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New York · Through 2026-09-11

N.Y. Penal Law § 125.12: Vehicular manslaughter in the second degree

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Where this section sits in the code
  1. Penal Law
  2. Part 3. Specific Offenses
  3. Title H. Offenses Against the Person Involving Physical Injury, Sexual Conduct, Restraint and Intimidation
  4. Article 125. Homicide and Related Offenses

§ 125.12 Vehicular manslaughter in the second degree.

A person is guilty of vehicular manslaughter in the second degree when

he or she causes the death of another person, and either:

(1) operates a motor vehicle in violation of subdivision two, three,

four or four-a of section eleven hundred ninety-two of the vehicle and

traffic law or operates a vessel or public vessel in violation of

paragraph (b), (c), (d) or (e) of subdivision two of section

forty-nine-a of the navigation law, and as a result of such intoxication

or impairment by the use of a drug, or by the combined influence of

drugs or of alcohol and any drug or drugs, operates such motor vehicle,

vessel or public vessel in a manner that causes the death of such other

person, or

(2) operates a motor vehicle with a gross vehicle weight rating of

more than eighteen thousand pounds which contains flammable gas,

radioactive materials or explosives in violation of subdivision one of

section eleven hundred ninety-two of the vehicle and traffic law, and

such flammable gas, radioactive materials or explosives is the cause of

such death, and as a result of such impairment by the use of alcohol,

operates such motor vehicle in a manner that causes the death of such

other person, or

(3) operates a snowmobile in violation of paragraph (b), (c) or (d) of

subdivision one of section 25.24 of the parks, recreation and historic

preservation law or operates an all terrain vehicle as defined in

paragraph (a) of subdivision one of section twenty-two hundred

eighty-one of the vehicle and traffic law in violation of subdivision

two, three, four, or four-a of section eleven hundred ninety-two of the

vehicle and traffic law, and as a result of such intoxication or

impairment by the use of a drug, or by the combined influence of drugs

or of alcohol and any drug or drugs, operates such snowmobile or all

terrain vehicle in a manner that causes the death of such other person.

If it is established that the person operating such motor vehicle,

vessel, public vessel, snowmobile or all terrain vehicle caused such

death while unlawfully intoxicated or impaired by the use of alcohol or

a drug, then there shall be a rebuttable presumption that, as a result

of such intoxication or impairment by the use of alcohol or a drug, or

by the combined influence of drugs or of alcohol and any drug or drugs,

such person operated the motor vehicle, vessel, public vessel,

snowmobile or all terrain vehicle in a manner that caused such death, as

required by this section.

Vehicular manslaughter in the second degree is a class D felony.

Collected 2026-09-14T19:32:45Z. Source file · JSON

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