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Driver in Fatal Tracy Drunk Driving Accident Faces Charges

A Tracy man who was involved in a fatal rollover accident that killed one of his passengers will face charges of felony vehicular manslaughter.

The California Highway Patrol has confirmed that it will ask the San Joaquin District Attorney to seek a felony vehicular manslaughter charge and misdemeanor charge for driving under a suspended license. Forty-four year old Horace Booker was driving a Mercedes when it lost control. The car flipped over at least 6 times. The twelve-year-old passenger in the front seat was ejected from the car. He was declared dead at the scene.  Another child in the back seat as well as a female passenger in the car were seriously injured in the crash. Both children in this accident were not wearing seat belts.

Seat belts have been the single most important auto safety invention.  Over the years, these have helped save thousands of lives.  Failure to wear seat belts is often a bigger factor in accidents than driving under the influence or seeding.  Data released by the Department of Transportation shows that out of the most dangerous highways in California, most fatalities occurred not because of speeding or drunk driving, but because of the failure of motorists to wear seat belts.  In some cases, the rates of fatalities from failure to buckle up were as high as 70 percent.  These were lives that could have been saved if these motorists and their passengers had taken the time to put on a seat belt while driving.

Across the country, seat belt laws can vary widely depending on the age of the occupant and whether he is sitting in the front or back seat.  While most states have some form of seat belts laws in place, very few have laws requiring that all occupants in a car buckle up.  California’s laws require all occupants of a car above the age of 16 be buckled up. Children below the age of 16 must be adequately restrained in booster seats or a child safety seat depending on the age of the child.  However, failure of seat belts can also be a factor in fatalities. As California auto defect lawyers see, defective seatbelts are an underestimated factor in several accidents.

Defective seatbelt injuries can occur because of several factors. During a serious accident, the latch of a seatbelt may open, causing occupants to be flung out of the seat. Most occupants are seriously at risk of being ejected from the vehicle. Such ejections are very common in vehicle rollovers when the seatbelt may be placed under strong pressure. Besides, seat belt webbing may tear, placing the person at risk of ejection.  This can happen because the material is weak, or because of tears by sharp objects.  Whatever the causes of the defects, any injuries that result from seatbelt failures can be serious and result in catastrophic injuries, or even death.  Very often, these defects are caused because of poor or lax safety or manufacturing stands by the manufacturer.

The Reeves Law Group is a law firm with offices throughout California dedicated exclusively to the representation of personal injury victims, including victims of drunk driving accidents. Please visit our website at trlglaw.com. If you desire a free consultation on a personal injury matter, please call us at (800) 644-8000 or email us.

The Reeves Law Group is not acting as legal counsel for any party in the matters discussed in this posting.

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