Occasionally we run into news reports that illustrate many of the wrong things to do when trying to avoid DWI or DUI charges. Although the vast majority of New Jersey motorists arrested for drunken driving hardly expected that they would find themselves sitting at police headquarters and taking a breathalyzer test, a much smaller percentage of drivers could be said to be prone to being charged with drinking and driving. Still others may simply be unlucky enough to be in the wrong place at the wrong time.
As New Jersey DWI lawyers, we know that a fair number of people charged with drunk driving are actually first-time offenders who might otherwise, under any other circumstances, be considered law-abiding citizens. Of that group, there is likely a percentage who believe they did not deserve to be charged with driving under the influence of alcohol or prescription drugs (drug DUI). It should be added that, in our experience, there are numerous individuals who may not have been legally drink at the time of their arrest, but who still were charged erroneously by the police.
From our perspective, everyone who is accused of a crime should avail himself of the legal expertise of a qualified New Jersey trial lawyer. As the law provides, everyone does deserve to have their case heard in a court of law. A news story we ran across from a couple months back could likely be termed a playbook on what not to do after having a few drinks. While we prefer not to make any judgments ourselves, suffice it to say that it is not advisable to A) run from the police when one is B) underage and potentially intoxicated behind the wheel.
According to the news article that we saw, a 20-year-old motorist from the Waretown, NJ, area not only attempted to run from state troopers after being pulled over in a stolen vehicle, but in the process the driver damaged the vehicle in a crash and inadvertently caused injury to one of the troopers involved in the pursuit.
Based on police reports, the incident took place on a Sunday in the Toms River area around 2am when New Jersey State Troopers were alerted by a concerned citizen regarding a vehicle being driven in an erratic fashion. The citizen who reported the erratic driver told troopers that the suspect’s car was headed westbound along a stretch of State Highway 37 in Ocean County area.
Upon locating the alleged vehicle, a 2001 Hyundai Elantra, troopers made an attempt to pull the car over; however, the driver refused to be stopped and subsequently attempted to elude the officers. During the pursuit, the Hyundai’s driver reportedly nearly lost control of the car multiple times and then struck the troopers vehicle. The driver’s vehicle finally left the roadway and hit a nearby tree along a portion of Bartlett St. in Toms River, NJ.
The force of the collision with the suspect’s vehicle resulted in several injuries to the state trooper. Based on police reports, the officer sustained an injury to his right wrist, as well as his elbow and shoulder. The trooper was taken in for treatment at Community Hospital located in the Toms River area, after which he was released.
Subsequent to the crash, the suspect was taken into custody and charged with driving under the influence, plus numerous other traffic offenses including reckless driving, unsafe changing of lanes, and disregarding a traffic signal. Criminal charges against the man amounted to resisting arrest and eluding (2nd degree), reckless endangerment (3rd degree), and vehicular assault (4th degree).
State Trooper Injured in Pursuit of DWI Waretown Man in Stolen Car in Toms River, OceanCountySignal.com, August 6, 2013