Facts
On April 23, 1988, two previously unacquainted men, Alejandro Velazquez and Adalberto Alvarez, met at a restaurant in Hialeah, Florida, and decided to race each other in their automobiles. Upon completing the drive without an accident, Alvarez unexpectedly turned his car and headed back to the starting line, and Velazquez followed after him. Alvarez moved at an approximate speed of 123 m.p.h., was not wearing a seatbelt, and was under the influence of alcohol, while Velazquez drove at 98 m.p.h. and had not been drinking. Towards the end of the road, the brakes on both vehicles did not work, and the two automobiles crashed, with Alvarez passing away and Velazquez surviving. Velazquez, the defendant in the initial trial, was charged with vehicular homicide and later filed a motion to dismiss the accusation.
Issue
Can the law overseeing vehicular homicide impose liability on a driver in an illegal and reckless race if the contest results in the death of another co-motorist, with the surviving driver charged simply for participation?
Rule
The Court ruled that a driver-participant in a race cannot be held criminally responsible for the demise of another motorist in the contest under two conditions. First, if the diseased kill themselves as a result of their reckless driving. Second, if the surviving defendant is charged simply for partaking in the race, the Court reached this resolution upon considering the essence of vehicular homicide, including the elements of proximate cause, “but for” causation-in-fact, and the substantial factor exception.
Analysis-Arguments
The involved parties argued on the matter of proximate cause, and the Court applied the rule by stating that the defendant’s participation in the race cannot be regarded as the proximate cause for Alvarez’s death. The Court declared that the deceased killed himself since no one forced him to join the contest or to drive at an excessive speed back to the starting line, which resulted in his demise.
Conclusion-Holdings
The Court held that Velazquez, the defendant, is not criminally responsible for Alvarez’s passing away because the latter’s own actions brought his demise. In my opinion, the case was rightly decided since Velazquez’s participation in the driving contest was not a proximate cause for Alvarez’s death. Moreover, it seems clear that Alvarez passed away due to his own decisions and actions, as he voluntarily drove at a high speed under the influence of alcohol.