Hiring a DUI lawyer in Fort Lauderdale
Drunk driving is one of the most common criminal offenses in Florida. In 2017 the Florida Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles Crash Facts reported 5,125 alcohol-related crashes in one year alone. With its vibrant nightlife and streets filled with alcohol-serving establishments, Fort Lauderdale has some of the highest cases of Driving Under Intoxication (DUI) in the state. What happened on February 21, 2020, is a perfect example of just how common DUI’s are in this part of the country.
According to 7 News Miami, along the 1600 block of West Broward Boulevard in Fort Lauderdale, a police investigation turned into a car crash that left three people injured and one drunk driver arrested. While pulling over a driver during a DUI investigation around 1:30 am, an officer’s cruiser was rear-ended by a drunk driver. Three people including the officer suffered non-life-threatening injuries and were rushed to the hospital while the driver was arrested with a DUI.
Such actions like these can have serious consequences if not carefully handled with the help of a Fort Lauderdale criminal lawyer. For first offense drunk drivers, the penalty can be a fine no less than 250 dollars or a prison sentence of up to six months. While these potential charges may seem extremely daunting, having a Fort Lauderdale criminal lawyer can potentially reduce them significantly. In fact, if the drunk driver mentioned in the story above had a DUI lawyer in Fort Lauderdale, their chances of obtaining a lessened charge could significantly increase. According to a study done by Martindale-Nolo Research, defendants who hired private lawyers for their DUI charges had a significantly lower rate of convictions. As nightlife rapidly expands and these charges become increasingly more common in South Florida, it is crucial to know a strong DUI lawyer in Fort Lauderdale to appose prosecutors and fight to obtain the lowest conviction possible for their clients. That is why the driver in the story above and all those charged with a DUI in South Florida should contact Hassett & Associates. Hassett & Associates is a criminal defense law firm that has extensive experience and success in representing drivers who have been charged with a DUI in Miami Dade County, Fort Lauderdale, and Broward County.
If you or someone you know have been in a similar legal situation as the story mentioned above, contact Hassett & Associates, P.A. at 954-791-3939.