Los Angeles DUI Community Saddened as Redondo Beach Driver Kills Three After Taking Prescription Drugs

Los Angeles DUI accidents can claim lives at any time; an awful crash in Redondo recently killed 3 Californians and injured many more.

According to reports, twelve people suffered injuries, when a woman crashed into a group of Christmas concert-goers in a Redondo Beach church last December. Margo Bronstein had been exiting St. James Catholic Church when she slammed into pedestrians leaving the concert. Three people died; two suffered bad injuries; and seven others suffered minor injuries.

Bronstein, a paraplegic, had a spotless driving record, but she had been taking medication that day. Her car had been outfitted with various technology to assist her driving. She had hand brakes on the steering wheel and special rear-view mirrors.

Police might charge Bronstein with felony DUI and vehicular manslaughter. Her attorneys have been urging the public to avoid jumping to conclusions about the accident. It is possible, they argue, that a defect in the hand brakes could have contributed to the accident.

If Bronstein’s lawyers can prove that the incident had been an accident — and that medication had not been to blame – perhaps they can fight or eliminate the charges. Her medications included muscle relaxers and other pain relievers to help her cope with chronic health issues.

Accidents involving prescription drugs can still be charged as DUIs, and the consequences of even non-injury stops can include jail time, license suspension, fines and fees and beyond. If a blood or urine test measures a drug’s present in the bloodstream, a conviction could follow.

What should you do if you or someone you love faces a serious DUI count? Will you go to jail? Will you lose your license? Call Los Angeles DUI defense lawyer Michael Kraut immediately to understand your options and craft a strategic response.

Did police stop you for driving under the influence in Los Angeles? Contact DUI defense attorney Michael Kraut for assistance at (323) 464-6453 or online. We’re located at 6255 Sunset Boulevard, Suite 1480, Los Angeles, California 90028.

Continue Reading...

Your Newport Beach valet could be an undercover DUI cop?

I had an interesting tip sent to me from an anonymous source about Newport Beach DUI arrests

Newport Beach DUI cops undercover?

…

“Entrapment in Newport Beach???? We’ve all enjoyed many nights out in Newport patronizing great establishments…and when you read what I learned below, it may surprise you…

I was in a Super Shuttle van going home from LAX to Newport, and making conversation with a gal from Newport next to me…we were talking about the nightlife in the city…

She said one night she saw some strange activity in a lot somewhere behind Irvine Avenue in Newport. When she got a closer look, she saw Newport police gathered for a sting, and some officers dressed in undercover garments as valet parkers!!!

The police are planting officers as valet parkers at some of the popular drinking establishments around town…most likely the establishments are compelled to comply. When the undercover policeman (valet parker) suspects a person of having consumed alcoholic beverages as they leave an establishment, they radio ahead for police to follow the vehicle and, look for probable cause.

Since the gathering of police was in a lot off Irvine Avenue, they are more than likely targeting places on PCH, like Billy’s at the Beach, Three-Thirty-Three, and Landmark…these places have valet parkers, and more than likely the Peninsula where establishments have valet service.

I support law enforcement, and their efforts to crack down on DUIs, but this encroaches on businesses and may be considered as entrapment….please be super careful and responsible. Take cabs if you are going to enjoy alcoholic beverages around town. Being careless may cost you thousands of dollars, a huge hassle, and special hospitality by Sheriff Sandra Hutchen’s at the Orange County Jail!

I learned that with the $200k DUI grant, Newport police hope to nab at least 150 more DUIs in a year. Each 1st time offender nets the city about $1300 after costs. They make money on fine payers and lose\break even on those who do community service. A few years ago they started targeting young females because they pay the fine more frequently than men. That’s why we saw an upsurge in female DUI and fall in mens.

More recently they focused on morning after arrests…those from 6:30am to 8:00am. The person is pulled over after sleeping like they are told to do, but the BAL continues to rise for 4 hrs after the last drink. Problem here is there are almost no DUI deaths during this period nor any evidence to suggest driving impairment. It all boils down to money.

Even worse, the officers pre-write their stop reports with canned answers to fit a profile. So what actually happened on the roadside is irrelevant because they already wrote it up. The only defense is the camera.”

If you have any information confirming this, please contact our Newport Beach DUI Lawyers at (877) 568-2977. Thanks.

View the original article here

Continue Reading...

Orange County DUI Checkpoints: Huntington Beach DUI checkpoint

Our Orange County DUI Lawyers have learned that the Huntington Beach Police Department will be conducting a DUI/Drivers License checkpoint on Saturday night, May 5, 2012 at 9:00 PM.

In Ingersoll v. Palmer…the landmark DUI checkpoint case…the California Supreme Court ruled that sobriety checkpoints must adhere to specific requirements in order to be constitutionally recognized.

If they do not, your California DUI defense attorney may be able to have your DUI charges reduced or even dismissed. These requirements relate to:

who makes decisions with respect to the operation of California sobriety checkpoints,when and how DUI roadblocks are operated, andhow intrusive the procedures are to those stopped at a DUI checkpoint. If the road looks like this, pull over.

