A tragic accident that claimed the life of a 16-year-old girl is being investigated further by Nevada authorities. They believe the driver involved may have been intoxicated. A 28-year-old man was arrested on suspicion of drunk driving following the fatal crash on the afternoon of Nov. 24. The man now faces several felony charges. If found guilty, he could face considerable jail time.
According to the report, the teenager was walking in the afternoon on the day in question when she was struck by a vehicle driven by the accused man. He reportedly hit a curb and damaged a tire before his vehicle struck the girl, who died at the scene. The driver continued on without stopping.
Police were later able to trace his tire tracks to a nearby home. He was apprehended there. He now stands charged with DUI resulting in death and failure to stop at an accident scene. The felony charges carry a potentially heavy penalty in Nevada, and the man could be facing fines, a substantial prison time and the loss of his license if he is found guilty.
However, Nevada authorities will first have to prove this was indeed a case of drunk driving. In order to do so, they will need to provide compelling evidence, typically in the form of a Breathalyzer or blood test confirming the man’s blood alcohol level was above the legal limit of .08. If they are unable to do so, or if the evidence is tainted in any way, the drunk driving charge could be reduced or dropped entirely.
Source: news3lv.com, “16-year-old girl killed in North Las Vegas hit-and-run, suspect arrested“, Fatima Rahmatullah, Nov. 25, 2015