If you were driving home and had a few drinks before you got into your vehicle, there is a good chance that you’ll be accused of driving while intoxicated if you end up in a collision. Even if you were not impaired enough to affect your driving, you might be accused of being drunk at the time of the crash and causing injuries to others.
If you are involved in a car crash after having anything at all to drink, you should be prepared to defend yourself. Drunk driving itself is serious, but when driving drunk leads to injuries or deaths, the penalties may be greatly increased. You could be looking at serious repercussions, such as being imprisoned or fined.
Causing seriously bodily harm while under the influence
According to Massachusetts General Laws c.90 § 24L, causing serious bodily injury while under the influence of an intoxicating substance may lead to between 2.5 and 10 years in state prison. There may also be a fine of up to $5,000. Depending on the circumstances, the penalties may be lowered to a jail or house of corrections sentence of up to 2.5 years and fines of up to $5,000. This charge may come as a felony DUI, so it’s very important to defend yourself against the allegations.
Crashing without causing injuries
If you crashed and did not cause serious injuries or involve others in the collision, you could still face a DUI. However, you may not face a felony charge depending on the circumstances. This may mean that you can minimize the risk of going to prison or losing your license, which is more likely in a case where you have harmed others as a result of your actions.
DUI charges are serious and are influenced by the specific factors of your case
It’s impossible to say which of the penalties you’ll face until you go over the specific factors of your case. If you had a minor in your vehicle, caused serious injuries or had a blood alcohol concentration that was below .08%, all of those factors may have different influences on your case. It’s worth taking the time to get to know the state laws and to make sure your case is handled correctly.