Drunk driving is so dangerous that it’s difficult to imagine a circumstance in which it would be legally appropriate. However, New Jersey courts are reasonable and if you had a valid reason to be operating a vehicle while intoxicated, a court could be lenient when making a decision on your drunk driving case.
Imagine the following scenario. You and your friends are having a party and everyone at the party is drunk. During the celebrations, however, one of your friends goes into cardiac arrest. It’s clear that your friend is going to die unless someone can drive him immediately to the hospital, but no one is sober enough to drive.
You make an executive decision: It’s worth the potential risk and danger of getting into a drunk driving crash if it means you can get your friend to the hospital and save his life. You drive your friend to the emergency room and as the nurses are wheeling him into surgery, a police officer taps you on the shoulder and puts you through a battery of drunk driving tests. Long story short, your friend survives his heart attack, but you get arrested and charged with DUI.
In a circumstance like this, a New Jersey court would likely be sympathetic to your situation. It might even dismiss your drunk driving charges. When a defendant can show that he or she committed a criminal act in order to prevent a far worse outcome, the defendant might be able to prove that he or she had sufficient cause to commit the act.
Have you been accused of DUI in New Jersey? We will explore every potential strategy that could help you defend yourself against a drunk driving charge.
