Due to the occurrence of many alcohol-related accidents and deaths, law enforcement officers in Austin and throughout the nation are cracking down on DUIs and DWIs. If you are involved in any sort of accident where police suspect you have been drinking, you need the services of a criminal defense lawyer.
If you read news reports of accidents, you will discover that alcohol is considered a contributing factor in most accidents. Reporters intentionally note whenever alcohol did not seem to play a role in an accident, implying that accidents do not occur unless someone has been drinking. It is as though there is a presumption of guilt before all of the facts are in, and prior to any presented defense.
The presumption of guilt is compounded if law enforcement officers actually suspect that alcohol was involved. Take, for example, the case of a 17-year-old student in Buda, an area just outside of Austin. The Hays Free Press reported that a Hays High School student was in a head-on collision with another vehicle and is currently suspected of drunken driving. Though the report indicates that blood-alcohol tests are still pending, the article headline read, "Alcohol Suspected in Buda Teens Crash."
According to the report, the young man was driving his Ford pickup truck when he inadvertently crossed into oncoming traffic, smashing into a Jeep Liberty driven by a woman from San Antonio. Both the young man and the woman were taken to University Medical Center Brackenridge in Austin with what authorities deemed non life-threatening injuries.
However, the article proves why anyone involved in an incident where alcohol has been suspected needs a criminal defense lawyer. The mere mention that alcohol may have been a factor, without any substantiated proof, is indicative of the presumptions that can be made in DWI and DUI cases. A criminal defense lawyer can help shift such presumptions so the defendant can get a fair hearing.
It is hard enough to be at fault in an accident, especially one with injuries. There are enough repercussions in those situations without the added burden of a DWI or DUI charge. Luckily, every defendant is considered innocent until proven guilty, and an experienced criminal defense lawyer in Austin can help you maintain that innocence.
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