In 2021, a 26-year old Wisconsin woman was speeding through Sun Prairie when her car struck and killed a 45-year-old pedestrian who was crossing the road in the eastbound lane. After a hard-fought legal battle led by Defense Attorneys Nathan T. Otis and Emily Bell, the driver was ultimately acquitted of negligent homicide.
In Negligent Homicide Cases, the Stakes are High
A negligent homicide conviction is a Class G Felony, meaning that our client would’ve been facing up to $25,000 in fines and/or up to 10 years in prison. Her defense team wasn’t going to let that happen in this terrible, accidental circumstance.
Defense: Speeding Alone Did Not Meet the Threshold of Criminal Negligence
The question at the heart of this case was whether or not, despite her speed, our client was the cause of this accident. Defense crash reconstruction experts examined the evidence and concluded that the crash would have likely been unavoidable even if our client had been driving the speed limit because of the environmental and human factors present in the accident.
This was a significant turning point in the trial, as attorneys Otis and Bell were able to demonstrate that their client’s actions were not the cause of the accident. The jury ultimately agreed with the defense’s argument and acquitted our client of all charges.
