Huntington Station DWI Lawyer

DWI

The dangers of drinking and driving have been well understood for decades. Yet every day, we see cases here on Long Island of people arrested and charged with DWI. For many Huntington Station residents, a drunk driving arrest represents their first–and hopefully only–personal interaction with New York’s criminal justice system. But even for a first-time offender, the consequences of a DWI conviction can be quite serious, which is why you need experienced attorney in DWI law and has a successful track record of DWI cases.

To put it bluntly, you cannot treat a drunk driving arrest like a run-of-the-mill traffic ticket without the experience of a DWI attorney. You need to work with an experienced Huntington Station DWI lawyer in who can advise you of your rights under the law and represent your interests in court. The super lawyers at the law firm of Karpf Criminal Law are a full-service New York criminal defense firm with experienced DWI lawyers that represent clients throughout the Town of Huntington, NY who have been charged with DWI and similar offenses.

New York’s DWI Laws Are Complicated

Many people are familiar with the general rule that a person with a blood-alcohol content (BAC) of 0.08 percent or higher is considered legally intoxicated and therefore unable to safely operate a motor vehicle. While this is true, New York’s DWI laws are actually quite a bit more complicated than whether or not a person exceeds the 0.08-percent threshold. In fact, there are a number of ways a person may be charged with DUI in Suffolk County, including all of the following:

• Driving While Intoxicated (DWI): This is the offense most people associate with drunk driving. It applies to a driver with a BAC of 0.08 percent or higher, or in the case of a person operating under a Commercial Driver License, a BAC of 0.04 or higher. A first offense carries a potential fine of between $500 and $1,000, up to 1 year in jail, and revocation of the offender’s driver’s license for at least 6 months.
• Driving While Ability Impaired by Alcohol (DWAI-Alcohol): A driver with a BAC of between 0.05 and 0.07 percent can be charged under New York law with DWAI-Alcohol. A first offense carries a potential fine of between $300 and $500, a jail term of up to 15 days, and a 90-day suspension of the offender’s license to drive.
• Driving While Ability Impaired by a Single Drug (DWAI-Drug) . Alcohol is not the only thing that can get you arrested for DUI. You can also be charged with DWI if you are impaired due to taking a single drug. This can include either an illegal controlled substance or a legal prescription medication. The penalties for a DWAI-Drug are the same as those for DWI.
• Driving While Ability Impaired by a Combination of Alcohol or Drugs (DWAI-Combination). You can also be charged with DWAI if law enforcement believes that your ability to drive was compromised through the use of any combination of drugs and alcohol.
• Aggravated Driving While Intoxicated: An aggravated DWI is one where the driver’s measured BAC is 0.18 percent or higher. A first offense for aggravated DWI carries a maximum possible fine of between $1,000 and $2,2500, up to 1 year in jail, and a mandatory 1-year revocation of the offender’s driver’s license.

Please note that if you have any prior DWI or similar convictions–in New York or any other state–that may count against you in a subsequent drunk driving case in New York. All of the laws described above carry harsher penalties for second, third, and subsequent offenses. And in some cases, a Suffolk County judge may be able to “look back” as much as 25 years to count a prior conviction against you for sentencing purposes. This is why hiring the right Huntington, New York DWI lawyer is so important.

Contact an Experienced Criminal Defense Attorney at Karpf Criminal Law Today for a DWI in Huntington, NY

f you are detained by Suffolk County or local police on suspicion of a DWI offense, do not panic. Remember that you do not have to answer any police questions and that you have the right to speak with a qualified Huntington Station DWI lawyer about your case. One reason you should speak with criminal defense lawyers is that your criminal defense lawyer may be able to identify a defect in the police or District Attorney’s investigation that can get the charge against you dismissed or reduced to a less-serious offense. For example, the police may have lacked probable cause to stop your vehicle or failed to advise you of your rights before interrogating you regarding your DWI arrest.

So if you are facing any type of drunk driving charge and need legal counsel from an effective DUI defense attorney at our law offices on what steps to take next, call our Huntington Station, NY DWI attorneys Karpf Criminal Law today at (631)424-6444 to schedule a consultation for your DWI defense.