Drunk driving crashes can lead to serious legal problems

On Behalf of | Mar 1, 2019 | DWI/DUI Defense, Firm News

Being charged with drunk driving is a very serious matter. While many people face this situation, there are some people who have more to worry about than just the drunk driving charge. When there is a wreck that involves a drunk driver, there can be other matters that the defendant has to worry about.

Oftentimes, a person who is involved in an accident while they are driving drunk will have to face enhanced penalties. This could mean that a misdemeanor charge is increased to a felony. These cases are associated with higher fines, the possibility of increased jail time and other harsh penalties.

The severity of the charges in these cases might be directly related to the severity of the injuries of the victims, as well as the blood alcohol concentration (BAC) of the driver. When there are catastrophic injuries or high BAC, the chance of enhanced charges is greater.

If the crash results in a fatality, the person might face some sort of homicide charge. This is likely either voluntary or involuntary manslaughter, but others are also possible. Having to deal with this type of charge requires you to plan your defense carefully.

On top of these, you might also face a civil case if the victims of the crash choose to seek compensation for the financial damages they are having to deal with because of the wreck. If this happens, you might find that you are being pulled between both the criminal case and the civil one. Since these are in different courts, you will have to address both separately.