What happens if you accidentally kill someone?
You feel absolutely awful right now. If you could turn back time, you’d do it in a heartbeat. You didn’t mean to accidentally cause someone to die, but now you’re full of guilt and panic.
But know that you’re not alone. Thousands of people just like you had never in a million years imagined that this would happen. Yet, they face the court of law for accidentally being responsible for someone’s death.
If you find yourself in this scenario, here’s the info you need to know.
Legal Charges for Accidental Death
In court, there are two types of accidental death caused by someone who may be found guilty of accidentally killing someone:
Involuntary Manslaughter
Usually, you’ll be charged with this when you kill someone unintentionally while acting recklessly. But the action has to be beyond an ordinary mistake.
Here’s an example: Let’s say you went to a shooting range with you and your buddies. You pick up what you thought was an unloaded gun. Then you pointed the gun at your friend, and it misfires. As a result, your friend ends up dying from the gunshot wound.
Involuntary manslaughter is a class E felony in Tennessee. Because you didn’t intend to kill your friend, you may not instantly go to jail; you could be on probation. However, you’ll likely get 2 to 12 years in jail and get hit with up to $10,000 in fines.
Reckless Homicide
Under Tennessee code 39-13-215, you’ll usually get this charge if you accidentally kill somebody while driving a vehicle recklessly. An example of this would be driving your car over 100 MPH in a school zone and striking somebody.
Reckless homicide is a class D felony in Tennessee; you could face up to six years in prison and have to pay up to $3,000 in fines. Plus, parole isn’t an option until you serve between one to two years in prison first.
Again, because there wasn’t an intention of killing someone, you won’t go straight to jail. First and second-degree murder charges involve the intent of killing someone.
How to Get Out of Involuntary Manslaughter or Reckless Homicide Charges in Tennessee
Killing someone, whether or not if intent is involved, can lead to extremely steep fees and penalties. It’s extremely important that you have the right criminal defense lawyer on your side. Having a skilled criminal defense team could lead to significantly reduced fines and court sentences, or even having the case dropped completely.
The better your attorney, the better chance that you can move forward with your life.
If you find yourself in a tragic accident like this, call our expert legal team. Our expert criminal defense attorneys knows just what to say and do to ensure you get the most reduced sentences or fines.
