Traffic Violations and Vehicular Manslaughter  

In Maryland, there are traffic violations that a person can be charged with and sentenced to prison. Traffic offenses can result in either payable offenses, such as a speeding ticket or running a stop sign, or a must appear offense. Such must appear offenses include:  

• Driving with a suspended license 

• Hit and run 

• Vehicular manslaughter 

• Fleeing and eluding  

• Leaving the scene of an accident  

• Driving without insurance 

The above listed are serious criminal offenses in the State of Maryland. These offenses carry not only potential jail time, but also large fines and points on a driving record that will be assessed by the Motor Vehicle Administration. 

Vehicular Manslaughter 

Vehicular manslaughter, sometimes called vehicular homicide, is a criminal charge that is applied when a person causes the death of another person while driving recklessly or negligently. In vehicular manslaughter cases, there is no premeditation or intent to cause harm to the other person.  

In Mayland, there are two categories of vehicular manslaughter:  

• Manslaughter by vehicle is charged when a person causes the death of another is a grossly negligent manner  

• Criminally negligent manslaughter by vehicle is when a person causes the death of another in a criminally negligent manner 

The difference between gross negligence and criminal negligence is that gross implies a substantial deviation from what a reasonable driver would do, and criminal implies a failure to perceive a substantial risk that a reasonable person would perceive.  

Manslaughter by vehicle is a felony and can carry up to ten years in prison and a fine up to $5,000. Criminally negligent manslaughter by vehicle is a misdemeanor and can carry up to 3 years in prison and a fine up to $5,000. 

Even if you don’t go to jail, a conviction and the resulting points can cause you to lose your privilege to drive and/or face large increases in your insurance premiums. If you find yourself charged with one of these serious offenses, you must immediately retain a team of attorneys who traffic-related matters on a daily basis.  

Hire an Aggressive Criminal Defense Lawyer 

At Silverman Thompson, our criminal traffic trial team is headed up by Senior Partner and former prosecutor Brian G. Thompson.   

Mr. Thompson and the attorneys who work with him have decades of experience handling these types of cases, both as former Assistant State’s Attorneys and as defense lawyers. And unlike many other attorneys who handle traffic cases, Mr. Thompson and his team practice exclusively in the area of criminal and traffic defense. The attorneys on our team are in criminal traffic court every day.  

We will attack the government’s case against you from the moment you were stopped by the police all the way through to your arrest to make sure the police acted legally and treated you fairly.  

• Were you legally stopped?  

• Were you advised of your Miranda rights before any statement was taken from you?  

• Did the police officer have probable cause to arrest you and was the arrest otherwise legal?  

• Were you denied your right to speak to an attorney?  

These are just a few of the possible defenses that our criminal traffic team will aggressively pursue on your behalf.  

Our aggressive criminal defense attorneys have the experience and expertise to exploit the mistakes that are very often made by the police to your advantage and to otherwise defend you against these serious traffic charges. We know how important your freedom and your privilege to drive are to you and we will aggressively fight to ensure that you keep both.  

The criminal defense team at Silverman Thompson is committed to providing our clients with the highest standard of defense. If you or a loved one requires defense in a case regarding DUIs or a traffic-related matter, please contact us toll-free at 800-385-2243 for a free consultation.    

Disclaimer: This page is informative in nature. The information contained herein is not to be considered legal advice and there is no attorney-client relationship formed between Silverman Thompson and the reader.