Alabama DUI Lawyer Blog

Whether you live or work in Tuscaloosa, Fayette, Blount or any of Alabama’s other counties, nobody expects to be arrested for driving under the influence of alcohol. Here in Jefferson County, my Birmingham DUI defense law firm understands the anxiety that motorists can experience during and after a DUI stop. From first-time drunk driving and prescription drug DUIs, to repeat felony drunk driving charges, this is serious business.

Being arrested for driving while intoxicated can happen day or night, sometimes as a result of a routine traffic stop and other times as part of a drunk driving roadblock, also known as a sobriety checkpoint. No matter the circumstances, if you have been charged with drunken driving you most certainly should contact a qualified legal professional, even if this is your first DUI Offense.

It must be remembered that under Alabama law a blood-alcohol content (BAC) measurement of 0.08 percent or more means you can be charged with being legally drunk. Also important to keep in mind is that even a conviction for a first offense can have a serious impact on a person’s life.

Being convicted for DUI can, at minimum, result in the suspension of your driver's license for up to 90 days. At worst, it can spell jail. Some people might not understand the full impact of a license suspension, but this is not to be taken lightly. Such a punishment can affect how you get to and from work, if you can meet your obligations as a parent, even cause the permanent loss of a job, especially for those who work as commercial drivers.

I’ve handled so many DUI cases and spoken with enough people to know that representing yourself in a drunk driving case is never a wise decision. Not only can the process be frightening and confusing for first-time offenders, there is no way you can be fully prepared to face the court, not like you can with an experienced DUI defense attorney by your side.

Continue reading " Birmingham DUI Update: What to Do When Facing a First Drunk Driving Offense in Alabama " »

As an Alabama drunk driving defense lawyer, I’ve seen just about everything when it comes to DUI arrests here in Birmingham and elsewhere in the state. Being pulled over for weaving in traffic or making an illegal turn while under the influence of alcohol is bad enough for some motorists, but crashing into another vehicle can mean injuries and additional charges beyond simple DUI.

The police and the courts in Alabama take a dim view of individuals who cause property damage as a result of alleged drunken driving, which is why anyone arrested for such an offense should consult a qualified DUI attorney. Not long ago, a couple in the Huntsville area was picked up for driving while intoxicated after they crashed into two buildings three separate times.

According to reports, the two people were arrested and charged for DUI by Huntsville police after they drove their vehicle once into a local apartment building and two additional times into a nearby house on a Sunday afternoon.

Based on police reports, 43-year-old David Palma, who was apparently attempting to leave the parking lot of his apartment on McVay Street, backed his vehicle into a nearby home around noon on Sunday, March 28. Placing the vehicle into reverse, Palma reportedly hit the house across the street from his apartment complex.

News reports show that the man then tried to drive away from the house, during which his car got hung up on a fence. Apparently unable to free the vehicle himself, Palma allegedly called his girlfriend to assist him.

After arriving to help the man, 48-year-old Lisa Wike got into the driver’s seat of Palma’s vehicle and tried to break the vehicle free of the fence. In the process, the woman reportedly drove the car back across the street and into the couple’s apartment building across the street from the house. Police stated that when Wike reversed the car away from the apartment building, she drove the car back across the street and into the same house that her boyfriend had hit minutes earlier.

When police arrived on the scene, both Palma and Wike were probably given field sobriety tests, then arrested and taken into custody. The two were each charged with driving under the influence alcohol by Huntsville police. No information regarding a trial date was available at the time of the news article.

Couple arrested for drunk driving after driving into apartment once and house twice, AL.com, March 29, 2010