New Jersey DWI Lawyer Blog
From time to time we all read news articles that, on the face of it, seem like just one more in a string of typical day-to-day mistakes that some people make when driving a motor vehicle here in the Garden State. However, there are instances when a simple lack of good judgment may result in some serious consequences, not only for the individual who may have erred, but for those who suffered personal lose as a direct result.
While many car, truck or motorcycle accidents can be similar in many ways to the dozens of others that occur every week in counties like Monmouth, Middlesex and Atlantic, there are certain roadway collisions that distinguish themselves as being more unique than most. As New Jersey DWI defense attorneys, we have a great deal of experience representing various individuals accused of variety of alcohol-related traffic wrecks.
While multi-car drunken driving accidents are sure very common in a state with millions of motor vehicles travelling every day along its roadways, single-vehicle accidents do occur with amazing frequency as well. Some of these types of traffic incidents end up being allegedly attributed to alcohol consumption or drug use on the part of the driver.
Despite warnings to the contrary, there still many motorists who tempt fate and opt to drive when they may have had a little too much to drink. As experts in DWI legal defense, we know that some people, at the very least, are accused of drunk driving when the facts presented at trial indicate otherwise. This is why my law firm is dedicated to helping those people who have been charged with intoxicated operation of a motor vehicle; we know that sometimes the police can be misinformed or simply wrong in their assumptions.
From our perspective, anyone who is accused of breaking the law should have the chance to defend himself in a court of law. When it comes to DWI or drug DUI, there is a lot at stake, which is why we highly recommend that defendants avail themselves of a qualified legal professional for representation.
A news story we ran across lately illustrates the kind of case in which a defendant may not have had to think twice about retaining skilled legal help. This particular incident involved an allegedly drunk driver who apparently lost control of his pickup truck and hit a residence in the Mansfield Twp. Area. Unfortunately for this individual, not only was he charged with drunen driving, but after consideration by the local prosecutor’s office, the man was hit with a vehicular assault charge as well.
According to the article, a 25-year-old man from Warren County was initially charged with drunk driving following an April crash that sent the driver and his vehicle off the road and into a nearby home. Based on news articles, Thomas Pandorf of Washington, NJ, was accused of intoxicated driving after police found his GMC truck wedged into the wall of a residence on Willever Lake Rd. in Mansfield Twp.
Police, who arrived on the scene a little before 9am, determined that the vehicle had left the nearby gravel road and crossed over a short stone before sticking the house. Based on police reports, the vehicle had broken through an outside wall and into a bedroom of the home. A 19-year-old passenger who was riding with Pandorf was reportedly transported to Hackettstown Regional Medical Center for treatment. No one in the home was hurt, according to news articles.
Nearly a month later, authorities reportedly added the vehicular assault charge to the DWI offense the man was already facing. As a result, Pandorf has one fourth-degree count of assault by vehicle, in addition to the intoxicated driving charge, plus possessing an open container of alcohol, breath test refusal, and reckless driving.
Interestingly, the man also faces two other separate and unrelated charges from a number of months ago. One of those charges involved an incident where the man allegedly assaulted a woman inside their shared home. That case had been remanded to a grand jury, while the more recent DWI/vehicular assault charges require an appearance in New Jersey Superior Court in Belvidere.
Assault by auto charge added for Washington man a month after truck hits Mansfield Township home, LehighValleyLive.com, May 12, 2014