When you were driving home, you were a little drowsy from drinking, but you didn’t feel like you were over the limit. You felt instead like you hadn’t gotten much sleep since you had trouble the night before.
In a moment of exhaustion, you fell asleep behind the wheel. Unfortunately, it only took that few seconds to cause a serious collision. You were able to walk away relatively unharmed, but the person you struck has serious, life-threatening injuries.
In a case like this, you could face serious repercussions, especially if you’re found with alcohol in your system. It’s in your best interests to fight any DUI charges or allegations because you could end up:
- Facing a felony
- Facing around $10,000 in DUI-related costs as well as other costs associated with the other person’s injuries
- Losing your license
- Facing time in prison
It’s not a good idea to try to talk your way out of the situation or to fight the charges on your own. This is an extremely sensitive situation, and you want to look like you are cooperating while also protecting your own interests.
Remember that criminal and civil proceedings are totally different. Even if you face a civil proceeding with the Division of Motor Vehicles, you could still face criminal charges as well. You want to make sure you defend against both, so you can minimize the impact to your life.
This is a difficult situation to go through, no matter who you are. Our website has more information on facing a DUI charge and what you can do to avoid serious penalties like time in jail or the loss of your license.