In Fulton County, Georgia a man was sentenced to 15 years for killing an 11 year old boy when he was drinking and driving. The young man who was killed, Patrick Williams, was crossing the street when the drunk driver, Gatha Dyer, hit him throwing him 53 feet when the boy landed on another car’s windshield.
The drunk driver slowed down and then attempted to flee the scene until a witness followed him and got his tag information to give to the police. The drunk driver was on probation for another DUI in Cobb County at the time as well.
This case illustrates many important points that were mentioned in the last two prior blog posts parts one and twoabout What Can be Done to Help Reduce the Number of Injuries and Deaths from Drunk and Impaired Driving in Georgia. First, this case illustrates that driving while drunk or impaired does cause death. This has been illustrated in a number of my blog posts such as the blog post about the Parents of the Teen Killed in Drunk Driving Crash who Won a $2 Million Dollar Judgement.
Second, this case illustrates the importance of not trying to stop the driver yourself but to get the license plate of the driver and call the police for help. Third, this case illustrates the need for more strict penalties for drunk drivers such as a suspended license and not just more jail time or probation. A suspended license will cause hardship on the driver every day whereas more probation time or a few extra nights in jail rarely have this same impact that will resonate with the driver and, hopefully, cause the driver to think twice before getting behind the wheel again while impaired.
This man was on probation already for drunk driving and that was not enough to deter him from getting behind the wheel again and driving drunk. It takes more than probation and a few more days in jail to have an impact on a potential habitual violator such as this man.
Finally, this case illustrates how senseless these tragedies are in the lives of all the people involved. In this case, a young man of eleven (11) years old, just a young boy who hasn’t even started life, is now dead and will never have the chance to enjoy life. The drunk driver, who was 44, will now sit in prison for 15 years and there won’t be a day in his life that he doesn’t have to live with what he has done. There are no winners here; only losers.
In this case, the family has lost a loved one and are entitled to a Wrongful Death Action against the drunk driver, and the fact that this young boy will not be able to enjoy life will be at center stage in that lawsuit.
If you or a loved one has been injured or killed in an accident involving an impaired driver, then we are truly sorry. We are here to help and you may Contact Us anytime at 770-865-8654, (813) 363-6664, by email at juliericelaw@outlook.com, or Contact Us on the contact form on this blog page or on our website to discuss your legal rights.