Alcohol & Drugs: DUI, DWI DUI case info insight would be valuable

[fofepir]

Last night I went to the bar with my father and stepmother. I drank a few pitchers, and stayed there for 2 and a half hours. I was in no way hindered, was even asked by my father to take my stepmother home because she was quite intoxicated. Once I dropped her off, I had to go pick up my girlfriends kids because of an emergency situation. So i drove the 30 minutes back to town and got them, at which point I hydroplaned a puddle left by heavy rain and hit a phone pole. The kids were taken to the hospital, and attended school today as normal. One of them has a broken arm, the other a broken ankle. I broke my nose, and i suspect also fractured a few ribs. The wreck was in front of the jail, and i carried the kids into the jail to report the accident and seek medical attention for the children. I was givin a breathalyzer, and blew a .082, at which point I was prompted to take some field sobriety tests, which I failed, due to, in my opinion, the pain I was going through, and the stress of the situation. I was givin another test roughly 25 minutes later and blew a .11. I had my last drink at no later than 10:15, and wrecked at 11:15. What could have caused this, and is there a link between BAC and heavy bleeding, seeing as I was bleeding the whole time? Im just curious if as i bleed there is less blood for the alcohol to metabolize into making it more concentrated. I obviously feel horrible about all this, and am not trying to make excuses. It just seems funny to me, seeing as i weigh 250 lbs and drank maybe 5 beers in 2.5 hours. I didnt feel drunk at all, and my father would have never let me drive, let alone ask me to give my stepmom home if i was even the least bit drunk. Sorry about the rambling, im just in a horrible place mentally trying to deal with my actions. Thank you

 

[army judge]

Plead not guilty and hire an attorney, or ask the court to appoint one to represent you if your finances are strapped.

Do not discuss this with anyone but your attorney. He/she can and will explain the things that confound you. Thank God the kids and you were not seriously harmed.

 

[fofepir]

Yeah, I been thankin god those kids are ok all day. This is terrible....

 

[mightymoose]

I drank a few pitchers, and stayed there for 2 and a half hours. I was in no way hindered...

Oohhh, yes you were!

Once I dropped her off, I had to go pick up my girlfriends kids because of an emergency situation.

You will be lucky if you dodge child endangerment charges as well.

I was givin a breathalyzer, and blew a .082, at which point I was prompted to take some field sobriety tests, which I failed, due to, in my opinion, the pain I was going through, and the stress of the situation.

Though your injuries may prevent you from doing well on some tests, your injuries do not change your BAC, and do not change the smell of alcohol that was likely on your person.

I was givin another test roughly 25 minutes later and blew a .11. I had my last drink at no later than 10:15, and wrecked at 11:15.

It takes HOURS to get alcohol out of your system.

What could have caused this, and is there a link between BAC and heavy bleeding, seeing as I was bleeding the whole time?

Nope.

Im just curious if as i bleed there is less blood for the alcohol to metabolize into making it more concentrated.

You don't lose just blood, but also the alcohol that was in it at the time.... and you didn't lose as much blood as you think. Unless you needed a transfusion, your blood loss was negligible.

I obviously feel horrible about all this, and am not trying to make excuses. It just seems funny to me, seeing as i weigh 250 lbs and drank maybe 5 beers in 2.5 hours.

How big were those beers? You fist said that you drank a few pitchers.
You may not have felt too intoxicated at first, but it is very possible the alcohol was still working its way into your system and you weren't feeling the buzz that was yet to come- this is somewhat supported by your increased BAC on the second test.

I didnt feel drunk at all, and my father would have never let me drive, let alone ask me to give my stepmom home if i was even the least bit drunk. Sorry about the rambling, im just in a horrible place mentally trying to deal with my actions. Thank you

These events happen to all kinds of people- good people that feel they are very careful, and also to people that are just reckless. LOTS of people that get DUI's didn't feel drunk at all, although they showed signs of impairment and could not recognize it. In this case, it seems your better judgment escaped you- you knew that you had been drinking but chose to drive anyway. You gambled and lost. It isn't the end of the world, but there will be consequences.

 

[CdwJava]

Last night I went to the bar with my father and stepmother. I drank a few pitchers, and stayed there for 2 and a half hours. I was in no way hindered,

Say what?!?!

One of the first things to go with alcohol is judgement.

If you drank "a few pitchers" you would be quite impaired after 2 1/2 hours.

So i drove the 30 minutes back to town and got them, at which point I hydroplaned a puddle left by heavy rain and hit a phone pole. The kids were taken to the hospital, and attended school today as normal. One of them has a broken arm, the other a broken ankle. I broke my nose, and i suspect also fractured a few ribs. The wreck was in front of the jail, and i carried the kids into the jail to report the accident and seek medical attention for the children. I was givin a breathalyzer, and blew a .082, at which point I was prompted to take some field sobriety tests, which I failed, due to, in my opinion, the pain I was going through, and the stress of the situation.

Unfortunately for you, they do not even NEED the FSTs with a BAC of .08 or higher. You were legally impaired.

I was givin another test roughly 25 minutes later and blew a .11.

It sounds as if your BAC was rising. Or, the first test was with a handheld PBT and the second was with a more accurate device. Either way, you are looking at a conviction here.

I had my last drink at no later than 10:15, and wrecked at 11:15. What could have caused this,

Alcohol consumption.

and is there a link between BAC and heavy bleeding, seeing as I was bleeding the whole time?

At that level? No. Could you be anemic? Have poor clotting?

Im just curious if as i bleed there is less blood for the alcohol to metabolize into making it more concentrated.

That would not have made ANY difference. The percentage of alcohol in your system would be the same even if you bled out entirely - what was left would have been pretty much the same BAC. (That's an oversimplification, but as MM pointed out, you would have to lose a lot of blood for that to even be a remote factor Since you are not dead, it is not going to be an issue)

I obviously feel horrible about all this, and am not trying to make excuses. It just seems funny to me, seeing as i weigh 250 lbs and drank maybe 5 beers in 2.5 hours.

But ... you said you had a few pitchers? There's a difference.

And if you were .11 these were either 5 large beers, 5 high alcohol content beers, or you are mistaken about the number of beers.

I didnt feel drunk at all

Many people who are impaired do not believe they are. The first thing to go is usually judgement.

And understand that one does not have to be DRUNK to be a danger to others and violate the law, one needs simply be IMPAIRED.

and my father would have never let me drive, let alone ask me to give my stepmom home if i was even the least bit drunk.

And what is his training and experience in the evaluation of alcohol impairment? Had he also been drinking? If so, then his judgment was also impaired.