Driving while intoxicated is an act that puts both society and you in harm’s way. Some accidents due to DWI are too severe to overlook but are unintentional at the same time. Therefore it becomes very hard when the time to judge the culprit comes. That one may be an upright citizen while sober and didn’t even understand what happened when they were in a hangover. It often leads to a bad aftertaste too since these cases are unintentional and could’ve been prevented. Therefore, having its immense responsibilities, the government has always promoted the idea— Don’t drive while under influence. To further promote this, various fines and punishments have also been formulated for the people who violate it. It is advised to all the readers to never have a reason to be caught under a DWI charge. Or to never repeat it, if you are caught or have a reason to be caught under DWI charges. Because frankly, it does no one any good.
Dealing with DWI/DUI
Since the practice is shunned by society, a DWI arrest is taken rather seriously in many regions. Punishments can vary from a fine to the driving license being revoked to imprisonment. Therefore, it is necessary to get a good DWI lawyer as soon as possible to deal with the charges and the case in an appropriate manner. Like a good DWI lawyer would try to downgrade a DWI arrest into a DUI once since DWI usually has more strict punishments.
Options in a DWI lawsuit
In a DWI charge, the driver is needed to show up before a judge for “arraignment”— the first court date— usually within 10 or so days after the arrest lest they want to get their license by the Department of Motor Vehicles revoked. At the arraignment, the defendant is provided with the choice of how they want to plea. The usual options are guilty, not guilty, and nolo contendere.
How DWI trials work
Like all criminal cases, a DWI defense lawyer needs to only provide counter-evidence to the prosecutor, who has the need to prove the DUI charges beyond a reasonable doubt. A DWI trial is usually held in a week or so.
Pushing a DWI trial date back
Sometimes it may be impossible for the accused to visit the court on the trial date for a good reason but many DWI lawyers proactively suggest pushing back the court date. The prosecution may try to get the case over with lenient charges or altogether drop them. Some common reasons for postponing DWI trials include:
Availability of witness
The court may delay trials in case a key witness is unable to appear in the court.
l Personal reasons
With a good enough reason like health issues, some judges may allow a delay. Though proper motions need to be filed in advance for such cases.
Big life events
Events like marriage and deaths are often accepted as reasonable for a delay in DWI trials.
Attorney Schedule Conflicts
The court can delay a trial in case the attorney has a schedule conflict or is unable to present himself in the court for a good reason.
Time to prepare the case
As any case needs time to gather evidence, witnesses and prepare documents, a lawyer can delay a DWI trial on account of preparation.
