Fort Lauderdale Dragging Death Case: Broward County Jury Finds Driver Guilty of Vehicular Homicide
A Broward County Florida jury found a South Florida driver guilty of vehicular homicide on Monday in a death by dragging case that started off as a fender-bender and escalated out of control.
Abdelaziz Hamze, 25, faces up to 60 years in prison for the death of Sandy Hall, 44, a Fort Lauderdale mother of two, resulting from a June 3, 2007 Fort Lauderdale area car accident.
According to news reports, Hamze was driving a Dodge minivan that struck a vintage Cadillac in which Hall was a passenger. Hamze drove away and the Cadillac, driven by Hall's boyfriend, followed. When the Cadillac caught up with Hamze at a stop light, Hall, her boyfriend and another passenger got out of the car to confront Hamze, with Hall jumping on the minivan's windshield. Hamze drove off with Hall still clinging to the windshield wipers. Hall fell and was trapped beneath the car and was dragged several miles to her death.
Hamze then reportedly drove home, cleaned the blood off his van, switched license plates, and flew to JFK International Airport in New York where he was apprehended by authorities on a plane bound for Greece. Hamze's defense lawyers argued that he acted out of fear for his own life after Hall and her companions surrounded his van, and he was acquitted on murder charges. A Broward County Circuit Judge is scheduled to sentence Hamze on May 1.
A Fort Lauderdale Wrongful Death lawyer can help families who've suffered a loss in a fatal car crash sort out the details to determine who might be liable in the case. This Fort Lauderdale case that began as a rear-ending of a car illustrates how quickly things can go wrong and turn deadly on South Florida's roads and highways.
Broward County jury finds man guilty in dragging death trial
South Florida SunSentinel.com March 24, 2009
Related Web Resource
National Highway Traffic Safety Administration: Aggressive Driving
