A car crash late on December 8 led to the death of one of the Dallas Cowboys, Jerry Brown, Jr., who had been on the practice roster for the team. The driver of the SUV, which flipped over after it hit a curb, was Dallas Cowboys nose tackle Josh Brent. Mr. Brent was allegedly seen pulling Mr. Brown from the vehicle at the time law enforcement arrived on the scene. Law enforcement suspected that alcohol consumption and intoxicated driving may have been the underlying cause of the accident, and they are claiming that Mr. Brent appeared to be coherent, and they asked him to perform field sobriety tests at the scene. After the testing was administered, he was arrested. He was then transported to the hospital to treat minor wounds where a blood alcohol test was done. The two men were close friends who had a history together as teammates at the University of Illinois.
Any death in a car collision is a tragic situation; when the driver is accused of DWI the situation is extremely serious legally. Many people do not realize that under Texas law, you are not required to perform field sobriety testing. You are required to submit to breath or blood testing. After a serious rollover accident, it can be difficult to imagine that a person would be in a condition to perform any physical test, but that is what occurred in this case.
Any serious criminal charges should be managed carefully by a highly professional criminal defense law firm. As intoxication manslaughter can mean a prison sentence of up to 20 years, and no less than 2 years served. The fine is as high as $10,000. It is important that any felony charges are defended by a professional trial lawyer.
Contact The Law Office of John L. Venza Jr. for information about defending a felony charge.