DUI With Serious Bodily Injury Lawyer in Naples

A simple DUI is a serious enough charge to mitigate your ability to operate a motor vehicle while also costing you plenty of fines. However, when serious bodily injury is also a factor, you may have an even more serious matter on your hands. The Law Office of Robert H. Hanaford is well-versed in the challenges of this type of charge and has helped many clients beat it.

A DUI with serious bodily injury carries with it stiff penalties in Florida. You need an attorney on which you can rely to help to navigate the legal system and possibly find a way to beat these charges and move on with your life.

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What Is DUI With Serious Bodily Injury?

A DUI means that you were found by law enforcement to be operating a motor vehicle while under the influence of an illicit substance. Adding bodily injury to the charge in Florida means that damage occurred in the incident that created a substantial risk of death or disfigurement. It may also mean that an individual’s organs were injured or the accident caused a significant impairment to the body somehow. This does not always mean that the injury in question happened to a third party; the driver may also be considered in terms of this charge.

To prove the charge of a DUI causing serious bodily injury, the prosecution must prove beyond a reasonable doubt that you caused or contributed to a serious bodily injury. You must have been in control of the vehicle at the time of the incident. You must have been under the influence of alcohol to the point of impairment. As a result of these two factors, you must have caused or contributed to serious bodily injury. This leaves room for much interpretation in terms of proving this particular charge.

Florida DUI lawyer Robert H. Hanaford has worked with clients who have been accused of a DUI causing serious bodily injury when they were not even under the influence of alcohol at all. Many strategies may be employed in cases like this that demonstrate this is not a black-and-white situation. Instead, there are often gray areas easily spotted by a qualified Naples DUI attorney.
What Are the Penalties for This Type of DUI Charge?

The penalty for a DUI causing serious bodily injury in Florida is up to five years in prison and up to $5,000 in fines. The punishment is so severe because this charge is classified as a third-degree felony. In addition to the penalties for this crime, victims may also be awarded restitution for their losses, depending on the case’s specifics. It is also important to note that a conviction for a DUI causing serious bodily injury may carry a mandatory minimum prison sentence. Florida’s Criminal Punishment Code makes a DUI causing serious bodily injury a Level 7 offense. If the victim’s injuries were severe, this adds to the severity of the charge.

This underscores the importance of hiring the best possible Naples DUI lawyer. Florida DUI lawyer Robert H. Hanaford has worked on cases like this extensively and understands that numerous contributing factors may have resulted in the incident in question. It is not always as cut-and-dry as law enforcement officers make it seem. Moreover, the tests used to determine the level of alcohol in the bloodstream are sometimes faulty, which means that you may have been charged with a DUI when that is not what happened. You deserve to have your side of the story told in a way that shows you perhaps were not guilty of the crime of which you have been accused.

Work With a Florida DUI Lawyer to Deal With the Ramifications of a DUI With Serious Bodily Injury

A DUI with serious bodily injury is one of the most serious DUI cases. The severity of this charge means that you need an experienced attorney on whom you can rely on implementing a successful legal strategy. Florida DUI lawyer Robert H. Hanaford may be able to help. With an extensive background in DUI law and a record of success in assisting clients to overcome even the most challenging cases, Mr. Hanaford is highly qualified in this practice area. He may have a legal strategy that can help if you find yourself charged with a DUI with serious bodily injury in Naples, even when others say they cannot help.

Find out for yourself with a free consultation. Reach out to the Law Office of Robert H. Hanaford at (239) 351-1904, or Contact us online to learn more.

Hanaford Law Offices is a criminal defense attorney providing high-quality legal services in Florida across Naples SW Florida and Chicago Illinois.