A conviction for driving under the influence of intoxicants has the potential to ruin anyone's life, but when the guilty driver is a college student, the ramifications can be much more serious. Even if the student isn't sentenced to significant jail time, a drunk driving charge on a young person's criminal record often acts as a red flag for prospective employers, loan officers and even landlords. In today's economy, securing a good job and desirable housing is hard enough without this extra obstacle.
A student at the University of Oregon in Eugene will soon learn the consequences of such a conviction, now that he's pleaded guilty to DUII charges filed after a fatal car accident in November. The now-22-year-old man was driving his SUV one night when he came up behind a bicyclist on the road. He struck the bicycle, which was traveling in a designated bicycle lane but wasn't equipped with any lights as required by state law. The 24-year-old cyclist, from Edinburgh, Scotland, was also a UO student who was set to graduate this year. He died of a brain injury a day after the accident, which happened just before 2:30 a.m.
According to an affidavit, both men were intoxicated. The driver's breath test registered a blood alcohol level of .15 percent, and a sample from the cyclist registered at .14 percent. The laws against driving while intoxicated apply to both drivers and bicycle riders.
The SUV driver was originally charged with second-degree manslaughter and drunk driving, but pleaded not guilty to both charges. Under Oregon's Measure 11 law, a conviction on the manslaughter charge would have translated to a mandatory minimum prison term of six years and three months. But in exchange for pleading guilty to a lesser charge of criminally negligent homicide, he'll instead serve slightly less than three years in prison. He also had his driving privileges revoked for life, another condition that could make his future complicated.
In addition to having to live with the fact that his actions killed a fellow student, the defendant will have to struggle with the impact of his criminal record. Young adults like him who face drunk-driving-related charges can't afford to take any chances with their future; it's essential that they find an experienced criminal defense attorney who can help prevent those charges from ruining the rest of their lives.
Source: The Register-Guard, "Driver who killed cyclist gets prison," Karen McCowan, June 5, 2012
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