Consequences of Injuring Another and DUI

If you have injured someone while driving under the influence (DUI) matters will get more complicated and harsher penalties will set in if you are convicted. A DUI causing injury can be charged as a misdemeanor or a felony depending on how severe the injury was to any victims and whether you have a previous criminal record.

What are the penalties?

If you are charged with a misdemeanor DUI which caused injury to someone, you may be faced with the following penalties:

• Time in jail (5 days to 1 year)
• Up to five years probation
• $ 390.00 to $ 5,000 dollars in fines
• 1 year suspension of driver's license
• 3 to 9 months alcohol or drug education

If you are charged with a felony DUI which caused injury, then you may be facing these penalties:

• 16 months to 4 years in prison
• You may have to spend an additional 3 years for each additional person that was seriously injured and an additional 1 year for each additional person who was injured in any way.
• Payment of up to $20,000 in fines
• An 18 or 30 month drug or alcohol education program
• Driver's license revocation for four years

A Recent Real Life Example

This past May in Downey, a father and daughter were taken to the hospital after a a vehicle crashed into the bedroom where the daughter was sleeping around 1 a.m. in the morning. The Downey police suspected the driver was drunk and he initially tried to flee from the accident on foot. Neighbors who were awakened by the crash saw him running and apprehended him, holding him until police arrived. A passenger who was still in the Jeep was pinned in the vehicle and had to be extracted by firemen. The father and daughter were treated for minor injuries.

In the above example the suspect can be held liable for all who sustained injuries and in addition, will most likely be charged with hit and run to make matters even worse. If you or someone you know has been charged with DUI involving injuries in the Los Angeles area, it is imperative that you contact a Los Angeles DUI defense lawyer as soon as possible. Your freedom is at risk and you need someone to help you through the criminal defense process. At Gold and Witham, we specialize in DUI and have over 40 years of combined experience. We are competent, aggressive and are dedicated to helping our clients obtain the best possible outcome for their case.

Contact a Los Angeles DUI attorney in our office to set up a free consultation and we will go over the details of your case.