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According to news reports, a New Jersey driver avoided a vehicular manslaughter charge in connection with a fatal 2013 auto-pedestrian collision over in Brooklyn last summer. Based on a recent article, the Newark, NJ, area motorist was sentenced to probation, a six-month driver’s license suspension, plus a $500 fine after his guilty plea for being drunk behind the wheel when he struck and fatally injured a 27-year-old woman on July 5 last year.

As Garden State DWI and drug DUI defense attorneys, my firm is all too familiar with the often devastating results of drunken driving. Although we defend individuals accused of DWI-DUI, we do not condone drunk driving; and we certainly do understand the risks involved in getting behind the wheel while under the influence of alcohol. There is no doubt that a DWI arrest in conjunction with a fatal traffic accident is something that no person would ever want to have happen. In this particular case, the prosecutors apparently believed that the defendant’s reported blood-alcohol concentration (BAC) of 0.126 percent was not a factor in the tragic death of the 27-year-old victim.

According to news articles, the deadly accident took place around midnight near the intersection of Flatbush and St. Marks avenues. At that time, the defendant was driving a BMW sedan when he reportedly struck the woman. As a result of the impact, the victim sustained massive head injuries, complications from which resulted in her death five days later as she was being treated in a local hospital.
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As most any drunk driving defense attorney will tell you, there are any number of traffic infractions that can open the door to a DWI, drug DUI, or in-vehicle CDS possession charge. Something as simple as making a right on red where it is prohibited can cause a police officer to pull a driver over and issue a traffic citation. If that motorist seems to be in some way impaired, there is a distinct chance that the patrolman may suspect alcohol or drug use, which can result in further investigation.

Being stopped for a basic infraction, therefore, has been known to lead to a motorist being asked to perform one or more field sobriety tests, followed in some cases by a trip to police headquarters for a Breathalyzer test and possible booking on drunk driving charges. It’s those simple driving rules that can trip up most any driver at just the wrong time. Here in the Garden State, the police are constantly on the lookout for motorists who make the most basic of driving errors — once a local patrolman or state trooper has made a traffic stop, that officer has an opportunity to question the individual and observe any hints of inebriation.

Without a doubt, the process of being stopped by a policeman and investigated following a driving infraction or equipment violation is not an enjoyable experience. This can be especially true since most any roadside police stop can result in the suspect being taken into custody and charged with impaired driving. As New Jersey DWI attorneys, my legal staff is aware of the pitfalls that await any motorist who may have had a drink before being pulled over.
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Being at odds with the police may seem like a situation that no one really should invite, but it is not uncommon for drunken driving subjects to be aggressive or simply argumentative with police, which may seem surprising considering the potential downside of being uncooperative or belligerent during a roadside DWI or drug DUI stop. Simply put, it is never a wise idea to challenge the authority of a state trooper or even a municipal patrolman when facing a potential drunk driving charge.

As Garden State DWI-DUI defense attorneys, my legal team regularly defends individuals accused of operating a motor vehicle on New Jersey roadways while intoxicated by alcohol or a controlled dangerous substance (CDS). Every person accused of a crime or serious traffic offense, such as drunken driving or drug possession in a motor vehicle, deserves to have his or her day in court. Providing a proper and effective legal defense is the job of my firm, especially in cases of driving while intoxicated.

While hindsight is certainly 20-20, advice after the fact is rarely helpful to the individual already charged with an offense; however, when the topic comes up, if a friend, relative or acquaintance asks for any tips on how to alleviate the effects of a DWI traffic stop, we can only remind people that not much is ever gained from complicating an arrest by fighting either verbally or physically with a law enforcement officer.
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Here in the Garden State, possession of marijuana in a motor vehicle (by a driver) is subject to stiff penalties if one is stopped by the police and charged with same. In terms of strict “possession,” if a traffic stop reveals that a driver has pot inside his vehicle, a summons for possession will likely be forthcoming. As New Jersey DWI and drug DUI defense lawyers, my colleagues and I are prepared to defend individuals accused of impaired driving, as well as simply having drugs on one’s person during a police stop.

