DUI With Accident / Injury

Sentencing enhancements are what happens when the district attorney who is trying your DUI case increases the punishment you could potentially face. You could end up with more jail time, higher fines, and a longer period of license suspension. Sentencing enhancements are one of the big reasons you should hire an experienced and determined Pittsburgh criminal defense attorney to represent you.

DUI Accident Sentencing Enhancements

One of the things a district attorney might try to convict you for is Aggravated Assault While Under the Influence. This is an extremely serious charge. Considered to be a second-degree felony, sentencing enhancements under this charge include fines as high as $25,000 and prison sentences of up to ten years.

The DUI laws in Pennsylvania require the district attorney to prove that a person’s injury was caused because of you driving drunk—beyond a reasonable doubt. “Serious, permanent disfigurement or protracted loss or impairment of the function of any bodily member or organ” must be present in someone, though not the driver who was alleged to be drunk, in order for that drunk driver to be charged with Aggravated Assault While Under the Influence. If there is no injury matching his requirement, you could be charged with something less and still get sentencing enhancements enacted against you. Additionally, just because you were over the legal limit at the time of the accident does not mean the injury automatically was caused by your intoxication. You may have been texting, playing with the radio, or in some other way distracted at the time of the crash.

Sentencing enhancements come with harsh consequences, so you need to make sure you have a competent and aggressive Pittsburgh DUI attorney, like those at Logue Law Group, to help you.

Pennsylvania DUI Accident Penalties and Charges

Pennsylvania considers Driving Under the Influence charges to be very serious. The city of Pittsburgh follows suit. The main goal of laws against drunk driving is to keep streets, highways, and country roads safe. Driving under the influence, be it of drugs or alcohol, impedes the safe operation of a motor vehicle. Therefore, DUI cases are often charged to the full extent of the law.

Many times, the person charged with drunk driving is held responsible both criminally and civilly for an accident connected with their DUI. If someone is injured or killed in that accident, the law requires even more charges for the impaired driver. In these cases, the driver could be charged with manslaughter, vehicular homicide, assault, reckless endangerment, and many more very serious things. Criminal penalties include license revocation, long prison sentences, permanent criminal records, massive fines, and civil liabilities, like damages for lost wages, emotional suffering, medical bills, property damage, and the pain and suffering the victim has had to deal with. Pennsylvania law states a drunk driver can be tried twice—once for the DUI and a second time for civil liabilities.

What Can a Pittsburgh Criminal Defense Attorney Do for You?

The attorneys at Logue Law Group have regular, extensive training in the laws and procedures surrounding DUI. They are able to catch errors in your arrest and BAC testing, and successfully defend you, often getting your charges reduced or dismissed.

If you or a loved one have been charged with a DUI accident in or around the city of Pittsburgh, you will need an experienced criminal defense attorney. The Logue Criminal Defense team serves Pittsburgh, PA, and the surrounding areas, including West Virginia and Ohio. To get in touch and schedule a free initial consultation with an experienced Pittsburgh Criminal Defense lawyer from Logue Law Group, call us today at (844) PITT-DUI or (412) 389-0805. Or, you can contact us online.

Don’t wait to call! The longer you wait to hire an attorney, the more difficult it becomes for him or her to get a good outcome for you and your case. Call today!