San Bernardino County Felony DUI Lawyers

Defending Clients from Serious Felony Charges

If you were accused of driving under the influence, you should take your charges seriously and hire a skilled DUI defense lawyer immediately. This is especially critical if there’s a chance you’re facing felony DUI charges because there’s a chance a felony DUI conviction will send you to state prison. If you want to avoid serious criminal penalties, contact Patrick Silva, Attorneys at Law for legal assistance.

When you hire a DUI attorney from our San Bernardino law firm, you will get personalized legal help from a criminal defense attorney who has handled dozens of DUI cases. We understand how stressful a felony DUI arrest is and will work hard to give you fast answers to your questions or concerns. Contact our law firm to talk to an experienced criminal defense lawyer about your felony charges.

What’s the Difference Between a Felony DUI and a Misdemeanor DUI?

The first step to take after your DUI arrest should be to call a San Bernardino or Los Angeles DUI lawyer to get started on the legal defenses that could get your DUI charges dismissed or reduced. While you await your free consultation with a criminal defense attorney, read your paperwork regarding your DUI case to learn if you’ll be charged with a felony or misdemeanor DUI.

If this is your first DUI charge and you didn’t cause an accident while driving under the influence, you’ll likely be charged with a misdemeanor DUI. This is how most DUIs are charged in California. However, it could be a felony charge if any of the following are true:

• This is your fourth DUI in ten years
• You already have a felony DUI conviction on your criminal record
• You caused an accident that resulted in bodily injury to someone while driving under the influence
• You caused an accident that led to someone’s death

If one of these applies to your DUI case, you may be facing felony DUI charges. It’s important to know this because the penalties for a felony DUI are harsher than for a misdemeanor DUI in California. Our San Bernardino DUI lawyers will examine your case before letting you know what legal defenses would be suitable.

What If You Have One or More Prior DUI Convictions?

If this is your first, second, or third DUI charge, and you were not involved in an accident causing injury or death, you’ll likely be charged with a misdemeanor DUI. However, if you have had three or more DUI convictions in the last ten years, you could be charged with felony DUI.

Even if one of the convictions was in a different state or reduced to a wet reckless driving charge, it would count as one of your prior drunk driving convictions. This would mean the latest accusation of driving under the influence is a felony DUI.

Another way your past convictions could affect your current DUI charges is if you have a prior felony DUI conviction. For instance, if you were charged with a DUI causing injury or death and got a felony DUI, your current DUI would be elevated to a felony, too.

You should do everything possible to avoid a felony conviction because it comes with penalties that include 16 months to 3 years in state prison. You’ll also have to pay up to $1,000 in fines and get your California driver’s license suspended for up to four years. If you want a chance to avoid prison time, driver’s license suspension, and other consequences of a felony DUI offense, contact an experienced DUI lawyer.

Will a DUI Accident Be Charged as a Felony Offense?

If you’re accused of causing an accident while drunk driving, you could be charged with either a misdemeanor or a felony. This depends on whether you severely injured or killed someone in the accident. If no one suffered bodily injury in the crash, you’ll likely be charged with misdemeanor DUI.

But if you’re at fault for an accident causing injury or death, you likely have a felony DUI case to deal with. If your charges result in a felony conviction because someone was injured, your penalties may include 16 months to 10 years in prison, plus between $1,000 and $5,000 in fines. You can also expect driver’s license suspension for up to three years.

If your felony DUI accident caused someone’s death, it’s possible you’ll be charged with gross vehicular manslaughter while intoxicated. The penalties include up to $5,000 in fines, up to 10 years in state prison, driver’s license suspension, and restitution to the victim’s family. Another possible charge is second-degree murder, resulting in 25 years to life in prison. Contact experienced criminal defense lawyers to determine what you’ll likely be charged with and how to defend yourself.

How Can San Bernardino County DUI Defense Lawyers Help with Felony DUI Charges?

If you want a chance to avoid a felony DUI conviction, you need skilled DUI defense attorneys on your side from the start. At Patrick Silva, Attorneys at Law, our team has helped numerous clients with felony DUI cases, getting them reduced to less severe charges or even dismissed. We’re not afraid to provide an aggressive defense for clients accused of felony DUI offenses in San Bernardino County. Whether this includes challenging blood or breath test results or investigating if the arresting officer ignored your rights, you can count on us to create a well-crafted DUI defense strategy.

You deserve legal guidance from caring DUI attorneys who are passionate about defending your rights and will work hard to find a successful DUI defense angle for you. If you’re ready to talk to a trusted DUI attorney about your case, call us at 909-500-4819 to schedule a free consultation with our team.