hickdusty

Bare with me, typing on crappy phone. A month ago I drank see some vodka, then drove to store to get a burrito (never driven drunk before. In oncoming traffic, a car passed another car, passing car was coming at me. (I think they were racing) I swerved and ran into utility pole going 55 MPH. My pickup was half in the road. I pulled off road, and threw my keys in a field (no witnesses, cars racing kept going, never found) I was badly injure. I call 911, cops and ambulance showed up half hour later. I told cops about racing car, and told them I was sober till wreck, then chugged pint of vodka I had in truck (which I threw in weeds). I was lifeflighted 150 miles to hospital. Hours later cops showed up. I refused blood test, they got warrant and forced test then left. No ticket or paper work. I was released next day. I haven't heard anything. Any advice, I'm being 100% honest.

MariahGayle

Put sobriety at the top of your list hickdusty, and whatever happens with DUI, will work out. Glad you are here.

Dee74

Hi hickdusty.
I moved your post to Newcomers forum for more response.

I have no advice legal wise - if you're here to stop drinking you'll find a lot of support here for that

D

Impurrfect

hickdusty - Welcome to SR!

I'm no legal expert, but I do believe the fact that you admitted you drank, had vodka in the truck (could be an open container) is going to cost you. I'm sorry for the wreck and all that happened.

Though crack was my addiction downfall, I used to drink a lot. I learned, from here, that even if I wasn't at fault for an accident, the fact that I would be legally drunk was a big deal.

That being said, there is a ton of support here for you. Many have been through similar situations.

If you're looking to stop drinking, you've found the right place. It took me a lot of bad consequences to realize I had a problem. I hope you read around here and keep posting.

Hugs and prayers,

Amy

Tang

I'm sorry for your pain. If you want to stop drinking, this place will help.

Chrissy2014

Sorry, friend, not sure what ur looking for? How to beat the charges? Or are u looking for sobriety ideas. No offense meant, just looking for clarification. Want to help.

Fluffer

Welome Hickdusty,

That's a pretty bizarre and troubling chain of events you describe there. In any event, my guess would be that if your BAC tested above the limit, they would have arrested you then and there. Of course, that doesn't mean you are necessarily out of the woods. And in most states if you refuse to be tested you will lose your license for 6 months or a year. Good luck.

Serenidad

If you get a good attorney I would think you would get out of a DUI since your keys weren't in ignition and they can't prove you drank before you drove. Heck...maybe you drank "after" the crash while waiting for the ambulance to help with pain? I mean it did take 30 minutes for help to arrive, right?

Good attorney will get you off. My 2 cents...not legal advice...just my opinion. Keep us posted! Glad you're ok!

lighter

Hire a good lawyer.

Do not lie.

Remember, though, that you should only talk about this to the police or anyone else when you are with a lawyer and it may be best to keep altogether.

Get sober ASAP.

Soberintexas007

My only concern about your story would be if someone got in a wreck, why would they start drinking before the police arrive knowing that this could cause them problems? Wouldn't most people who get in a wreck make sure that they don't start drinking until at least after the police arrive so that the police wouldn't think they were drinking and driving?

I am not sure if you will get off or not, but the police are probably suspicious of the chain of events.

Pouncer

I just stopped in to give the same advice. I read your post a few hours ago. A good attorney is worth more than the money you spend. If you cannot get an awesome criminal defense attorney recommendation, do some searching on avvo.com It is pretty reliable.

dox

I hired a defence attourney who tried every trick to get me off.
At the end of the trial I got what everybody else who was guilty of drink driving in my area got:
Convicted.
Community service, etc.

So, It may be worth trying to wriggle out of your predicament.
But, If I had to do it all over again, I wouldn't struggle so hard to avoid the consequences of my actions.

But, then again, if I had it to do over, I wouldn't drink drive.

hickdusty

Thanks everyone. Yes I'm here to get advice about beating this. License suspension will end up getting me driving without privalges. Work 30 miles away. Have sole custody of my 16year old. I understand i shoulda never done it, but my mom had just died, and divorce a month before. Hadnt drank for a year. Back on the wagon. Still scared every day and not sleeping. I live beside my landlord, if i get arrested, i will be evicted.

hickdusty

I threw the vodka bottle with my keys. Maintained I wrecked sober then drank for pain, cause I'm an alcoholic and didn't wanna go to hospital sober.

hickdusty

Also I knew I would be life flighted in helicopter and am deathly afraid of flying. Last year it crashed and four people were killed. Lame excuses I know.

Venecia

We have a rule here on SR about not seeking or providing medical advice and I think we'd be wise to be similarly guarded about legal advice. The best we can do is recommend hiring an attorney and seeing where it goes from there.

Laws vary from state to state and from country to country. Some prosecutors are willing to reduce charges, many are not. Some judges will accept a lesser charge, some will not. (A member of my own family is a judge known for having little patience with DWI and for taking a dim view of excuses or plea bargaining in this area. He started his legal career as a prosecutor and witnessed first hand the tremendous loss drunken drivers cause.)

Hire an attorney and be ready to move forward in sobriety. Being sober is the best thing you can do for yourself under any circumstances, Hickdusty. Take good care.

tomsteve

Lookin for Advise on beating the consequences of driving drunk or on stopping drinking?

Lance40

Hi hickdusty - this thread makes me feel conflicted. On the one hand I have a lot of empathy for you. It sounds like a one-off situation that went horribly wrong. I certainly can't throw stones because there was a time in my life that I regularly drove drunk. I even wrecked my car and had the police come. The accident was in a remote area, so by the time we arrived at the jail I blew under the limit. That was my lucky day.

On the other hand, as a young lad I was in a car accident on a family trip home from the city after a day of Christmas shopping. Our happy family day ended abruptly when we were hit almost head on by a driver who managed to drive away while tossing booze bottles out the window. We all survived but it was a traumatic accident that left scars that came with a lot of fears and anxieties.

The disease of alcoholism comes part and parcel with lying, excuses and manipulation. All of us alcoholics have been afflicted with it, me included. How you handled the situation is classic alcoholic behaviour, and quite frankly I'm disappointed at the posters who are trying to advise you to get a good lawyer who can get you off.

Another option is to be honest and take full accountability and use this as the kick in the pants you need to get and stay sober.

I'm wishing you all the best. I know from my own situation that these things come with a lot of fears and anxieties about how things can go.

Fluffer

Point well taken, Lance. I once had to attend DUI school to get my license back and as part of that each participant had to tell their story. Amazingly, out of 15 participants, not one was actually guilty of the crime but each was the victim of a bizarre chain of events. I am told this is also true of people in jail. I'm not pointing fingers, Hickdusty, but maybe you should honestly be thinking about getting help with your drinking?

FreeOwl

All of your actions and responses remind me of my own, years ago.

Took me a long time to take a really honest look at those actions and see they were the behaviors of a man in denial about the reality of his relationship with alcohol.