Tags
California, California Supreme Court, Driving under the influence, dui lawyer, dui lawyer newport beach, dui lawyers long beach, dui lawyers los angeles, dui lawyers newport beach, dui lawyers orange county, dui specialist orange county, lawyer, long beach dui lawyers, los angeles dui, newport beach dui lawyers, orange county, Orange County California, orange county dui, orange county dui arrests, orange county dui checkpoint locations, orange county dui courts, orange county dui lawyer, orange county dui lawyers, orange county dui schools, orange county dui statistics, police, Random checkpoint

This entry was posted on Thursday, May 3rd, 2012 at 11:46 am and is filed under Dui Checkpoints, DUI News, DUI politics. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.

View the original article here

Continue Reading...

Newport Beach DUI Checkpoint location announced

Our Newport Beach DUI Lawyers wanted to let you know that the Traffic Division of the Newport Beach Police Department will be conducting a sobriety/driver’s license checkpoint on Friday, April 27, 2012.  The location of the checkpoint will be northbound Jamboree Rd. at San Joaquin Hills Dr.  The approximate hours of operation will be from 8:00 p.m. until 3:00 am.

The checkpoint location was selected based upon its proximity to bars and restaurants.  The film festival, plus good weather, might make this a productive one for them, even though, as I’ve mentioned in the past, DUI checkpoints in Orange County and elsewhere don’t significantly catch many people DUI, or lead to an increase in Orange County DUI arrests.

Newport Beach DUI Checkpoint

Tags
Driving under the influence, drunk driving, dui checkpoint, dui lawyer newport beach, Newport Beach California, Orange County California, police, Random checkpoint, San Joaquin, San Joaquin Hills, United States

This entry was posted on Thursday, April 26th, 2012 at 12:50 pm and is filed under Dui Checkpoints, DUI News, DUI politics. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.

View the original article here

Continue Reading...

Orange County DUI Checkpoint Locations: Newport Beach

Image via Wikipedia

Our Newport Beach DUI Lawyers have learned taht Newport Beach Police Department traffic officers will conduct a sobriety checkpoint from 6 p.m. tonight until 1 a.m. Thursday.

The checkpoint will be northbound Newport Boulevard at Finley Avenue, a location selected Ac€A“based upon its proximity to bars and restaurants,Ac€Â? according to a police statement. Ac€A“Site determination was also based upon roadway configuration, sight distances, traffic volume, lighting, and motorist safety,Ac€Â? the statement said.

The checkpoint will be clearly marked, police said, and vehicles will be selected to move through the check lanes on a pre-set basis to ensure objectivity and timeliness. Ac€A“Motorists will be greeted and given an informational brochure on Ac€ËoDriving Under The Influence,Ac€â„c prepared by the Newport Beach Police Department Traffic Division,Ac€Â? the statement said.

Funding for this program was provided by a grant from the California Office of Traffic Safety (OTS), through the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.A‚  Call us at (877) 568-2977 for any questions.

Tags
California, California State Route 55, Driving, Driving under the influence, National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, Newport Beach California, newport beach dui lawyers, police, Random checkpoint

This entry was posted on Wednesday, September 14th, 2011 at 6:07 pm and is filed under Dui Checkpoints. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.

View the original article here

Continue Reading...

California Beach Considers Posting DUIs to Facebook

Facebook and other social media sites are playing a much larger role in the way that lawyers and lawmakers publicize information. Now, according to an article in the LA Times, officials in Huntington Beach, California, have sparked a new debate surrounding DUI information and the social media giant.
Officials in Huntington Beach are considering posting the names of suspected drunk drivers on the city’s Facebook page.
This potential tactic of publicly putting those arrested for DUI to shame by spreading their names online would be one part of a broader campaign to discourage drunk driving in the community, according to Lt. Russell Reinhart of the Huntington Police Department.
The idea came up in a City Council meeting, when Councilman Devin Dwyer put the idea on the table for police officials to consider. He posed the idea as a response to the local newspaper’s lapsed practice of publishing the names of those facing DUI charges.
“I didn’t think public shaming for driving under the influence was such a bad idea,” Dwyer told the LA Times. “I would use any tool necessary to bring down the numbers of drunk drivers.”
This isn’t the first time that a police force has had the idea, and it’s part of an aggressively anti-DUI campaign.
Other parts of the campaign include committing more police officers to focusing their attention on drunk driving arrests, and sending written notices to drinking holes and bars when someone is arrested who was patronizing the establishment.
Huntington Beach is known for its alcohol-related incidents, and what the LA Times calls “a sudsy reputation.” There were almost 1,700 DUI arrests in 2009, and 274 collisions that were attributed to alcohol impairment. These figures put it in the top tier for cities around the same size in California in terms of drunk driving and alcohol-related crashes.
A report from the city referred to the situation as “a significant DUI problem in Huntington Beach.”
Understandable, then, that officials would be willing to toss around the idea of a more direct way to get drunk driving suspects into the public eye, in hopes of deterring others from deciding to drink and drive.
Publicizing the information isn’t necessarily scandalous, as it is already public information. “Anybody could go to the counter, get it and put it on their own web page,” said Lt. Reinhart.
These won’t be the first efforts made. In similar attempts to curb the combination of booze and driving, police banned beer pong and other alcohol-related games at bars in the city’s downtown area.
The City’s attorney will review the Facebook proposal, to make sure there are no legal problems with it.

Continue Reading...