In addition to defending motorists hit with a drug charge following a traffic stop on the parkway, interstate or in town, my legal team is skilled in handling traffic tickets issued for drug possession, including those for weed and other illegal or controlled dangerous substance (CDS). According to the New Jersey legal statutes — specifically N.J.S.A. 39:4-49.1 — the law prohibits any individual from driving a car, truck or motorcycle while knowingly being in possession of marijuana, cocaine, meth or other CDS. That said, it needs to be explained that this particular law is solely focused on the driver and not the passenger of a motor vehicle.

When attempting to prove such a violation, a municipal prosecutor is obliged to establish several key facts in order to win his case against a defendant. First, the state must prove that the accused was in control, or otherwise operating a motor vehicle. Second, a police officer must have found the weed or other drug on the driver’s person. Finally, it must be proved that the motorist “knowingly” possessed the illegal substance. A skilled attorney can sometimes find fault with the state’s case if the operator of the vehicle was not within what the law describes as “wingspan” of the physical control of the pot or other CDS. One common situation is when the substance was on the person of another occupant of the vehicle.
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While most people never imagine that they will be arrested and charged with driving under the influence, the fact remains that hundreds of drivers every week in New Jersey find themselves facing a charge of drunk driving, impaired operation of a motor vehicle due to prescription medications or illicit substances, or simply refusal to submit to a breathalyzer test. These days, with the rather stiff fines and other monetary penalties (not to mention possible jail time) that may come from a DWI-DUI conviction, it still amazes some people that so many DWI arrests actually take place on a daily basis.

For a great number of individuals who receive a drunken driving summons, the financial consequences are quickly learned, but there are also other penalties associated with a DWI conviction that do not always come quickly to mind. These include license suspension and the requirement of having an ignition interlock device (IID) installed on one’s vehicle for a period of time following the end of the aforementioned suspension. The inconvenience and stigma attached to these other post-conviction penalties have their own effect on those who have already fell the sting of fines and auto insurance premium assessments.

For anyone unfamiliar with IIDs, these devices are designed to prevent a vehicle from being started if the driver’s blood-alcohol content (BAC) exceeds 0.05 percent. Currently, in the case of first-time offenders, it is up to the court’s discretion to order the use of an IID for six to 12 months following restoration of a driver’s license. However, for those individuals convicted of DWI based on a BAC of 0.15 or greater, the law calls for mandatory installation of an IID during the license suspension period plus aforementioned six to 12 months following restoration of one’s license.
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Regardless of the nature of an initial roadside police stop — be it a burned-out headlamp, sliding through a controlled intersection without completely stopping, or drifting in and out of one’s lane — the opportunity for a drunk driving or drug DUI summons can go up appreciably depending on how the driver appears to the police officer in charge. Bloodshot eyes or an unsteady gait may cause a patrolman to suspect some kind of intoxication, though neither condition is a surefire sign of being drunk or impaired.

Despite what some people may believe, being charged for DWI-DUI based solely on watery eyes or some other vague observation is usually not sufficient to result in a conviction for driving while intoxicated; other evidence is needed beyond a more or less subjective assessment. Experienced DWI defense lawyers, such as the legal team at our law firm, can offer up a number of plausible explanations for a variety of conditions, from allergies and migraine headaches to very cold temperatures or high winds at the time of the arrest.

Since an arrest for DWI or drug DUI needs supporting evidence, as required by law, the prosecution will often attempt to prove that the defendant exhibited a “substantial deterioration or diminution” of his or her mental faculties/physical capabilities due to alcohol or hallucinogenic, narcotic or habit-producing drugs.
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Here in the Garden State, penalties for driving while intoxicated are nothing to sneeze at, even for first-time offenders. For those individuals who have never before run afoul of the law, the realization that a conviction for DWI can eventually run into the thousands of dollars (when considering the fines, court fees, assessments and hiked-up auto insurance premiums required by law). Depending on the facts of the case, most especially the level of alcohol in one’s bloodstream, fines themselves can range from $250 to $500, with jail time also a possibility.

As New Jersey drunken driving defense attorneys, my colleagues and I have a great deal of experience in representing those motorists who have been accused of intoxicated driving or drug DUI, the latter of which can range from impairment due to taking doctor-prescribed medications to ingesting an illegal controlled dangerous substance (CDS), such as cocaine, meth, marijuana or some other narcotic drug.

