One Man Killed, Six Others Hurt in Atlanta Police Chase for DUI Suspect

A police chase for a DUI suspect has resulted in the death of a Broward man and six others were seriously hurt.

The police chase for the DUI suspect began around 3:30 a.m. on Saturday, April 21, 2019, after a Georgia State Patrol trooper observed a black Dodge Challenger driving in the wrong direction down a one-way street. The Dodge Challenger was driven by Kahre Williams, age 34. 

He sped onto I-75 southbound where he then smashed into a Ford Expedition and a Nissan Altima. Inside the Ford Expedition was Juan Gispert, age 28, and his fellow passengers:

• Juan Gispert de Armas, age 64;
• Angel Gispert, age 25;
• Maria Gispert, age 49; and
• Kimberly Bennett, age 49.

As a result of the accident, the young Juan Gispert was fatally injured and died at the scene of the accident. The others in the Ford Expedition with Gispert were all taken to the hospital with various injuries.  A man and woman in the Altima were also injured and taken to the hospital.

Williams ran away after the crash but was quickly apprehended by law enforcement. He now faces charges of second-degree murder, causing serious injury, DUI, and felony fleeing.

If you or someone you care about has been arrested for and charged with driving under the influence (DUI) of drugs or alcohol in Georgia, you need an experienced Georgia DUI defense attorney to defend your case and protect your rights. You do not have to face this process alone.

When Serious Injury Occurs

Any time that a serious injury occurs as a result of a motor vehicle crash, the people involved in the crash will likely have their blood alcohol concentration (BAC) tested.

If a blood or breath test shows that a driver's BAC was 0.08% or higher at the time of the accident, he or she will face penalties for DUI as well as other serious charges related to causing the injury or death.

Georgia Law

The offense of "Serious Injury by Vehicle" occurs when a person causes "bodily harm to another by depriving him of a member of his body, by rendering a member of his body useless, by seriously disfiguring his body or a member thereof, or by causing organic brain damage which renders the body or any member thereof useless through the violation of O.C.G.A. § 4-6-390 [Reckless Driving] or O.C.G.A. § 40-6-391 [DUI].”

The law does not require that you intended to cause harm, only that reckless driving occurred (such as by driving while intoxicated) and that serious injury happened as a result.

Georgia law does not define "serious injury" clearly, which means that without experienced legal counsel by your side the prosecutor could try to sneak in charges that should not apply.

Consult a Georgia DUI Defense Attorney

Just because you are charged with a crime, does not mean that you are guilty. Even when serious injuries resulted from an accident, you have the constitutional right to defend your case with an attorney by your side.

An experienced Georgia DUI defense attorney will protect those rights. Contact us today for a free consultation.