Los Angeles DUI With Injury

Los Angeles DUI With Injury

Getting arrested for a DUI is scary enough, but when your drunk driving causes an injury to someone else, it becomes a much more serious situation. A DUI with injury charge in Los Angeles carries severe penalties that can change your life forever. Let’s take an in-depth look at how these complex cases work.

What Constitutes a DUI With Injury?

Under California law, you can be charged with a DUI with injury if all of the following are true:

• You were driving under the influence of alcohol or drugs
• You committed an illegal act or neglected to perform a legal duty
• Your actions caused bodily injury to someone else

It doesn’t matter whether the injury was directly caused by the impaired driving itself or by another related action, like crashing into another vehicle. As long as your intoxicated driving set off the chain of events leading to injury, you can be held criminally responsible.

How Is This Different From a Regular DUI?

A “regular” misdemeanor DUI in California involves driving under the influence but not causing injury. With a standard DUI, you’re looking at up to 6 months in jail, fines up to $1000, DUI education classes, and a 6-month license suspension[1].

But when injury occurs, the crime becomes a felony. Now you’re facing:

• 16 months – 10 years in state prison
• Up to $5000 in fines
• Restitution to victims to cover medical expenses, lost wages, etc.
• 3-10 year license revocation

As you can see, a DUI with injury conviction exposes you to a whole new world of consequences. And because it’s a felony, you’ll have that on your permanent record for life.

What Factors Determine the Penalties?

Several things influence how severely you’ll be punished for a Los Angeles DUI with injury:

• Injuries sustained – Were they relatively minor cuts and bruises? Or serious injuries requiring extensive medical treatment?
• Prior DUI history – Harsher penalties apply if you have a previous DUI conviction within the last 10 years.
• Number of victims – Hurting multiple people leads to stiffer punishment.
• Age of victims – Injuring the elderly, children, or disabled can increase penalties.
• BAC level – The higher your BAC, the worse the sentencing.

Because there are so many factors at play, it’s impossible to predict which penalties you’ll receive without knowing the specifics of your case. A Los Angeles DUI defense lawyer can analyze the details and give you a better idea of what to expect.

Possible Defenses

Don’t just accept a DUI with injury charge at face value. There may be defenses your attorney can use to get the charges reduced or dismissed. Here are some examples:

• You weren’t actually impaired. Your breath or blood test results were inaccurate.
• The alleged injury wasn’t caused by your driving. There were other factors involved.
• You weren’t actually driving the vehicle when the accident occurred.
• The injury victim was also partially at fault for the accident.

An experienced DUI lawyer will thoroughly investigate your arrest, including examining police reports, witness statements, blood evidence, and the accident scene itself. If they find irregularities or other exonerating evidence, they can build a strong defense to defeat the charges.

Get an Aggressive DUI Defense Now

A DUI with injury charge can devastate your finances, freedom, and future. But the prosecution still bears the burden of proving your guilt beyond a reasonable doubt. The right defense lawyer can hold them to this burden and fight to get charges reduced or dismissed where possible.

If you or a loved one faces a Los Angeles DUI with injury allegation, get experienced legal help immediately. Time is of the essence in these cases. An attorney can start building your defense right away to give you the best chance of avoiding harsh penalties down the road.

With so much at stake, don’t leave your fate to chance. Get a free case review from a knowledgeable DUI lawyer today.