charges, whether they involve injury or loss of life or not, may find the advice and guidance of an experienced attorney very beneficial.