Blog Post

Jeffrey Woods will have a chance to formally enter a plea today in the bicycle accident case that killed an Orange County teenager last year. According to the OC Register, Woods is facing two felony counts – one for vehicular manslaughter with gross negligence, and another for driving under the influence, and causing bodily injury.

The bicycle accident that Woods is accused of is one that we have covered several times on our Orange County bicycle accident attorneys blog.  It's one that grabbed headlines when it took place, and since then, has continued to garner attention because of the several twists and turns it has taken.  In August last year, 14-year-old Danny Oates was bicycling his way to school to pick up his fall summer schedule, when he was struck by Woods' car.  Danny was thrown several feet, and died at the scene of the accident.  At that point, Woods, then 21-years-old, seemed to be full of remorse, and the media reported that it had been an accident without any foul play at work.

As it turns out later, Woods had been doing more than just driving along when he struck Danny.  According to investigations, it was possible that he had not only been under the influence of an opiate at the time of the accident, but worse, may actually have been involved in a drug deal at the time of the accident.   The police found text messages on his cell phone that contained slang terms for certain prescription drugs, fueling suspicion that he may have been texting to negotiate or close a drug deal at the time that he struck Danny.

Woods was scheduled for a preliminary hearing next month, and his attorney says that the grand jury indictment that they received on November 10th was a complete surprise. According to the attorney, the prosecutors were apprehensive that the judge would dismiss some of the counts against Woods which is why they rushed it through grand jury.  Woods is expected to plead not guilty.

Woods' attorney also claims that the case is "overcharged." That’s a little hard to swallow. His client is accused of killing a teenage boy over a year ago, and it's taken all this time just to get him to court. If anything, Danny's family is the one who should be indignant at the kind of delays this case has seen.  They have lost a beloved child, and have had to wait excruciatingly long even to find out more details about the bicycle accident that killed their child.  To lose a child is horrible enough, but have to wait for justice in this manner is appalling.  Woods' attorney can complain all he wants to, but the circumstances of the case warranted that it be speeded up to court.  A family is looking for plain facts here, and they shouldn’t have to wait any longer.  

The Reeves Law Group is a law firm with offices throughout California dedicated exclusively to the representation of personal injury victims, including victims of bicycle accidents. Please visit our website at trlglaw.com. If you desire a free consultation on a personal injury matter, please call us at (800) 644-8000 or email us.