New Jersey DWI Lawyer Blog
As any one who has been arrested for drunk driving here in the Garden State probably knows already, being charged with driving under the influence of alcohol or prescription drugs — also known as drug DUI — can be difficult in and of itself to fight in court; but to add an injury accident one top of a DWI charge only complicates things for a defendant.
It doesn’t make any real difference if one is picked up in Atlantic, Essex or Hudson County, state and municipal law enforcement agencies hold a hard line against alleged drunken drivers. (The same can be said for the New Jersey court system, since state laws are very strict and contain stiff penalties for motorists convicted of driving while intoxicated, whether by liquor, doctor-prescribed medication or illicit drugs such as cocaine or marijuana.
When a driver causes a traffic accident while allegedly under the influence, the law tends to focus a little tighter on that individual. And, as mentioned above, injury accidents caused by drunk drivers can complicate a person’s defense in many cases. If the person who is injured is an officer of the law, this is without a doubt more than sufficient reason to consult with a qualified DWI defense attorney. And by all means, one should not even contemplate running from a patrolman.
Fleeing a police officer, that is avoiding or evading arrest, is an offense that only compounds the initial traffic violation. In this modern age, few if any average citizens can put off the inevitable arrest by leaving the scene of an accident. As New Jersey drunk driving defense lawyers, I and my colleagues have seen enough DWI cases where the driver injured or killed another person; it goes without saying that one would never what to add his or her name to that list.
Just a short while ago, a New Jersey driver was arrested by police after she allegedly fled from police after nearly striking a patrolman with her vehicle. According to news reports, 27-year-old Christine Favro was found unconscious in her vehicle by Barnegat Township police officers late on a January evening.
Based on police reports, the Cranberry, NJ, resident was apparently passed out in car, which was stopped along a stretch of eastbound Rte 72, just a short distance away from entrance to Pinewood Estates. According to police officials, patrolmen at the scene repeated requested that the suspect exit her car; when she came to, Ms. Favro allegedly placed her vehicle in a forward gear and began to drive away; in the process, the vehicle clipped one of the officers.
The patrolmen followed the woman along Rte 72 until she reached the intersection of Rte 532; at that point, she stopped her car yet continued to ignore orders from the officers to switch the car’s ignition off and exit the vehicle. Apparently, after numerous attempts, the officers had to “extract” the driver from the vehicle, after which she was placed under arrest.
According to reports, Favro was charged with a list of violations including failure to yield to an emergency vehicle, failure to maintain her lane, aggravated assault (3rd degree), resisting arrest (3rd degree), DWI and breath test refusal, among others. She placed in the Ocean County jail in lieu of $15,000 bail.
Police: Woman Struck Officer With Car Before Leading Cops on Brief Chase, Patch.com, January 23, 2012
Barnegat Township police charge Middlesex County driver with vehicular assault, DWI; PressofAtlanticCity.com, January 23, 2012