Medical Attention after a Colonial Heights DUI
In some instances, an individual might sustain an injury requiring medical attention, preceding or following a DUI. If you received medical attention after a Colonial Heights DUI, you may be unsure how this affects your case. An accomplished attorney could provide you with a legal defense tailored to the specifics of your situation.
Reasons for Receiving Medical Attention after a DUI
The attending police officer makes the determination if the person needs medical attention based on their investigation and observations at the time of the interaction or stop. It is their call. A police officer will most likely seek medical attention for someone if:
- They are unresponsive
- They are incoherent and unable to perform any kind of tests or respond to the officer
- They were involved in an accident
- They are injured
These are the usual situations in which someone would receive medical attention after a Colonial Heights DUI.
Effects of Receiving Medical Attention on a DUI Case
If a person receives medical attention as a result of a DUI, whether it could hurt or help is very case-specific. An example of when receiving medical attention can help is when a person is on the cusp of a DUI or there is an accident. The individual who may have been intoxicated suffers a head injury and receives medical attention by doctors who are not focused on the DUI as much as giving that person the proper treatment for their injuries. There are also individuals who may benefit from receiving medical treatment, but that treatment will not actually affect their DUI case.
Given that same situation, if medical investigations determined that the individual who was in an accident was intoxicated, that could ultimately hurt the person in that particular case. Whether medical attention in a DUI case helps or hurts is all very case-specific.
What Happens if Someone is Denied Medical Attention?
If someone does not receive the necessary medical attention when they should have, then it can build or show officer bias and ultimately be used in trial. If the individual who was supposed to receive the medical attention was hurt or injured, that can have some play into the DUI itself.
The fact that a person arrested for DUI did not receive proper medical attention could be very case-sensitive depending on the facts of the individual case. The facts will determine the way in which the offer of medical attention or the lack of medical attention affects the DUI. These are some circumstances which could affect a DUI case:
- If it is on the cusp of whether someone was intoxicated or not, and it turns out they were in an accident and could have suffered a concussion
- If somebody who is taking some medication had a bad reaction with other medication and not necessarily medications that lead to intoxication
Every case is different with a unique set of circumstances.
Refusing Medical Attention Following a DUI in Colonial Heights
If the person is coherent enough, they can refuse medical attention. It is their body. The authorities cannot force anybody to fix or mend themselves if they are conscious. However, an unconscious person will not necessarily have that opportunity. A defense lawyer may or may not advise a person to refuse medical attention, depending on the situation.
An individual charged with a DUI, as with any person charged with a crime, should contact an experienced criminal defense attorney. The fact that they needed to receive medical attention after a Colonial Heights DUI means that they were either in an accident or other events happened which could have special effects on the case. Given that, it is important that they retain a DUI lawyer who could understand their situation and use that information to defend them.
