When accidents cause a fatality, the risk of liability for the person responsible for the accident also increases substantially. If the person responsible acted negligently in some way that proximately resulted in a fatal accident, that person is potentially at risk for criminal charges, as well as for financial liability pursuant to a wrongful death lawsuit. For instance, if a person was driving while intoxicated, and, as a result, struck and killed a pedestrian, the driver would most likely be charged with the crime of driving while intoxicated, or its equivalent, depending on the jurisdiction. A criminal conviction for such a crime could result in jail time, community service hours, probation, and/or monetary fines, depending on the circumstances and the penalties under a state's laws for the crime charged. Likewise, the driver might face a wrongful death lawsuit filed by the pedestrian's family, which is a civil action that seeks compensation for the death of the pedestrian.