PERHAPS YOU HAD ONE TOO MANY DRINKS. Perhaps you had one or two more drinks than you should have but did you know that if you operate a vehicle while drunk and cause bodily harm to another person, you can be accused of an OWI causing Injury. In drivers in Chippewa Falls, Chippewa County, Eau Claire, Eau Claire County, Menomonie, Dunn County, Rice Lake and Barron County, WI, an OWI causing Injury is regarded as a criminal charge and is quite serious.
Under Wisconsin law, “bodily harm” means physical ache or injury, ailment, or any harm of physical condition. Even wounds and minor cuts can be included as bodily harm if the jury sees it as such.
Any driver arrested for OWI causing Injury will face jail time, a criminal record, revocation of license, expensive fines, and huge spike in insurance rates. If your DUI / OWI case causes injury or has another extra charge, then the penalties will be even more severe. OWI causing Injury is a very complicated crime to deal with. This is why your first step should be to schedule a free consultation to review your case and learn how Mullen Schlough & Associates S.C. can help.
The Penalties for OWI causing Injury
Normally, a first offense OWI in Wisconsin comes with up to $300 in fines and no jail time. On the other hand, an OWI causing Injury comes with $2,000 in fines and up to a year in prison. It’s important to note that in Wisconsin, an OWI that leads to bodily harm comes with a compulsory jail time. Every person in this situation always gets at least 30 days in jail for an OWI causing Injury if they are arrested. Most judges or prosecutors here can give more years in jail.
In Wisconsin, a 2nd OWI that doesn’t lead to bodily harm is a misdemeanor liable to be punished by up to 6 months in jail and a $1,000 fine. Any individual facing a second offense OWI causing Injury, will definitely find themselves facing a Class H felony charge that might result in a $10,000 fine and 6 years of the person’s life spent in jail.
You should also know:
In an OWI causing Injury case, if the harmed person was under 16, punishments are not limited to jail time and fines. Your license will be revoked for as long as 2 years, you will be compelled to install a mortifying and inconvenient Ignition Interlock Device (IID) on your vehicle, wait 60 days before having the capacity to get an occupational license, and, if the OWI occurred when you were operating a commercial vehicle, you may have a lifetime CDL disqualification.
If the OWI causing Injury case caused a very serious bodily harm to someone else, conviction can carry the same penalty: a Class F felony. You could go to jail for 12 years and need to pay a $25,000 fine. Wisconsin law characterizes a very serious bodily harm as injury that develops a significant risk of death, or causes genuine perceptual distortion, or causes a lasting or extended loss or hindrance of the function of any bodily part or organ.
Based on the jury’s understanding of the facts of your case, you can lose a month of your life, or lose your future prospects for employment and other benefits. That’s why it’s so important to have legal representatives that understand what is at stake.
Mullen Schlough & Associates S.C. are led by experienced defense lawyers who have handled so many cases for people accused of OWI causing Injury. We have worked hard to build a solid reputation for reliability, service, and success. What sets us apart from other DUI / OWI criminal defense lawyers?
- We don’t believe in paralegals and staff. Therefore, when you call, email or text message your attorney, you will speak directly to your attorney.
- When a motion is filed, your attorney researched and filed it. Your attorney is going to argue it so they should know it inside and out. That’s what you are paying for.
- When your ex or soon to be ex does something, your attorney needs to know it….. not some secretary. The secretary is not going to argue the case in court, the attorney is.
- If you have any billing or legal statement issues, Attorney Mark Mullen, President and Founding Member of the firm answers the phone….always. He does the books, issues the checks and makes the financial calls on your case. If you call the main number, it will be him you talk to, period.
- We encourage payment plans. Most of our clients are not rich and therefore cannot put down the entire amount of the retainer at the time of hiring. WARNING – Every payment plan comes with a mandatory agreement whereas once your credit or debit card fails from being processed, you stipulate that we can be removed as your attorney of record.
