A grand jury in Bell County handed down a criminal indictment this week in a motorcycle accident case that occurred in Belton back in October. The driver alleged to have been responsible for the crash will now face vehicular manslaughter and intoxicated driving with deadly weapon charges as a result.
According to the Texas Department of Public Safety, the defendant had been driving his pickup truck southbound along State Highway 317 in the direction of Temple when he suddenly made a U-turn to head north.
A 55-year-old China Spring man was traveling northbound along that same stretch of highway when the pickup truck’s driver turned in front of him, making an impact with his motorbike. The motorcyclist was killed in an instant.
Another motorcyclist, who was closely following the first, was also struck during the crash. The 54-year-old Waco man suffered undisclosed injuries. It’s unclear if he was transported to an area hospital for treatment.
Soon after arriving on the crash scene, the pickup’s driver was taken into police custody. The 56-year-old Denton man was later booked in jail on vehicular homicide, driving while intoxicated (DWI) and drug possession charges. It’s unclear how much marijuana he had on him or in his vehicle at the time of the crash.
There are many reasons that a motorcycle can wipe out. It can result from lane sharing, driving too fast for road conditions, a motorist suddenly opening their doors or from getting rear-ended by a car. When these types of collisions result in the death of a loved one or serious injuries, you may have to turn to the courts to obtain both justice and fair compensation. A criminal case can punish someone for their reckless or negligent behavior, but a civil suit can help you obtain compensation that replaces lost wages and provides for future expenses.
Michael Zimmerman
Michael was born in Houston, Texas. His education at Baylor and Texas State Universities earned him a Bachelor of Science degree in 1987. His major was in Biology with a Minor in Chemistry. He finished his legal education at Texas Southern University in 1990, earning a Juris Doctorate from Thurgood Marshall School of Law. He was admitted to the State Bar of Texas in 1990.
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