If you are in a DWI accident, it is possible that you will face multiple criminal charges, especially if other individuals involved have been injured or killed in the accident. The charges can include DWI, as well as intoxication assault or intoxication manslaughter. The possible penalties for these charges are as follows:
- Intoxication assault – This offense is a third-degree felony that involves operating a motor vehicle while intoxicated and causing serious bodily injury to another, whether by accident or mistake. The penalties may include monetary fines of up to $10,000, up to 600 hours of community service, license suspension for up to 2 years, and up to 10 years of incarceration in the state penitentiary.
- Intoxication manslaughter – This is a second-degree felony that involves operating a motor vehicle while intoxicated and causing the death of another. It carries penalties that include fines of up to $10,000, up to 800 hours of community service, license suspension for up to two years, and up to 20 years of incarceration in a state penitentiary.
A Houston DWI attorney is available to provide you with an aggressive defense against these serious felony accusations. Your future is at risk, and it is critical that you get legal aggressive representation immediately.
Vehicular Homicide Charges in Houston
Vehicular homicide, or vehicular manslaughter as it is also called, is defined as causing the wrongful death of another through reckless or negligent operation of one’s vehicle. A large percentage of vehicular homicide cases involve an individual who has driven while intoxicated. When a drunk driver causes the death of another in an accident, their vehicular homicide charges are referred to as intoxication manslaughter. The penalties for intoxication manslaughter are usually extremely severe, and can negatively affect the convicted individual for the rest of their life.
Vehicular homicide penalties are steep, especially when the offense was committed as a result of drunk driving. An intoxication manslaughter conviction can result in punishment that includes fines up to $10,000, license suspension for a period of years, community service, and up to a 20-year prison sentence. It is in your best interests to seek out a lawyer who will do everything possible to increase your chances of avoiding those penalties, including investigating your charges and building a comprehensive defense in your case.
DWI Hit & Run Charges in Houston
DWI charges are sometimes accompanied by charges of hit & run. Drunk drivers who cause accidents could leave the scene of the accident unaware of what they have done. Other times they panic and flee whereas if they were sober they would have stayed to deal with the situation. Texas state patrol and Houston police officers will usually investigate any individual they arrest on DWI and if charged with a hit & run can face serious legal consequences.
If you have been charged with DWI hit & run you should work with a Houston DWI lawyer to help you defend against these charges. The consequences of a guilty conviction are serious. By Texas law a hit & run that results in a serious injury or fatality is a 3 rd-degree felony which carries fines up to $10,000 and between 2 and 10 years of imprisonment. If you cause a less-serious injury to another person, you can still spend up 5 years in prison and pay fines reaching $5,000, in addition to license suspension. Any of these sentences will be handed down pursuant to Texas’ stringent penalties for a DWI conviction.
Houston DWI Lawyer
If you have been charged with causing an accident due to driving while intoxicated, contact a Houston DWI lawyer at once.