Traffic fatalities are non-criminal traffic infractions that are issued for fatal car accidents. If somebody dies during an accident and one party is issued a non-criminal traffic citation, this is considered a fatality.
While this is a non-criminal process, you are still entitled to a hearing before a judge. If found guilty by a judge, you can face high fines, a six-month driver's license suspension (minimum), and possibly more than 100 hours of community service.
If you are charged with a crime for a death that occurred during a car accident, this would be a manslaughter charge.
Many car accidents involving death are not resolved immediately. Traffic Homicide investigators will try to piece together what happened. The subject of the investigation could be charged with a serious crime, a traffic infraction (fatality), or nothing at all.
Traffic deaths resulting in criminal charges include DUI manslaughter, reckless driving with death, and leaving the scene of an accident causing death.
If you are involved in a traffic accident where a person has died, call a criminal defense attorney to discuss your rights, responsibilities, and options.