Drunk driving charges are hard enough to face when that’s your only criminal charge. For some individuals, the drunk driving charge is actually the least of their worries. This is the case when the driving while drunk led to a crash. In this instance, you might face the DUI and other criminal charges.
After a crash that is thought to be caused by drunk driving, you will be asked to submit to a blood alcohol concentration (BAC) test. This is usually done by a blood test or urinalysis. In some cases, this is only going to be done if the accident leads to a fatality or a serious injury.
There is a good chance that you will face some serious charges, such as vehicular homicide, if you are driving after drinking and end up in a crash. This doesn’t mean that you won’t still face the drunk driving charge. It means that you have a case with more than one criminal matter included in it.
The evidence in these cases must be carefully considered. You will have to think carefully about what type of defense strategy you will employ for the criminal case; however, your legal journey might not end there.
You could face a civil case from the person who was the victim in the crash. A personal injury claim is possible, no matter what the outcome of the criminal case. This is perfectly legal since the criminal court and civil court serve different purposes. Since this is an entirely different manner, you would have to work on a defense for each case.
Source: FindLaw, “Drunk Driving Accidents,” accessed Dec. 15, 2017