License suspension is also a common consequence of a DWI or drug DUI conviction. For professional drivers this can mean the loss of a job or a serious change in one’s employment circumstances. But what many people don’t realize, at least when they first get arrested and charged with driving under the influence, is that there are currently no alternatives to having one’s operator’s license revoked or suspended. If the thought doesn’t enter the mind of a convicted DWI offender, the first time he or she needs to get somewhere will be a stark reminder of the severe consequences provided by the state.
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We’ve discussed this in previous posts, but it bears repeating once again: The police do not have the legal right to stop a motorist simply because an officer assumes or guesses that the individual behind the wheel is possibly intoxicated. This goes back to the basic New Jersey DWI statutes, which state that a law enforcement officer must have a reasonable and articulable suspicion that a driver has committed a moving violation or other vehicle infraction in order to make a traffic stop.

As New Jersey DWI defense lawyers, my legal team has a great deal of experience in this area. Quite often, motorists contact my firm with the intention of fighting a drunk driving summons or charges related to some other alcohol or drug-related traffic offense. As part of our investigation, we research the facts of the case in order to determine if there were any basic procedural violations on the patrolman’s part. More than once we have found that an officer has made erroneous assumptions about the defendant or his driving style, which then led to a faulty or improper police stop and DWI arrest.

If it can be shown that the officer acted improperly or based the initial traffic stop on less-than-appropriate grounds, there is a good chance that the court will entertain a motion to have the drunk driving charge dismissed or the charges reduced. Unfortunately, many proper police stops come about due to a motorist’s own driving error, which if observed by a municipal cop or state trooper, may result in a roadside stop. If alcohol is involved, there is high likelihood that a summons for driving under the influence will be issued.
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Here in Bergen County, as with all the other areas of New Jersey, scores of drivers are picked up by police on a regular basis for offenses ranging from driving a motor vehicle while intoxicated by alcohol to operating a car or truck under the influence of a controlled dangerous substance (CDS). As drunken driving defense lawyers representing Garden State drivers charged with DWI or drug DUI, my team of experienced trial attorneys have almost 100 years of collective courtroom experience defending individuals accused of serious offenses such drunk driving to possession of illicit drugs in a motor vehicle.

As motorists ourselves, we fully understand the importance of maintaining a high level of safety on our public roads. To this end, we also know how hard many of New Jersey’s state and local law enforcement officers work to keep our roadways free of hazards and dangerous situations. We commend the hard work of police all across the state, but we also know that police officers are human, just like everybody else, which means that they can make mistakes even though we expect perfection from them.

It goes without saying that the majority of officers and the agencies for which they work have a strong desire to help the community at large. This can be reflected in the campaigns against drunk driving and the public service announcement that are often seen and heard during high-risk periods such as the New Year’s holiday, Memorial Day, Labor Day and even St. Patrick’s Day.
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Police officers in Middletown Twp. Had a busy week not long ago when they arrested and charged five individual drivers with operating a motor vehicle while under the influence of alcohol. Without knowing the specific circumstances of each arrest, it is difficult to know how or why each of these drivers was served with a summons for DWI, however it is instructive to remind readers that being stopped on any Garden State roadway can open a person up to extreme scrutiny, especially if they in any way exhibit some key signs of impairment.

As New Jersey drunken driving defense lawyers, my colleagues and I understand the difficult position under which many otherwise law-abiding citizens are placed when they find themselves being questioned on the roadside by a local cop or state trooper. Odd as it may seem to some people, it is possible — yet amazingly commonplace — to see a motorist who is pulled over for one of many possible traffic infractions end up admitting, in short order, that he was drinking prior to the police stop.

Providing a police officer with an “admission of guilt” in whatever manner it happens, does not necessarily that the driver’s statements can be used against him in court. An experienced DWI defense attorney, like those on the legal team in my firm, will know immediately to ask whether or not the driver was read his or her Miranda Rights prior to their supposed admission of guilt. Similarly, one should also consider whether or not the driver was informed of his right to remain silent. Depending on the situation, if the answer to these two questions was no on both counts, then there is reason to believe that the court may likely strike any admission of guilt from the record, since it was probably not obtained legally.
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