Being arrested for a DWI can change your life permanently. You could have your driving privileges suspended, have an ignition interlock device installed, or lose your job if you drive for a living.
There’s a lot at stake, so fortunately, there are things you can do to help yourself. First of all, don’t fly into a panic. No matter how bad you think things are, they aren’t as bad as they seem. With legal help from a DWI lawyer, you might be able to find out how to beat a DWI.
First Steps When Trying to Beat a DWI
The first thing you need to do is speak with an attorney who can help defend your case and fight for the best outcome possible. Your lawyer will take a very close look at what types of evidence police have against you.
If there are holes in the case against you or weaknesses in the prosecution’s arguments, then it may be possible for us to get the charges dropped or reduced significantly.
Your lawyer will ask a lot of questions in order to help build your defense. Just answer them as honestly as you can. We only ask because we have to understand exactly what happened on the time that led up to your arrest and the arrest itself.
Questions to Prepare for When You’re Trying to Beat a DWI
Our goal is to beat a DWI so it doesn’t have a negative impact on you and your family. Our lawyers understand the repercussions because we see cases like yours all the time, and the truth is, sometimes the police make mistakes, which is why we ask you questions.
Be prepared. We’ll probably ask questions like, why were police called? What did they see? Did they smell alcohol on your breath or notice any other signs that pointed toward intoxication?
You can review these questions with us during your initial consultation. There are many options available to you when fighting your case, including challenging the legality of the traffic stop. Did the arresting officer have probable cause to pull you over? You’ll have to try to remember if you were violating any traffic laws, driving distracted, and so on.
We can also question the validity of breathalyzer or blood test results. Was the law enforcement officer properly trained to be able to perform these tests, or were they an inexperienced newbie who made mistakes?
The officer may have used a field sobriety test and asked you to touch your finger to your nose or go through the alphabet backward.
If that’s the only proof they have against you, your lawyer may also be able to challenge the outcome of theses tests because sometimes they’re too unreliable to truly determine how intoxicated you were.
Of course, we can also argue that you weren’t actually drunk and that there was no actual impairment. This may be hard to prove, though, if you were driving around with an open case of beer in your car, for example.
However, when your lawyer meets with you to talk about what happened, you might be surprised to find out the many approaches we can take to argue that you were never really drunk in the first place.
Maybe other factors contributed to your arrest besides alcohol consumption, such as sleep deprivation because you work two jobs. Remember to tell us everything about your physical condition the night of your arrest.
Why DWI Laws Are Strict in Texas
Please understand that drunk driving laws are strict in Texas. That’s because the state has some of the highest rates of drunk driving fatalities in the country. Law enforcement here isn’t messing around because people’s lives are at stake.
The exact amount of alcohol needed before someone is considered drunk varies by state. In Texas, it’s measured as having a blood alcohol concentration above 0.08%.
If you’re arrested for a DWI, it’s not just about fighting your charges, it’s about fighting them successfully so that they don’t affect your life negatively long-term.
If you’re convicted of a DWI in Texas, you could face up to six months in jail plus be fined up to $3,000. The penalties can be even more severe if you have a prior DWI conviction, so it’s crucial that you contact an experienced lawyer immediately. Reach out through the following contact form or call Hoeller McLaughlin PLLC at 817-334-7900.
