Can You Really Do That in the US?

[Laurie]

The lawyer for Anne Sacoolas, the woman who killed a British teenager then claimed diplomatic immunity, says that her client would not have committed any offence in the US because it was unintentional and a genuine mistake.

Can you really drive on the wrong side of the road in the US as long as it is a genuine mistake?

I knew your gun laws were more Liberal than ours, but not traffic laws.

 

[ohioboy]

No, driving on the wrong side of the road is always illegal. Her claim of DI is howash, and an insult not only to Justice, but the victim and family.

"Mistake of fact" can be a defense, yes, but the driver better have some luck on his side. In the facts above though, no way!

 

[Rosemarie]

Funny, I was just thinking about this a little while ago. If this woman had been British, she would have been charged with manslaughter...or causing death by driving without due care and attention. I was wondering what the penalty for this offence would be in America.

Quite apart from that, what sort of person is she? She took the life of another woman's son, yet she is quite prepared to escape justice for it.

 

[ohioboy]

Funny, I was just thinking about this a little while ago. If this woman had been British, she would have been charged with manslaughter...or causing death by driving without due care and attention. I was wondering what the penalty for this offence would be in America

Depends on how it is classified under a particular state's laws.

Depending on the facts, no less than a 3rd degree felony in Ohio. 1st and 2nd mostly.

https://codes.ohio.gov/orc/2903.06