West Virginia § 17C-5-1 Vehicular homicide; aggravated vehicular homicide; vehicular homicide in a school zone; vehicular homicide in a construction zone; penalties; revocation of driving privileges upon conviction

West Virginia Statutes

§ 17C-5-1 — Vehicular homicide; aggravated vehicular homicide; vehicular homicide in a school zone; vehicular homicide in a construction zone; penalties; revocation of driving privileges upon conviction

West Virginia § 17C-5-1

Ch. 17CTRAFFIC REGULATIONS AND LAWS OF THE ROAD

Art. 5SERIOUS TRAFFIC OFFENSES

This text of West Virginia § 17C-5-1 (Vehicular homicide; aggravated vehicular homicide; vehicular homicide in a school zone; vehicular homicide in a construction zone; penalties; revocation of driving privileges upon conviction) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering West Virginia primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook

W. Va. Code § 17C-5-1 (2026).

Text

(a)When the death of any person, including an embryo or fetus as defined in §61-2-30 of this code, other than the person operating the motor vehicle, ensues within one year as the proximate result of injury caused by the driving of any motor vehicle anywhere in this state by any person in reckless disregard for the safety of others, the person operating the motor vehicle is guilty of vehicular homicide.

(b)Any person convicted of vehicular homicide is guilty of a misdemeanor and upon conviction, shall be fined not less than $1,000 nor more than $10,000, confined in the jail for not more than one year, or both fined and confined.

(c)Notwithstanding the provisions of subsections (a) and (b) of this section, when the death of a person, including an embryo or fetus as defined in §61-2-30

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(a) When the death of any person, including an embryo or fetus as defined in §61-2-30 of this code, other than the person operating the motor vehicle, ensues within one year as the proximate result of injury caused by the driving of any motor vehicle anywhere in this state by any person in reckless disregard for the safety of others, the person operating the motor vehicle is guilty of vehicular homicide.

(b) Any person convicted of vehicular homicide is guilty of a misdemeanor and upon conviction, shall be fined not less than $1,000 nor more than $10,000, confined in the jail for not more than one year, or both fined and confined.

(c) Notwithstanding the provisions of subsections (a) and (b) of this section, when the death of a person, including an embryo or fetus as defined in §61-2-30 of this code, other than the person operating the motor vehicle, occurs within one year as the proximate result of injury caused by the operation of any motor vehicle in this state in deliberate disregard for the safety of others, the person operating the motor vehicle is guilty of the offense of aggravated vehicular homicide and upon conviction he or she shall be fined not more than $20,000, or imprisoned in a state correctional facility for a definite term of years of not less than one nor more than five years, or both fined and imprisoned.

(d) For the purposes of this section, a person who acts with deliberate disregard for the safety of others if he or she has knowledge of facts or intentionally disregards facts that create high probability of injury to the safety of others and:

(1) deliberately proceeds to act in conscious or intentional disregard of the high degree of probability of injury to the safety of others; or

(2) deliberately proceeds to act with indifference to the high probability of injury to or the safety of others.

(e) When the death of any person, including an embryo or fetus as defined in §61-2-30 of this code, other than the person operating the motor vehicle, ensues within one year as the proximate result of injury caused by the driving of any vehicle in a school zone, as set forth in §17C-6-1 of this code, during school recess or while children are going to or leaving school during opening or closing hours, by any person in reckless disregard for the safety of others, the person operating the vehicle is guilty of vehicular homicide in a school zone.

(f) Any person convicted of vehicular homicide in a school zone is guilty of a felony and upon conviction, shall be fined not less than $2,500 nor more than $5,000, or imprisoned in a state correctional facility for a definite term of years of not less than two nor more than 10 years, or both fined and imprisoned.

(g) When the death of any person, including an embryo or fetus as defined in §61-2-30 of this code, other than the person operating the motor vehicle, ensues within one year as the proximate result of injury caused by the driving of any vehicle where street or highway construction work is being performed consistent with the provisions of §17C-3-4b of this code, by any person in reckless disregard for the safety of others, the person operating the vehicle is guilty of vehicular homicide in a construction zone.

(h) Any person convicted of vehicular homicide in a construction zone shall be guilty of a felony and upon conviction, shall be fined not less than $2,500 nor more than $5,000, or imprisoned in a state correctional facility for a definite term of years of not less than two nor more than 10 years, or both fined and confined.

(i) The commissioner shall revoke the license or permit to drive and any nonresident operating privilege of any person convicted of any offense contained within this section.