DUI Involving Accident | LA Drunk Driving Attorneys
DUI and Drunk Driving arrests account for a significant percentage of the Los Angeles crime rate and because of its prevalence, law enforcement, and prosecutors take these alcohol-related offenses very serious, especially when an accident is involved. In Los Angeles, most 1st offense DUIs are prosecuted as misdemeanors and rarely require bail to be posted after an arrest or jail time to be served after a conviction. However, if you have been arrested for a DUI with an accident, you potentially face enhanced sentencing even though your collision may have only damaged property without causing injuries. Also, most DUIs with accidents also involve elevated blood alcohol concentration (BAC) levels, which can further enhance sentencing under California Vehicle Code 23578 which states:
In addition to any other provision of this code, if a person
is convicted of a violation of Section 23152 or 23153, the court
shall consider a concentration of alcohol in the person’s blood of
0.15 percent or more, by weight, or the refusal of the person to take
a chemical test, as a special factor that may justify enhancing the
penalties in sentencing, in determining whether to grant probation,
and, if probation is granted, in determining additional or enhanced
terms and conditions of probation.
Penalties For A DUI With Accident In Los Angeles?
The enhanced penalties for a first drunk driving offense involving a non-injury accident can vary as the increased sentencing can be negotiated down. Therefore, the experience, reputation, and expertise of your DUI lawyer will be a critical factor towards increasing your odds of attaining a successful outcome. The following are potential penalties you face if charged with a misdemeanor 1st DUI with accident in Los Angeles County:
- Up to 1 year in LA County Jail
- Up to 5 years of informal (unsupervised) probation
- Up to $1,000 fine
- Victim restitution
- Community service or labor
- Mandatory installation of an Ignition Interlock Device (IID)
- Hospital and Morgue (HAM) program
- Up to 6 months driver’s license suspension
- Attendance at Mothers Against Drunk Driving (MADD) Victims Impact Panel
- Alcoholics Anonymous (AA) meetings
Los Angeles DUI With Accident Defense Lawyers
For almost 3 decades, we have specialized in defending both misdemeanor and felony drunk driving charges in each of the criminal courts in the LA Superior Court system and throughout Southern California. Los Angeles DUI attorneys Paul Takakjian and Stephen Sitkoff have each practiced criminal law for over 30 years as former DUI prosecutors with the Los Angeles District Attorney’s Office and since 1987, LA criminal and DUI defense lawyers. If you have been recently arrested for a DUI with an accident, please call us now at (888) 579-4844 for a free no-obligation consultation to discuss your case and options, or to schedule an appointment at our main office in West Los Angeles. For our clients’ convenience, we also maintain satellite locations in Torrance, Long Beach, Pasadena, Glendale, West Covina, Oxnard, Westlake Village, Huntington Beach, Newport Beach, Orange, and Corona.
