In April 2011, Virginia Tech linebacker Lyndell Gibson, 20, was found guilty of driving under the influence, and was sentenced to pay a fine and complete a Virginia Alcohol Safety Action Program course, according to the Roanoke Times.
The linebacker, from Salem High School in Virginia Beach, VA, and a rising redshirt junior, was pulled over on University City Boulevard early morning on February 5, 2011, and charged with DUI. The linebacker pleaded not guilty in Montgomery County General District Court, but admitted there was sufficient evidence for a finding of guilt. A General District Court Judge sentenced the linebacker to 60 days in jail, all suspended, and fined him $1,000, with $750 suspended.
The linebacker decided to leave Virginia Tech after the school’s Office of Judicial Affairs said it would suspend him for a semester. This would have cost him a football season. The linebacker transferred to Hampton University, where he intended to continue playing football.
Prior to the DUI, the linebacker had legal troubles from a charge in March 2009 with grand larceny, petit larceny and destruction of property in connection with an incident in December 2008, when he and football teammates took a “joy ride” on bicycles they found on Virginia Tech’s campus.
Driving under the influence is considered reckless behavior in Virginia. The guilty sentencing of the linebacker was a reminder of how a DUI can affect not only accident victims, but also a school community.
The family or friends of those injured or killed in an accident resulting from a drunk driver might file a wrongful death case with the assistance of Virginia personal injury lawyers against the responsible parties in order to get justice for the pain they suffered.
To learn more about what to do if you or a loved one is hurt in a car accident, check out our Frequently Asked Questions devoted to the subject.
LC