Strong Defense Against Vehicular Assault Or Homicide Charges

If you are accused of driving while impaired and causing injury or death, it immediately makes the charges more serious. You would be looking at time behind bars for a conviction, which means it’s critical to get a strong defense attorney on your side.

At Summers, Rufolo & Rodgers, we focus a key part of our practice on DUI defense. We are determined that you not be demonized for being involved in an accident causing injuries or death — even if alcohol or drugs were involved.

Call 423-265-2385 to discuss your specific situation in a free consultation. We serve clients throughout the Chattanooga area.

What Are The Penalties For A DUI That Causes Injuries Or Death?

Tennessee law defines vehicular assault as recklessly causing “serious bodily injury” to another person by operating a motor vehicle while intoxicated. Even for a first offense, it is considered a felony, with a mandatory jail sentence of 48 consecutive hours.

If convicted, you would also face a one-year license suspension, with no restricted driver’s license available to allow you to get back on the road. Fines and court costs would add to the consequences as well.

Previous DUI offenses on your record threaten to make the penalties even heavier. If you have a prior alcohol-related conviction, you would be looking at mandatory jail time of 45 days for vehicular assault.

For a DUI accident that causes the loss of life, the incarceration period required after a conviction for the Class B Felony could be between 8-12 years for a standard offender.

Make Use Of Available Defenses

The occurrence of injuries or loss of life, however, doesn’t take away the full range of defenses you have available to you. For example, for the charge of vehicular assault to be valid, intoxication must have caused the accident. By reconstructing the accident scene, we may be able to show that it did not.

Our defense lawyers have years of proven experience handling serious and sensitive cases like this. Call our office to arrange a no-cost consultation or complete the brief online form.