Mt. Pleasant Injury DUI Attorney

What is a DUI with Great Bodily Injury?

Under South Carolina law, an individual can be charged with driving under the influence if they drive while possessing a blood alcohol content (BAC) of .08% or more or while under the influence of any drug, intoxicant, or alcohol. Note that a driver is considered “under the influence” of a substance if their faculties to drive a motor vehicle are materially impaired.

If a person, while driving under the influence, inflicts great bodily injury on another person, they can be charged with a DUI at the felony level, which carries much harsher penalties.

Keep in mind that “great bodily injury” is defined by South Carolina law as bodily injury which is:

• life threatening;
• causes permanent disfigurement; or
• results in the loss or impairment of the function of any bodily function or organ.

DUI with injury is a serious charge that carries felony-level penalties. As a result, it is best to retain the legal guidance of an experienced DUI professional. Attorney Joe Good has 13 years of experience representing charged drivers in court and handles hundreds of different DUI cases per year. You can trust that you will be working with a knowledgeable professional who concentrates in the laws applicable to your situation.

Do not let a charge for DUI with injury wipe out your chances at a future; let Joe Good, Attorney at Law fight for your defense. Call 843-412-1401 or contact our firm online for a free consultation to get started.

Penalties for DUI with Injury

Drivers convicted of felony DUI with great bodily injury will face a mandatory minimum sentence of 30 days up to 15 years in prison and a mandatory fine of $5,100-$10,100. The court cannot suspend the sentence, and probation will not be an option. The defendant’s license will be suspended upon conviction. After they are released from prison they may obtain an ignition interlock restricted license, which will require them to keep an ignition interlock device (IID) in their car for 3 years.

Note that if a driver caused serious bodily injury or death to more than one person, the court can penalize the driver for a count of felony DUI for each person they injured. That is, if a driver seriously injured two people while driving under the influence, they could be charged with two counts of felony DUI with injury.

Sentences involving multiple counts of conviction can be ordered by the court to run either concurrently or consecutively, where a concurrent sentence means that all sentences will be served at the same time, and a consecutive sentence means that the sentence on each count will run in sequence. For instance, if a driver were sentenced to two 15-year sentences to be served consecutively, they will serve the first 15-year sentence, after which the second 15-year sentence will commence. If the court ordered the sentences to be served concurrently, both of the 15-year sentences will be considered to be served at the same time.

Contact Joe Good, Attorney at Law Today

If you have been charged with DUI involving injury of another person, seek an experienced lawyer immediately for guidance on next steps. A DUI with injury is a felony, so you could face significant long-term consequences impacting your future. Joe Good, Attorney at Law has over a decade of professional experience and concentrates in DUI law; he handles hundreds of DUI cases per year, so you can trust that he has the knowledge and training to strategize an effective defense for you. Depending on the severity of your charge, Attorney Joe Good can argue for mitigated charges. He will put up a tough fight for you in trial and walk you through every step of the legal process in this trying time.

Contact Joe Good, Attorney at Law online or by phone at 843-412-1401 for a free consultation today.