A 57-year-old woman was charged with two counts of injury by intoxicated use of a vehicle after a car accident in June 2010 that seriously injured the driver of another vehicle. The offenses and potential penalties were lessened, though, after she accepted a plea deal in her drunk driving case earlier this month.

The Milwaukee woman pleaded no contest to the charges that stemmed from her drunk driving incident. Part of the agreement in this case is that one count of injury by intoxicated use of a vehicle with a prohibited alcohol content will be dropped. The 57-year-old had a blood alcohol level that measured 0.175 after the car accident. She will return to court on March 9 to be sentenced.

The accident happened about an hour before midnight on June 6. The Milwaukee woman accidentally crossed the center line and struck an oncoming vehicle, causing the other driver to sustain serious injuries.

In any case where serious injuries result from an accident, a thorough investigation must be completed to understand exactly what happened. It is never a good idea to get behind the wheel while intoxicated, and there are no excuses for any accident that results from driving drunk.

However, it is also inexcusable to assume guilt on the part of an accused drunk driver. A defendant in any case, may it be a drunk driving case or a criminal defense trial, is assumed innocent until proven guilty. Those accused also have the right to an unbiased and proper investigation and resulting trial.

To assure this, consult a lawyer when you are accused of criminal activity. They can advise you on how to conduct yourself as the investigation moves forward and they will support and guide you throughout your case.

Source: Green Bay Press Gazette, "Woman enters plea in drunk driving incident," Jan. 3, 2012