In Yorba Linda and the whole state of California, DUI is treated as a serious criminal act. If you’re convicted of DUI, penalties include losing your driver’s license, fines and fees totaling up to thousands of dollars, mandatory DUI school, and even jail time, even if it’s your first DUI. This is why as soon as you’re arrested, you need to take the appropriate action to protect and defend yourself. You need an experienced Yorba Linda DUI lawyer.
A good DUI lawyer can help you navigate the complicated process surrounding a DUI arrest and conviction. They know how to examine the evidence against you and challenge areas that are questionable or may have even violated your rights—giving you the best chance at a lighter sentence or even charges dropped completely. To get a FREE consultation with a top DUI lawyer in your area, contact us today by calling (310) 862-0199 or completing the form to the right.
How Can a DUI Lawyer Improve My Odds in Yorba Linda?
In most drunk driving cases, speaking to a great DUI lawyer is the best thing you can do. Look for a lawyer who:
- Primarily devotes their law practice to DUI cases
- Can show you other cases like yours where they’ve won the best outcome for their clients
- And offers a free consultation/case evaluation
A good DUI lawyer will use certain tactics like the following to help your case.
Questioning the chemical test validity
After being arrested for DUI, you’ll usually have to take a breath test, blood test, or sometimes a urine test for officers to get the blood alcohol content (BAC) of your body. These might seem scientific and valid, but their results can easily be flawed. Your lawyer will review the test data as well as testing procedures, such as proper maintenance and calibration of breath machines or how blood samples were handled when sent to the lab. If there are grounds to challenge the test results, they’ll find them.
Ensuring your rights are protected
After your arrest and during questioning, police must read you your rights and follow a specific protocol. They’ll also need a valid reason to pull you over and search your vehicle before they can arrest you.
If the arresting officer failed to follow the proper procedures or made an error on your arrest report that violated your rights, your lawyer may be able to get significant evidence against you suppressed. And if your lawyer finds your arrest was illegal, you could even get your case dismissed completely and walk away without any charges.
Negotiating and bargaining
DUI lawyers are expert negotiators. They know that sometimes bargaining is the best way to win. Your DUI lawyer will challenge a lot of the evidence against you so they can have strong negotiating power against the prosecution. They’ll fight for a bargain that could get you a less extreme charge or have the case dropped completely.
These are just a few big examples. Your lawyer will use the specific details of your case to decide the best tactics when looking for weak spots in the prosecution’s evidence. This type of expertise can make a huge difference in your outcome and is unmatched without a DUI defense lawyer.
What If I Was Arrested for Dui While Driving a Commercial Vehicle?
If you carry a commercial driver’s license (CDL), and are arrested for DUI, you will face the same penalties of a “normal” DUI along:
- a one-year CDL suspension if it’s a first offense
- Permanent revocation of your CDL if it’s your second offense within 10 years
In addition, you are treated slightly different than other drivers. If your BAC is at 0.04% or above (versus 0.08% or above or other drivers), you’re considered to be under the influence. This applies even if you weren’t driving your commercial vehicle at the time of the arrest.
These consequences will cause you to lose your job and can greatly affect your future career, so you definitely need a DUI lawyer on your side.
What If My DUI Involved Someone Dying?
DUIs involving the death of someone else is extremely emotional and hard. And when someone dies related to a DUI in California, the case is treated even more seriously with extreme consequences.
You might naturally blame yourself for the accident, but it’s important to remember that you did not intentionally plan to hurt anyone. You shouldn’t have to go to prison for an event that really was an accident. The prosecution will be ready to blame everything about the accident on you, so you need a very strong legal defense.
For a DUI where someone lost their life, you could be tried one either of the following charges:
Vehicular manslaughter while intoxicated
This is the most common charge resulting from loss of life from DUI and refers to you doing something illegal that causes a death, but without you meaning to kill anyone. It either be considered a misdemeanor or a felony.
Gross vehicular manslaughter while intoxicated
This means someone was killed because of something reckless you did while driving under the influence. Gross vehicular manslaughter while intoxicated is a felony. This charge is more extreme than vehicular manslaughter while intoxicated.
DUI murder
A DUI murder charge is rare, but still possible, and it’s one of the most serious DUI charges. You can be charged with DUI murder if the prosecution can prove the death was intentionally a murder. If you are facing this type of charge, you definitely need to protect yourself.
Talk to a Yorba Linda DUI Lawyer Today
Don’t try to handle a DUI charge without an experienced DUI defense lawyer. You NEED the law on your side during this complicated and overwhelming process. A DUI lawyer who specializes in these cases will know how to best approach the prosecution and their evidence with your well-being in mind. And we can get you a FREE case evaluation with a leading DUI lawyer in the Yorba Linda area. For a free consultation to discuss your case and your best defense options, call us today at (310) 862-0199, or fill out the form to the right.
