Haltom City, Texas DWI Defense Lawyer

Aggressive Drunk Driving Defense Attorney for Clients in Haltom City, TX

A drunk driving charge can change your life overnight. Depending on the exact circumstances of your case, you could be sentenced to months to years in prison, along with hefty license penalties. To make sure that your rights are protected, get in contact with a Haltom City DWI defense lawyer to start discussing your legal options.

At The Meza Law Firm, PLLC, we can serve as your legal guide and advocate to handle a charge of driving while intoxicated. We have extensive experience representing clients accused of serious criminal offenses, and we are ready to fight to protect your interests. Attorney Edwardo Meza has over a decade of experience, so you can trust that your case will be handled by a knowledgeable legal professional.

When You Can Face DWI Charges

Under Texas law, any person who drives a motor vehicle in public while intoxicated may be charged with driving while intoxicated (DWI). Having a blood alcohol concentration (BAC) of 0.08 percent or higher creates a legal presumption of intoxication. Yet a driver may also face a DWI charge if alcohol or drugs have "substantially and materially" impaired mental or physical faculties, regardless of BAC. Drivers under 21 years old risk underage drunk driving charges with any detectable amount of alcohol in their systems.

A "public place" encompasses roads, highways, parking lots, and any area generally accessible to the public. Even private property open to public traffic may fall under this definition. Refusal to submit to chemical testing invokes administrative license suspension and can enhance criminal penalties.

Intoxication Assault and Intoxication Manslaughter Charges

When a DWI incident causes injury or death, prosecutors elevate the offense. Intoxication assault occurs when an impaired driver causes serious bodily injury to another. This offense is a third-degree felony, punishable by two to 10 years in prison and fines up to $10,000.

Intoxication manslaughter is charged when an act of drunk driving leads directly to another's death. Classified as a second-degree felony, it carries two to 20 years in prison and fines reaching $10,000. When multiple people are killed in the same act of drunk driving, intoxication manslaughter is prosecuted as a first-degree felony, punishable by five to 99 years or life imprisonment and the same maximum fine. In both assault and manslaughter cases, prosecutors rely on crash reports, witness statements, and chemical test results to establish culpability.

How You Can Challenge a DWI?

A good DWI defense strategy should be tailored to the facts of your arrest. There are many ways a seasoned defense lawyer can challenge a drunk driving charge in court, including:

• Examining whether the initial traffic stop rested on reasonable suspicion
• Reviewing field sobriety test procedures for adherence to National Highway Traffic Safety Administration protocols
• Investigating chain-of-custody documentation for blood samples, ensuring proper sealing, transport, and handling to exclude contamination or degradation
• Exploring medical explanations that can mimic signs of intoxication or skew breath readings
• Challenging the credibility of officer observations by assessing training records, personnel credentials, and dash-camera or body-camera footage

By targeting procedural errors and scientific weaknesses, our firm can potentially negotiate reduced penalties or pursue diversionary options such as deferred adjudication. No matter the case, we will pursue a result that preserves your driving privileges and minimizes criminal penalties, keeping your future in mind.

Meet With a Haltom City DWI Defense Attorney

If you have been accused of driving while intoxicated, it is in your best interests to seek legal representation. At The Meza Law Firm, PLLC, we have the knowledge, skills, and resources to investigate a DWI charge and build a strong defense strategy. To set up a free consultation, call us at 817-732-6392 or contact our Haltom City, Texas DWI defense lawyer.