Virginia Woman Charged with Reckless Driving After Woman Riding Mattress on Top of Vehicle Dies
In a strange and tragic case, a Virginia woman was charged with reckless driving after another woman was riding on an unsecured mattress on top of her van and fell to her death. Twenty-year-old Sindy Zelaya Gonzalez died when both she and the mattress fell off the moving van. The driver, Norma Guadron Canales, is 41 years old and lives in Culpepper, Virginia. The Prince William County Police Department charged Canales with reckless driving and also driving without a license. They said that the two were not trying to do anything dangerous but had found a mattress on the curb and were trying to bring it home. Canales stayed at the scene of the accident and turned herself in. Reckless driving is a serious charge in Virginia and can be charged for many different kinds of incidents.
Common Reckless Driving Charges in Virginia
Of course there is no specific law against riding on top of mattresses on cars or driving while someone is riding a mattress on your car, but there is a general “catch all” provision in the law prohibiting reckless driving that allows police to charge people who are driving in an unsafe manner that is not specifically enumerated in reckless driving law.
There are many parts of the reckless driving law and many things that you can do that qualify as reckless driving. The most common kinds of reckless driving charges are:
- Speeding – Speeding is one of the more common reckless driving charges because of how Virginia defines reckless driving on the basis of speed. You can be charged with reckless driving if you are driving 20 miles over the speed limit or if you are driving over 80 miles per hour.
- Turn Signals – In Virginia you can be charged with reckless driving if you do not adequately signal any turns that you are going to make. You must signal far enough in advance to warn nearby drivers.
- Failure to Stop for School Bus – If a school bus has its lights on, you need to stop in either direction unless there is a median separating you from the bus.
- Faulty Brakes – If your brakes are faulty then you can be charged with reckless driving.
Let Us Assist You with Your Case
Reckless driving is a crime in Virginia and can result in jail time and other criminal penalties. Having a reckless driving conviction on your record can result in the loss of a job, difficulty finding new employment, higher insurance costs, and other long lasting consequences. If you are charged with reckless driving under any of the reckless driving provisions, you should talk to a knowledgeable reckless driving attorney as soon as possible. Our experienced reckless driving attorneys at Simms Showers, LLP in Leesburg, Virginia, represent clients in Loudoun County, Prince William County and throughout Northern Virginia.
Resources:
nbcwashington.com/news/local/Driver-charged-after-woman-falls-off-mattress-dies-395338421.html
washingtonpost.com/local/public-safety/driver-charged-after-woman-riding-mattress-atop-van-in-virginia-falls-to-her-death/2016/09/28/49a14220-85a9-11e6-92c2-14b64f3d453f_story.html
