New Jersey DWI Lawyer Blog

Regardless of where a motorist receives a traffic citation or summons for drunken driving, be it Monmouth, Hudson, Union or Somerset County, being charged with drunken driving is nothing to sneeze at, especially in the Garden State. Aside from the heavy monetary penalties, one's career, personal relationships and standing in the community can be adversely affected simply be an arrest, much less an actual conviction.

Representing motorists accused of driving under the influence is the job of qualified New Jersey DWI defense attorneys, such as the experienced drunk driving lawyers at my firm. While no one can predict the outcome of a drunk driving case, the odds are that much worse in matters involving property damage and personal injury. Without a doubt, nobody should wish for a DWI or drug DUI arrest in connection with a fatal traffic accident.

Nevertheless, fatalities involving alleged drunken driving occur with a fair amount of frequency here in Jersey and elsewhere across the country. This is not to say that police or the courts are jaded when it comes to arrests following fatal DWI accidents; it's well understood that the authorities take a very dim view of drivers accused of fatal car crashes where alcohol or prescription drug use may have been involved.

Continue reading "Ocean County Drunken Driving News: Stafford Twp., NJ, Man Charged with DWI-related Vehicular Homicide" »

Right off the bat, as a New Jersey drunk driving defense lawyer and a former municipal DWI prosecuting attorney, let me say that running from the police and attempting to evade arrest is highly frowned upon by law enforcement agencies; and it certainly won't get a defendant any sympathy from the court when one comes before a judge for sentencing.

Here in the Garden State, not a day goes by that a number of local residents and out-of-state drivers get pulled over for traffic infractions all over the state. Of those dozens of drivers, some may or may not have had something to drink prior to the police stop. This is where the police officer conducting the traffic stop generally makes a determination of whether or not he feels that the driver is possibly impaired.

Impairment can come in many forms. For this forum, we usually consider that a motorist may be accused of one of a number of potentially intoxicating substances; these include alcoholic beverages, doctor-prescribed medications, illegal drugs or even illicit substances, such as marijuana, methamphetamine, or cocaine. The latter of these are sometimes referred to a CDS or controlled dangerous substances; and their use by a driver can result in drug DUI charges.

Continue reading "New Jersey DWI Arrest Report: Police in Bergen County Charge Fugitive with Drunk Driving following Chase" »

If there is one thing that most people need to live and work in our modern age, outside of food and lodging, it might be a valid driver's license. From the day we receive our learner's permit -- and later a full-fledged license -- we begin to value the freedom of movement that driving a car or truck provides. However, for many people, the state can revoke, suspend or otherwise withhold a motorist's driving privileges for certain convicted offenses.

Whether one lives in Monmouth, Ocean or Sussex County, for those caught up in a drunken driving arrest it is not so far flung of a statement to suggest that a temporary, and sometimes long-term, loss of their New Jersey driver's license could be in the offing depending on the nature of the charges and the driver's history of DWI, drug DUI, or other impaired driving offenses.

Considering the freedom and independence that a license imparts to an individual, it's hardly worth tempting fate with a drunk driving arrest, much less a potential conviction. Still, circumstances can arise leaving a driver in the unenviable position of losing his or her driver's license based on a local court's ruling following a guilty verdict or guilty plea regarding charges of driving while intoxicated, or operating a motor vehicle while impaired by prescription medication.

Continue reading "Bergen County DWI Update: Drunken Driving Conviction Can Lead to Revoked NJ Driver's License" »