Illinois DUI Lawyer Blawg
As reported, an alleged drunk driver was involved in a fatal crash and charged with DUI and reckless homicide. A reckless homicide conviction could result in prison time, and a conviction for DUI or reckless homicide will cause a driver’s license revocation, the length of which will depend upon the driver’s previous driving record and whether the conviction is for DUI or reckless homicide.
A knowledgeable, highly experienced Illinois driver’s license reinstatement lawyer will explain to you that the Illinois Secretary of State, Department of Administrative Hearings considers fatal accidents to be the most serious type of case his office hears. In the typical Illinois Driver’s License Reinstatement Hearing, the Secretary of State has only limited information about your Illinois DUI arrest. In a fatal accident case, he will have all the police investigate reports, accident reconstruction reports, photographs, a transcript of the county coroner’s inquest and jury verdict, the crash report, the autopsy, and the grand jury indictment or the criminal information or complaint filed against you.
For hearings involving fatality, the Secretary of State allows extra time on his calendar to hear the case. This is done because you will be questioned in detail about all the information in the materials that the Secretary of State has gathered from the State’s Attorney and the police. In addition, the Secretary of State will notify the family members of the deceased that you have requested a Driver’s License Hearing and will advise them of their right to appear and testify at the hearing.
An attorney who has extensive experience in Driver’s License Hearings involving death will prepare you for the questions that will be asked. He will possess the knowledge necessary to obtain the investigative reports in advance in order to provide you with the opportunity to study them and thus be prepared for the questions you will be asked about them at the hearing. He will also assist in preparing you for the unavoidably uncomfortable situation you will face as the surviving family members sit across the table from you throughout the hearing.
You cannot take fatal hearings lightly, no matter how long ago the accident occurred and despite the fact that you have served all your time, paid all fines and complied with all court orders. Before you retain the services of a driver’s license reinstatement lawyer, make sure he is experienced in representation at driver’s license hearings involving death.