When an individual is pulled over in Berkeley County under suspicion of drunk driving, one of the most common consequences is the loss of driving privileges. Simply refusing an officer’s request to submit to a Breathalyzer test can result in the DMV automatically suspending a driver’s license.
Even a temporary suspension of driving privileges can make life very difficult, affecting the ease of getting to work, to school, to a child’s events or even to the store for groceries. Driving on a suspended or revoked license has its own consequences as well, and it was the fear of these consequences that prompted one Martinsburg man to flee the scene of an accident.
The Berkeley County Sheriff’s Office was recently alerted to an accident that involved two vehicles. When the deputies appeared on the scene, there was only one vehicle on site. The driver of the car on the scene said that the collision occurred when she backed into a driveway. A truck had swerved and struck the front end of the vehicle and then left the scene.
Noticing an oil spot where the two vehicles had collided, deputies tracked down the vehicle they suspected had been involved in the crash by following the oil trail. When the driver was interviewed, he admitted that he left the scene of the collision because he was driving without a license or insurance and the vehicle he was in didn’t meet legal standards.
Although the women in the car both declined EMS transport to a nearby hospital, their complaints of pain in their back and shoulder led to a charge of leaving the scene with injury being added to the growing list of charges against the truck driver.
The driver of the truck was later arraigned on several counts, including a felony count of driving while revoked for driving under the influence third offense and several misdemeanor counts.
Whether it is fighting the loss of driving privileges or charges subsequent to this loss, having an attorney experienced in handling these specific cases in Berkeley and Jefferson Counties is important in presenting a strong defense.
Source: Herald-Mail Media, “Martinsburg man charged after deputies follow oil trail from crash,” Feb. 24, 2014