Now that spring is here, on the calendar at least, it may be time to start thinking about warmer weather and a new warm-weather driving season. Of course, and inevitably, the warmer months mean celebrations, such as graduations and family vacations, among others. Here in the Garden State, spring and summer can unfortunately bring a flurry of drunken driving arrests when those individuals who imbibe a bit too much at family outings, company picnics and other celebratory get-togethers slide behind the wheel and venture onto New jersey roadways.
As experienced DWI defense attorneys, the lawyers at the Law Offices of Jonathan F. Marshall understand how a pleasant afternoon or evening with friends and acquaintances can degenerate into a miserable trip to the local police department in the back of a squad car. Drinking and driving may be a common occurrence on our surface streets and highways, but state police and municipal law enforcement agencies in no way accept DWI offenders as just another part of the scenery.
When the temperatures warm up, one can be sure that mobile patrols and random sobriety checkpoints will be another common part of the local landscape. Our point here is, while being pulled over for driving under the influence may not be unusual during most of the year, getting a summons for DWI, drug DUI or breathalyzer refusal can be rather predictable; all it takes is a drink or two and a minor traffic infraction and the roller coaster ride will begin.
We see many examples of the “typical” drunken driving arrest in the numerous published police blotters throughout the news. They occur all over the state — from Hudson, Essex and Passaic County to Bergen, Ocean and Atlantic. As professional trial attorneys with expertise in drunk driving defense, I and my staff are no strangers to defending individuals charged with alcohol-related traffic accidents, DUIs allegedly resulting from use of controlled dangerous substances (CDS) such as marijuana, and underage drinking.
Of course, having a traffic accident while allegedly drunk only adds more fuel to the fire, at least from the prosecution’s standpoint. Not long ago we ran across to stories from the Ocean County, NJ, area. According to reports, the first took place in the Toms River area when a driver was arrested following a car crash along Hooper Ave. during a Thursday morning.
Based on news articles, the collision occurred near Ocean County Mall as a 22-year-old Stafford, NJ, motorist was driving a late-model Honda when he apparently lost control of the vehicle and struck a curb, the impact with which caused the vehicle to be “launched” into a nearby traffic light pole. Police arrived to find the damaged vehicle but no driver. Not long after, officers located the man and a friend on foot attempting to leave the area.
As a result, the driver was arrested and charged with multiple offenses including driving while intoxicated, leaving the scene of an accident and reckless driving. Fortunately, there were no injuries, which may have made the incident more complicated from a legal defense standpoint.
In a second episode out in Barnegat, NJ, an allegedly drunken 22-year-old local resident was reportedly driving an Acura northbound along Rte 9 when the vehicle left the roadway and stuck a utility pole not far from the intersection at Gunning River Rd. The crash, which occurred a little past 3pm, resulted in the woman being injured and taken for treatment at the Southern Ocean Medical Center. While there, police reports indicated that the woman attacked three hospital employees, though the exact reason was not given. Based on the news article, the lady was charged not only with driving under the influence of alcohol, but also with three counts of aggravated assault.
N.J. woman assaulted hospital workers after DWI accident, cops say; NJ.com; March 11, 2013
Police: Man Charged with DWI After Striking Pole; Patch.com; March 1, 2013