Longmont Vehicular Assault & Homicide Defense Lawyer

A crash that results in serious injury or death can transform someone from a driver into a defendant overnight. Colorado treats these cases with the full weight of its felony statutes, and prosecutors in Boulder County pursue them aggressively. Whether the charge is vehicular assault or vehicular homicide in Longmont, the consequences reach far beyond a courtroom. Prison time, permanent license revocation, and a felony record that follows every job application and housing form are all on the table. Attorney Reid DeChant has handled serious felony cases across the Front Range, including cases in Boulder County, and understands what it takes to mount a defense when the stakes run this high.

What Colorado Law Actually Charges in These Cases

Vehicular assault and vehicular homicide are distinct charges with different elements, but prosecutors often file them together depending on how many people were hurt. It helps to understand exactly what each one requires.

Vehicular assault under C.R.S. 18-3-205 involves causing serious bodily injury to another person while operating a motor vehicle. If alcohol or drugs are involved, the offense becomes a Class 4 felony. Without impairment, a reckless driving theory can still support a Class 5 felony charge. The threshold is “serious bodily injury,” defined as injury involving a substantial risk of death, permanent disfigurement, or long-term loss of a body part or organ function.

Vehicular homicide under C.R.S. 18-3-106 involves the death of another person caused by a driver operating recklessly or while impaired. With a DUI or DWAI element, this becomes a Class 3 felony, carrying four to twelve years in prison under Colorado’s sentencing grid. Even without impairment, a reckless driving theory can lead to a Class 4 felony conviction.

Prosecutors in Boulder County typically layer charges. A driver involved in a fatal crash may face vehicular homicide, DUI, careless driving causing death, and potentially leaving the scene of an accident, all at once. Each charge carries its own exposure. Understanding how these charges interact matters when evaluating any plea offer or trial strategy.

How These Cases Are Built Against a Driver

Vehicular assault and homicide prosecutions rely heavily on physical evidence gathered in the hours immediately following a crash. Accident reconstruction experts, toxicology reports, cell phone data, and witness statements all feed into the government’s theory of what happened and why.

Toxicology timing is one of the most contested areas in impaired driving cases. Blood draws taken at the hospital may reflect a BAC that was higher or lower than what it was at the time of driving. Retrograde extrapolation, the process of working backward to estimate BAC at the time of the crash, is a methodology with real limitations that can be challenged at trial.

Accident reconstruction is another area where the defense can make a genuine difference. Reconstructionists hired by the state have a theory before they finish their report. Road conditions, vehicle defects, the other driver’s behavior, and environmental factors rarely get the same emphasis in a government report that they would receive in a defense-funded analysis. Reid has worked with outside experts on serious cases and knows how to put the state’s reconstruction under scrutiny.

Longmont sits at the convergence of US-287 and several heavily traveled county roads. Crashes along the 287 corridor and on roads leading toward Boulder, Firestone, and Mead generate a real share of serious injury and fatality cases. These are high-speed environments with variable conditions, and many crashes in these areas involve factors that a thorough investigation can surface.

The License Consequences Run Parallel to the Criminal Case

A conviction for vehicular homicide or vehicular assault under an impaired driving theory triggers mandatory action against a Colorado driver’s license, separate from whatever sentence the court imposes. The DMV process is not automatic. There are hearings, deadlines, and procedural requirements that matter.

Reid has a track record in DMV express consent hearings, with multiple dismissals in the results section of his caseload. Those hearings involve different standards than the criminal case, but the facts and arguments often overlap. Handling both sides of the case, the criminal defense and the license challenge, under one roof means nothing falls through the gaps.

For commercial drivers, pilots, nurses, physicians, and anyone whose profession requires a clean driving or criminal record, the collateral consequences of a vehicular assault or homicide conviction can be career-ending. These are facts that belong in every stage of case strategy, from plea discussions to sentencing arguments.

What Genuine Defense Work Looks Like at This Level

Reid earned his trial experience as a public defender in Denver, Broomfield, and Adams County, where he handled cases ranging from traffic offenses through homicide. He has tried DUI cases to not guilty verdicts and serious assault cases to acquittal. Courtroom experience at the felony level is not common, and it matters in cases like these.

At Trial Lawyers College, Reid developed his approach to defense around the story behind the facts, not just the legal arguments. In vehicular cases, that means understanding who the driver is, what led to the moment of the crash, and presenting that full picture to a jury. Juries in Boulder County are not monolithic, and the human reality of a case influences verdicts in ways that legal argument alone does not.

Real defense work in a vehicular homicide case means retaining experts before the prosecution’s investigation hardens, independently documenting the scene, testing the toxicology methodology, and preparing to go to trial if the offer on the table does not reflect what the evidence actually shows. A lawyer who signals early that trial is not a realistic option loses leverage in every negotiation that follows.

Questions Clients Ask About These Charges in Longmont

Can vehicular homicide be charged even if the driver was not drunk?

Yes. Colorado allows a vehicular homicide charge based on reckless driving alone, without any allegation of impairment. Recklessness means the driver consciously disregarded a substantial and unjustifiable risk. How that standard applies depends on the specific facts of the crash and is often contested.

What is the difference between reckless and careless driving in these cases?

Careless driving that causes death is a lesser offense than vehicular homicide based on recklessness. Prosecutors sometimes file both and then negotiate. The distinction turns on whether the driver consciously disregarded a known risk versus simply failed to exercise reasonable care. That difference can mean years of exposure in either direction.

How does a blood draw taken at the hospital affect the case?

Hospital blood draws follow different protocols than law enforcement draws, and they may be taken for medical purposes rather than evidentiary ones. Chain of custody, testing methodology, and the time elapsed between the crash and the draw all affect how much weight the results should receive. These are areas where a defense expert can challenge the prosecution’s conclusions.

What happens to the criminal case if there is also a civil lawsuit?

The civil case and the criminal case run on different tracks. A civil settlement or adverse judgment has no direct bearing on the criminal prosecution. However, statements made in civil proceedings can create complications in the criminal case, which is one reason coordination between criminal and civil counsel matters when both cases are active.

Will a vehicular homicide conviction result in a permanent license revocation?

A conviction for vehicular homicide involving DUI triggers mandatory revocation under Colorado law. The reinstatement process is lengthy and involves multiple requirements. Vehicular assault convictions carry similar consequences. Challenging the charge before conviction is the most effective way to avoid that outcome.

Is it possible to get a charge reduced from vehicular homicide to a lesser offense?

Charge reductions happen in these cases. The outcome depends on the strength of the evidence, the investigation conducted by the defense, and how prepared the defense is to go to trial if necessary. No outcome can be guaranteed, but entering a case with strong preparation and clear trial readiness changes what prosecutors put on the table.

How long does a vehicular assault or homicide case typically take in Boulder County?

Complex felony cases in Boulder County can take a year or longer from filing to resolution, depending on the complexity of the evidence, expert witness schedules, and court availability. Cases that are well-prepared for trial often resolve before they reach the courtroom, but preparation is what gets you there.

Speak With a Longmont Vehicular Homicide Defense Attorney

These cases move quickly after a crash. Law enforcement collects evidence, the prosecution builds its theory, and the window to conduct an independent investigation closes. DeChant Law handles serious felony defense across the Front Range, including vehicular assault and vehicular homicide cases in Boulder County and the Longmont area. If you need a Longmont vehicular homicide defense attorney, contact DeChant Law to speak directly with Reid about what your case involves and what a real defense looks like from this point forward.