One DUI Arrest Changes Everything

The experience is humiliating, terrifying and unforgettable.

When you were arrested or cited for DUI, you realized immediately that you could be sentenced to time in jail, ordered to pay stiff fines and surrender your driver's license. Then there was more fear and worry. You could lose your job. You could lose your right to travel. You could lose your good reputation.

It's natural to want to turn back the clock. It's common to be angry. It's easy to become confused, frustrated and scared.

If you're in this situation, talk with an attorney who specializes in DUI and other major traffic crimes. A DUI expert can help you understand what's going on.

A competent DUI attorney can look at the facts of your case and see defenses where you thought there were none. For example, a DUI defense attorney will want to know if the police made a lawful stop, or if the police made contact with you improperly or unlawfully.

A police officer may have asked questions and requested that you submit to field sobriety tests. These tests are extremely unreliable and are designed to make you look guilty of DUI.

You may have been asked to blow into a machine. You should know that breath test results can be challenged in court. In Oregon, the state's breath testing machine is the "Intoxilizer 8000." This machine is not the most reliable indicator of a person's blood alcohol content -- and juries are not required to accept the results from this device.