Broward DUI Lawyer Blog

In two recent cases, a firefighter driving a city vehicle and an off-duty police officer were charged with DUI, the news media is reporting.

If anyone knows the potential effects of DUI accidents in Fort Lauderdale, it would be firefighters who are usually the first responders to bad accidents and police officers who investigate them.

This shows just how common this charge can be. No one goes out trying to commit a DUI, like a robbery or a scheme involving fraud. It is largely an accidental crime that the everyday person doesn't want to have happen. Fort Lauderdale DUI defense attorneys have seen this time and time again. They have defended countless drivers who either are mistakenly arrested or who have legitimate defenses to the charges.

In many cases, they don't feel they are impaired and are able to drive as well as someone who isn't intoxicated -- there are plenty of examples of non-impaired drivers who are distracted, speeding or are just poor drivers.

According to NBC Miami, the 10-year firefighter was charged with DUI and leaving the scene of a crash after allegedly driving a city vehicle into a parked car in Miami Beach.

He was off-duty, but was driving the city vehicle around 3 a.m. when officers allegedly witnessed him hitting a parked car, putting the vehicle in reverse and driving off. Officers later pulled him over and said they smelled alcohol on his breath and that he had slurred speech. It's unclear if he was tested for a blood-alcohol level or given field sobriety tests.

In a separate case, an off-duty Coral Springs police officer was arrested after hitting a vehicle with a 23-year-old inside who died as a result of the injuries she sustained. The 24-year-old member of the Coral Springs Police Department was allegedly drunk and has been charged with DUI manslaughter and vehicular manslaughter.

The Miami New Times reports that the off-duty officer was driving his own vehicle and received minor injuries from the crash. The woman injured in the accident died four days later. The article doesn't provide additional details about the crash, other than to say that toxicology reports show his blood-alcohol level was over the legal limit.

Both of these examples shows just how easy it is for someone to end up facing a DUI charge in West Palm Beach. It is easily the most charged crime in America, and lawmakers are continuously adding penalties and making them stricter in an effort to try to curtail the behavior.

But many people who are arrested aren't guilty. Police investigators trample on their rights, use false science to re-create crash scenes, and try to punish people they don't have enough evidence against in the first place.

These drivers must have an experienced DUI defense attorney on their side to fight their battles. While common, DUI defense is complex and requires experience and aggressive action on behalf of the client.