Denver Vehicular Assault Attorney

Accused of causing injury in a DUI accident?

Nobody ever plans to drive drunk, and certainly no one ever intends to cause a car accident. When it happens, however, it can change your life forever. If you have been accused of causing a motor vehicle collision while driving drunk, you are not alone. In fact, drunk driving accidents are quite common throughout the state.

The Colorado State Patrol reports that 14 percent of all injury accidents statewide are caused by drunk drivers, making this the third leading cause of such accidents. The fact that DUI accidents are relatively common, however, does not mean that the state will let you off easy. Penalties for vehicular assault are harsh, and they have the potential to affect every area of your life.

Colorado Vehicular Assault Statute

Under the provisions of Colorado Revised Statutes §18-3-205 (2012), the crime of vehicular assault is a felony. The severity of the sentence you can receive if convicted depends on the circumstances of the offense. If you are accused of causing serious bodily injury in an accident as a result of driving recklessly, you can be charged with a Class 5 felony, with a maximum sentence of up to $100,000 in fines and 3 years in state prison. In the event that you are charged with causing injury in a DUI accident, however, the charge will be a Class 4 felony, an offense that carries a sentence of up to $500,000 and 6 years in prison.

In addition to the criminal penalties imposed for a vehicular assault conviction, you will also be subjected to an administrative driver's license suspension lasting for a full year. Even after serving the term of your suspension, you will have to appear at a reinstatement hearing to argue for why you deserve to get back behind the wheel. You cannot afford to live with the disruption that a conviction for vehicular assault could cause in your life. It is in your best interests to hire a criminal defense attorney without delay to maximize your chances of a successful outcome to the case.