Driver in two car crashes may be criminally liable for responding officer’s death
A Brooklyn appellate court has reinstated charges against a drunk driver and found that criminal liability may apply even when a defendant is not the immediate cause of a deadly accident.
In assessing the rules of criminal procedure and the definition of legal cause, the justices ruled that foreseeability of harm or death was a key factor in sustaining the charge and indictment.
James Ryan was arrested after Nassau County prosecutors alleged he caused two car collisions on the Long Island Expressway in 2012. According to court documents and evidence presented to a grand jury, Ryan was driving while drunk, and after the two separate crashes, he stopped in an HOV lane on the expressway.