Most of the time, when a person kills another person in a car accident, many questions are asked to determine what kind of penalty is appropriate. In crashes where fault can’t be proven or no negligence was shown, a person may not face penalties. However, when a person is negligent or shows no regard for the health or safety of others, that changes, and the courts can attempt to go after the person with fines or other penalties. These penalties are not always fair, depending on the case. For instance, if someone doesn’t have the capacity to understand that an act was wrong, then how can the court hold that person responsible?
You may remember a teen who was given probation after killing four people in a drunk driving accident. The case, which began in 2013, drew national attention as his attorneys argued that he was a privileged child whose upbringing meant he had never been held accountable for his actions. That argument was able to get the teen probation due to affluenza.
The teen recently turned 19, and his case was transferred to an adult court. He had violated his probation in the past, missing a mandatory appointment and even going across the border to a party where people were drinking.
Now, the teen is old enough to face adult charges. He always faced them when reaching this age, but a judge has decided to issue a harsher penalty. The teen will need to spend nearly two years in jail, 180 days for each court of intoxication manslaughter.
Source: West Virginia Public Broadcasting, “‘Affluenza Teen’ Gets Nearly 2 Years In Jail,” Laura Wagner, April 13, 2016
