August 5, 2011 - Atlanta, Ga. - The mom who was convicted of vehicular homicide in her son's jaywalking death will get a new trial. According to a report at the Associated Press, the 30-year-old mother was convicted of multiple charges in July and faced up to 3 years in jail.
The charges stem from a hit and run accident in April 2010. The mother and her 3 children were jaywalking from a bus stop to their apartment building across the street when her 4-year-old son was hit by a van. He died shortly after the crash.
The driver who hit the boy fled the scene and was arrested later. He served 6 months in jail for hit and run and driving under the influence. Police say this was his third offense of hit and run.
The mother was convicted in a jury trial and sentenced to a year of probation. After an intense media campaign, the judge in the case offered her a new trial; however, her lawyer maintains that all charges should be dismissed. Atlanta supporters have collected a petition, with over 125,000 signatures, demanding that the charges against her be dropped.
According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration's 2009 Georgia Crash Statistics, there were 1,284 fatalities as a result of car accidents in Georgia.
As a service to the residents of Atlanta, our firm will frequently publish blogs about local traffic accidents. We do this to raise awareness about the common types of motor vehicle accidents that occur in Georgia that may result in serious injury or traffic fatalities.
Common accidents include, but are not limited to:
- single-car accidents;
- accidents caused by hazardous road conditions; and
- accidents caused by aggressive driving or distracted drivers.
If you have been named in this blog or you are the victim's family member or friend and would like the blog removed from our website, please feel free to contact us and we will promptly accommodate your request.