An Oklahoma driver who collided head-on with a taxi cab while driving in the wrong direction on the freeway has been charged with second-degree murder, according to prosecutors. Police reported that Ivan Douglas Nitsch, 29, had a blood-alcohol content (BAC) two-and-a-half times the legal limit when he was driving north in the southbound lanes of …
An Oklahoma driver who collided head-on with a taxi cab while driving in the wrong direction on the freeway has been charged with second-degree murder, according to prosecutors. Police reported that Ivan Douglas Nitsch, 29, had a blood-alcohol content (BAC) two-and-a-half times the legal limit when he was driving north in the southbound lanes of I-235 on February 15. If you have been charged with a DUI or a drunk driving accident resulting in great bodily injury in Oklahoma, contact our DUI defense attorneys at Oklahoma Legal Center for legal help. Our legal team has extensive experience protecting the legal rights of individuals charged with drunk driving throughout the state, and our lawyers will work diligently to help you build a strong defense in your case.
Penalties Resulting from a DUI, Murder Conviction
According to investigators, Nitsch was involved in a head-on collision with Oklahoma City taxi driver Benny Wadsworth, 37, in which the taxi driver was killed. As a result of the accident, Nitsch is facing charges of second-degree murder and DUI, following a previous DUI conviction in Oklahoma County in 2006. If Nitsch is convicted on the DUI charges alone, he could face significant penalties for the felony offense, including one to five years in jail, fines of up to $2,500, mandatory participation in an alcohol treatment program, driver’s license suspension, and mandatory use of an ignition interlock device. A second-degree murder conviction would carry much more severe penalties, possibly including a prison sentence of ten years to life.
Oklahoma Drunk Driving Laws
Under Oklahoma law, the legal limit for blood-alcohol content is 0.08%, which means any person found operating a motor vehicle with a BAC of 0.08% or higher can be charged with a DUI offense. In cases where an individual’s drunk driving leads to an accident where another person suffers great bodily harm, the state can charge that person with a felony offense regardless of whether he or she has any prior convictions. If a death results, the charges are even more severe. In addition, Oklahoma is an implied consent state, which means state laws require drivers to submit to breath, blood or other tests if they are lawfully arrested by an officer who believes they have been operating a motor vehicle while intoxicated.
Our Criminal Defense Attorneys Can Help
The penalties associated with a DUI and second-degree murder conviction in Oklahoma are severe. If you have been charged with drunk driving, or a more serious offense like manslaughter or murder, in Oklahoma, your first course of action should be to contact our criminal defense lawyers at Oklahoma Legal Center. Our law firm is located in Oklahoma City, and our attorneys are dedicated to protecting the legal rights of defendants throughout the state. With our attorneys on your side, you can significantly improve the chances of a favorable outcome in your case, possibly having your charges reduced to a lesser offense or even dismissed altogether.