Anyone who has been involved in an accident knows that they can have both a psychological and physical impact. Even drivers who are not injured can display symptoms of shock or stress in the aftermath that could affect their performance on field sobriety tests regardless of whether they were at fault. Unfortunately, police in Wisconsin and other areas of the country may assume that these symptoms are actually an indication that the person is under the influence of drugs or alcohol.
One woman in Wisconsin was recently arrested, suspected of operating while intoxicated. Police say that she struck a pedestrian during the early morning hours of a day in March. Reports indicated that the 56-year-old victim was unresponsive in the road when officers arrived at the scene.
Police claim that the woman driver believed to have been operating the car that struck the man failed field sobriety tests. As a result, she was arrested. Many of the details of the accident are unclear, including whether the woman's blood alcohol content was recorded and, if so, what the reading registered.
Operating under the influence accusations can have a serious impact on a person's life. Unfortunately, field sobriety tests are dependent upon a police officer's interpretations of events and may fail to take into account the woman's emotional state following an accident in which she was allegedly involved that resulted in the loss of life. In order to help the Wisconsin woman understand and respond to the charges against her, she may choose to seek advice from a criminal defense attorney with experience in handling such cases.
Source: nbc15.com, "Janesville woman arrested for OWI after car vs. pedestrian crash", March 4, 2017