If you’ve been charged with a DUI with an accident in California, you should know that you face additional liability if you caused the accident. Punitive damages, aka “tort damages,” are charged against a DUI driver instead of his or her insurance company. Punitive damages can easily reach tens of thousands of dollars. The punishment for drunk driving with an accident in California is severe. You’ll need the help of an experienced DUI lawyer to protect your rights.
DUI with an accident in California carries hefty penalties. While a DUI is always a serious offense, the severity of the penalties is significantly higher when a driver causes a crash, especially if someone is injured in the accident. While your BAC may be under.08 percent, an accident will still carry a DUI conviction. Depending on the circumstances, a DUI with an accident can be elevated to a felony, which carries even greater penalties.
In addition to the criminal penalties, the DUI with an accident in California will revoke your driver’s license for a longer period of time. A misdemeanor DUI conviction carries a license suspension of up to one year, while a felony DUI conviction can carry up to three years of license suspension. The court can also increase the suspension period depending on the severity of the offense. If you’re convicted of a DUI with an accident in California, your license will be suspended for three years, even if you don’t have a history of DUI offenses.
Whether your case involves an injury or not, DUI with an accident in California has serious consequences. DUI with an accident involving a pedestrian is a felony. If you’re convicted of a misdemeanor or felony DUI with an accident in California, you will likely face a long prison sentence, which can be as high as four years. In addition, your license will probably be suspended for a period of time.
If the injury was caused by a DUI driver, the penalties will be even higher. While you’ll face a misdemeanor for driving under the influence of alcohol, DUI with an accident increases the penalties. Moreover, it’s also more likely that the DUI with accident will result in death, so the penalty will be much greater. You can expect that your insurance premium will go up and your insurance will go up as a result.
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