WASHINGTON — A man with a long history of traffic violations now faces more than a decade behind bars for a drunken crash that killed another driver in Rosslyn.
Then 24-year-old Aman Lail was speeding and running red lights in his Jeep Wrangler when he T-boned a car on Lee Highway near Fort Myer Drive in January of 2014.
The driver of the other car, 24-year-old Chowdhury Saqlain, was killed. In August, Lail pleaded guilty to charges of involuntary manslaughter and driving while intoxicated.
After hearing arguments from the defense and prosecution, as well as victim impact statements, Judge Louise DiMatteo sentenced Lail to 12 years in prison, the maximum under the guidelines of the plea agreement. Lail will also be on probation for 15 years following his release.
Friends and family of both the victim and the defendant packed the Arlington County courtroom, and the stepfather of the victim made a tearful victim impact statement before the sentence was handed down. Shamim Ahmed read remarks prepared by his wife, Nazeen Ahmed, calling Chowdhury “the light of my life,” before adding, “the light has dimmed.”
Shamim Ahmed described how his stepson graduated from George Mason University and planned to pursue a doctorate at the University of Colorado.
In pushing for a maximum sentence, the prosecution pointed to Lail’s long list of previous traffic offenses, including eight convictions for speeding, three for reckless driving, and one for driving while intoxicated. At the time of the deadly crash, Lail was on probation because of a reckless driving conviction. Additionally, the prosecution said Lail may have had a blood alcohol content as high as .20, which would have been more than twice the legal limit. They also said Lail lied to police for hours after the crash, denying that he was the driver of the Jeep.
The defense described Lail, who was a part time student at Northern Virginia Community College, as having a long struggle with alcoholism.
Lail himself addressed the court before his sentencing, speaking softly and apologizing, saying “I take full responsibility for my actions.”
Saqlain’s family is now planning a $20 million civil suit against Lail.
“It would be something hanging over his head when he’s released,” says attorney David Haynes. “They’re not going to let this go.”
Haynes says Lail had numerous drinks at a Fairfax County bar before the crash, and is calling on the Virginia General Assembly to pass laws holding bars and restaurants legally responsible for serving visibly intoxicated customers.
