A DWI-related auto accident can leave you facing not just serious jail time, but also a crippling financial debt. In addition to criminal fines for intoxication assault or intoxication manslaughter, a judge can order you to pay restitution to any victims of the accident. And this can leave you on the hook for a six-figure […]
During the holiday season, many Houston-area residents will attend social gatherings where alcohol is served. Aside from the obvious–never drive while intoxicated–it is also important to remember Texas has strict open container laws. So while it is perfectly legal to transport unopened beer, wine, and liquor bottles in your car or truck, make sure there […]
You may not realize this, but you can be tried and convicted of a DWI with an open container violation even if you are not actually driving a car when the police apprehend you. This is a common misunderstanding about DWI law in general. The truth is that the law does not merely criminalize “driving” […]
If you are involved in a suspected DWI accident, the police will make every effort to take a blood sample from you for testing purposes. Even if you refuse to consent to such a test, a police officer can obtain a warrant from a magistrate if there is probable cause to suspect you were intoxicated […]
In Texas, there are separate criminal offenses for DWI and driving with an open container of alcohol in your vehicle. But when you combine the two–DWI with an open container–a defendant may face significantly higher penalties if convicted. And things may get even worse if there are other factors involved in the drunk driving arrest, […]
When there’s an auto accident that seriously injures another person, Houston-area law enforcement will move quickly to determine whether or not the responsible driver was intoxicated. DWI accidents take on an even higher degree of urgency if an innocent person is killed. In such cases, a driver may face an intoxication manslaughter charge, which is […]
Driving with an open container of alcohol in your car is never a good idea. For one thing, it’s against the law. And if you are charged with drunk driving, the open container’s presence may lead to enhanced DWI penalties. But you also need to consider that once a police officer spots an open container […]
A DWI accident is more complicated than a simple drunk driving case simply because there are victims to consider. Even in cases where the victims are not killed or seriously injured, the drunk driver may still be criminally liable to pay restitution to the victims. Under Texas law, a court may order such restitution as […]
A DWI open container charge requires proof that the defendant had an opened bottle, can, or similar receptacle of alcohol in his or her “immediate possession” at the time of the offense. This does not necessarily mean that a police officer must see the open container next to the defendant at the moment of arrest. […]
A DWI accident is obviously more complicated than the run-of-the-mill drunk driving arrest. There tend to be more police involved with the investigation of an accident, especially where someone has been seriously injured or killed. And if you are the person suspected of causing the accident, you need to be prepared to deal with the […]