Vehicular Homicide Charges Handed Down for December, 2010 Accident

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Reckless driving is a serious offense that often gets punished with a slap on the wrist. However, when it leads to the death of another person, it is considered vehicular homicide and the punishments are much more severe. Reckless driving has a broad definition that can include excessive speeding, racing, and a passenger preventing a person from being able to drive effectively.

After a fatal accident that occurred in December of 2010, Cory Duke from Renton, 18, has been officially charged with vehicular homicide and reckless endangerment. Duke and three passengers were going to Maple Valley when Duke lost control of his 1991 Ford Escort while navigating a turn. He overcorrected, sending the car over the side of the road. On the way to the bottom of a hill, the car hit a fire hydrant and a tree. Shelby Lee, 17, was riding in the passenger seat and she suffered critical injuries. She died on the way to Harborview Medical Center. Duke admitted after the accident that he had been speeding at about 75 miles per hour in the zone with a speed limit of 40. Charges were filed last Tuesday when the investigator’s report determined that Lee’s death was a direct result of the accident. The charges from the King County Prosecutor’s Office say that Duke was operating his vehicle in a reckless manner at the time of the accident.

This tragic accident resulted in the loss of a young life and my heart goes out to the family of the victim. Auto accidents are a leading cause of death for teenagers, yet they are 100% preventable. The tragic loss of young lives, including that of the victim and that of the driver, is unacceptable.

This information is provided by Straight Talk Law, where you can order free information on Seattle auto accidents, buying Washington car insurance, and other valuable legal information, offered as a public service by King county personal injury attorney and author Jason Epstein and his Seattle auto accident, Everett motorcycle accident, and Bellevue wrongful death law firm in Seattle, Washington.