Union County DWI Defense

September 17, 2009

Union County Woman Faces Jail Time in 2nd Degree Vehicular Assault DWI Injury Accident

Complicating a DWI charge in New Jersey with an injury accident is not a good idea. Injuring other passengers in your car or occupants of another vehicle while driving under the influence of alcohol is bad enough, but hurting a pedestrian while driving in an intoxicated state can put you in a very difficult situation. This is why having an experienced New Jersey drunk driving defense lawyer at your side is very important.

Not long ago, a car driven by a local woman struck a Lord & Taylor employee on a pedestrian crosswalk just outside of the department store in Westfield, NJ. The victim, Gina Marotta from Clark, New Jersey, was taken Newark’s University Hospital where she underwent surgery for a broken arm, a broken leg and head injuries.

Police investigating the accident alleged that the driver, Leslie Boughner, was intoxicated at the time of the accident. Charged with second degree aggravated assault with a motor vehicle for the August 5 accident, Boughner surrendered herself to the police following the investigation which started hours after the accident.

August 13, 2009

Pedestrian Injured by Alleged Drunk Driver in Union County, NJ, DWI Traffic Accident

by Jonathan F. Marshall

A 25-year-old resident of Clark, NJ, was hit in a Westfield crosswalk by an allegedly drunk driver last week. According to reports, Gina Marotta was hit by a car driven by a Union County woman as she crossed the street outside of Lord & Taylor. As a New Jersey DWI defense lawyer, I have great sympathy for those injured as a result of drunk driving accidents. At the same time, I know that everyone deserves to have their say in a court of law. Driving under the influence of alcohol or even prescription drugs can cause impaired judgment and result in a DUI arrest, or worse.

The news reports regarding this incident indicate that 55-year-old Leslie Boughner hit Marotta around noon on August 5 on North Avenue as the woman was returning to her job at the Lord & Taylor department store. Police officers issued Boughner a summons for DWI and also took a blood sample to check the woman’s blood-alcohol content (BAC).

According to reports, Marotta suffered a broken arm, broken leg and head injuries. Emergency responders transported her to University Hospital in Newark, where she underwent surgery at the hospital’s trauma center.

At the time of the news reports, the Union County prosecutor’s office had not received any contact from the Westfield police regarding the case. Usually, the prosecutor’s office will be contacted by police whenever there is an incident involving hit and run cases or fatal pedestrian accidents, neither of which is the case in this instance Westfield. Depending on the victim’s injuries and her recovery, not to mention the driver’s blood test, it’s possible that the case could be handled in municipal court.
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August 6, 2009

Union County, NJ, Man Charged with DWI after Minor Parking Lot Fender-bender

by Jonathan F. Marshall

Sometimes embarrassment seems to be the biggest part of receiving a drunk driving summons. As a New Jersey DWI defense attorney, many of the individuals I represent feel humiliated after being arrested for driving while intoxicated, but I always remind them that a drunken driving conviction itself is no laughing matter.

Being branded with a first-time conviction for driving under the influence of alcohol not only hits your wallet but also your lifestyle. In the worst case scenario, it can also jeopardize your social standing and even cost you your job. Believe me, get over the embarrassment of a drunk driving summons and contact a qualified DWI defense lawyer, fast.

It doesn’t take much to merit an arrest for DWI. Recently, a Cranford man was arrested by police on drunk driving charges at a Garwood convenience store. According to reports, this individual drove his car haphazardly through the store’s parking area and struck one of the vehicles parked there. Not an Earth-shattering event, but enough to get the attention of one of the store’s employees.

That store cleck called the Garwood Police Department, which dispatched a squad car to assess the situation. Shortly after 8am, an officer arrived and found a damaged vehicle in the parking lot, after which the officer determined that William Parisio, 21, was the driver of the 1999 Subaru Forester that hit the parked vehicle. According to reports, the man was taken into custody and transported to the Garwood Police station where he was given a breathalyzer test, which he failed. He was charged with drunk driving and released pending a later court date.
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