Enjoying a few drinks with friends can be a fun way for some people to spend an evening. One thing that anyone doing this needs to do is to ensure that they have a way to get home so they don’t have to drive while they’re impaired.
Driving while you’re impaired can lead to legal issues, especially if you’re involved in a crash. A drunk driving crash is an even more serious situation. You can face more than one legal battle if you’re accused of being impaired and causing a crash that involves injuries or property damage.
Why can you face more than one case?
The U.S. Constitution protects people against double jeopardy, but this doesn’t apply to a person who’s facing a criminal charge for the impaired driving and civil cases for personal injury or property damage.
The criminal charge is meant to punish a person for breaking the law. A civil case is meant to provide the victims of the crash with a chance to seek financial compensation for the damages they’re dealing with because of the wreck. The outcome of the criminal case and a civil case don’t have to be the same, so a person can be found guilty of the crime but not liable for the damages or vice versa.
If you’re facing this type of legal situation, you need to ensure that you’re exploring the options that you have for every case against you. Remember that the civil case doesn’t have anything to do with the criminal one. This means that you need to develop a defense for each one. Having legal guidance is important.
