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Man Sentenced to Four years in Lake County Drunk Driving Accident

A Lake County man has been sentenced to four years in prison for his part in an alcohol-related car accident that killed his passenger. Sean Thomas Selig pleaded guilty to felony gross vehicular manslaughter and fleeing the scene of a crash in the accident on October 6, 2004 that killed Samuel Adrian Solario.

On the day of the crash, the two young men were traveling together in a car in Upper Lake. They had just finished having a round of drinks at a pub, as testified later by witnesses, and Selig was driving. When the car overturned, Selig escaped without major injuries. He fled the scene of the accident leaving Solario at the crash site. Solario later died at the scene. Selig then went to a friend’s house and stayed the night there. He never mentioned the accident to anyone. When police later arrested him, he told them that he had blacked out from the alcohol, and had forgotten whatever happened the day of the crash. When Solario’s parents confronted him the day after the crash to ask about their son, he lied and said that he had been a passenger, and Solario was the one who had actually been driving. That was the story he told police officers too. According to him, he had escaped injuries because he had been ejected out of the driver’s window although he claimed to have been riding in the passenger seat. Police obviously found that story too hard to believe. Conviction and sentencing for Selig have come after four long years.

While a criminal court can hold a person responsible for violations of state laws and can punish him for these, the outcome of such a lawsuit does nothing to comfort those whose lives have been turned upside down by the accident. A victim in an accident may be burdened by heavy expenses to pay for his medical bills, hospitalization expenses, medication expenses, as well as any physical therapy and rehabilitation expenses that may be necessary. Besides, he may have to miss several days from work, and that will further affect these finances at an already delicate time. People who have been injured in an accident often have very little time to think about their situation because they are so worried about meeting the costs of expensive medical treatment. These expenses may not end once the person returns home from the hospital. There may be the need for long-term rehabilitation expenses, as well as future medical expenses for any complications that may arise in the months and even years ahead. All these have to be accounted for to be included in a claim to be made against the motorist whose negligence caused the accident.

Besides compensatory damages, a civil claim in an accident may also include damages for other losses that include pain and suffering that the victim has undergone, anguish, loss of consortium etc. In the case of death of a child, a parent may be able to claim for loss of the “services” of a child. These damages will be calculated by a California car accident attorney, adding up to a full value for a claim.

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.

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