Middle Age Man Sentenced to 72 Years for Deadly Car Crash

The Durango Herald reports that a 37-year-old man from Colorado has been sentenced to 72 years in jail for causing a fatal car crash that killed two victims.

About the Colorado Man 72-Year Sentence

Jeffrey Sloan killed people during a high speed chase from authorities while driving a stolen car. Sloan ran a red light during the pursuit, causing a fatal collision which claimed the lives 33-year-old Yasir Hasan and 45-year-old Mark Karla.

Karla was a practicing dentist and was married to Alison Suthers, a Denver District prosecutor and daughter of Colorado Springs mayor John Suthers.

Sloan was fond guilty of two counts of vehicular murder, two counts of assault, vehicular eluding with death and injury, and finally for leaving the scene of the incident with death and critical injury near. The sentence was delivered October 9.

Proving Fault in a Texas Car Accident

In Texas, the legal standard for you to win your auto accident case is by a preponderance of the evidence. This means that you only need to prove that your version of the facts, damages, and fault is more likely correct than the defendants.

With that, your attorney will focus on establishing these five elements:

  • The defendant owed you a duty of care – As a driver, the defendant owed a duty of care not only to other drivers but to all other road users. This duty of care means that they were required to act with a reasonable standard of care and practice the same watchfulness, attention, caution, and prudence that a reasonable person would practice under similar circumstances.
  • The defendant breached that duty of care – The defendant breached the duty of care they owed you by action or inaction. This can include reckless driving, distracted driving, driving under the influence, failure to maintain proper attention, failure to observe to traffic signs, or failure to maintain safe following distance.
  • Cause in fact – The defendant’s actions were the actual cause of your injuries. This can normally be shown through the “but-for” test. For example, if a bus driver ran a red light and hit a pickup and the driver of the pickup suffered back injuries, the “but-for” test would state “But for the bus driver running the red light, the pickup driver would not have sustained his back injuries.”
  • Proximate cause – Your injuries were a foreseeable result of the defendant’s behavior. For example, a drunk driver hitting and killing a pedestrian is a foreseeable consequence of the driver choosing to get behind the wheel while intoxicated. However, if a drunk driver were to collide with an 18-wheeler carrying volatile chemicals which exploded on impact and caused a poorly maintained utility pole a half-mile away to fall over and injure a pedestrian on a late-night walk, it is unlikely the drunk driver would be held liable for the pedestrian’s injuries as the collapse of the utility pole is a highly unforeseeable consequence of the defendant’s drunk driving.
  • Damages – You have suffered a hardship that the civil justice system can compensate you for. This may include medical expenses, pain and suffering, lost wages, or mental anguish.

Contact an Experienced Car Accident Attorney

If you or a loved one have been injured in a car crash, contact Thomas J. Henry Law to speak with a Texas car accident lawyer. Our experienced attorneys have experience handling a multitude of injury accidents, no matter how severe the crash or injury. You may be entitled to compensation for your damages if another driver acted negligently. Our firm has the experienced lawyers and financial resources that you need to achieve the real results you deserve.

In the event that a loved one has been killed in an accident, Thomas J. Henry Law will make sure you claim is handled by one of our Texas wrongful death attorneys. Our wrongful death lawyers have the expertise necessary to prove your claim to compensation and help you family prepare for the expenses and damages caused by the sudden loss of a loved one.

Our firm has offices in Corpus Christi, San Antonio, and Austin serving clients across Texas and nationwide. Call us today for a free case review — attorneys are available 24/7, nights and weekends. If you cannot make it to our office, we can visit you at your home, in the hospital, or at work.

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