Ventura County, California sheriff deputies have discovered that hundreds of people may have been wrongly convicted of driving under the influence since January 2011 as a result of a type of suspected faulty breathalyzer called the Alco-Sensor V, a handheld testing device made by a St. Louis-based company, Intoximeters, Inc.
A DUI or DWI conviction has stiff penalties, as it should. In 2009, there were 10,839 fatalities caused by alcohol-impaired driving crashes in the United States, according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. We don’t condone drunk driving and proper convictions ought not be overturned; however, convictions should be based on proper evidence. When a DUI is based on a breathalyzer, the machine must be accurate.
In Ventura County, where the reported inaccurate breathalyzer tests occurred, the penalties associated with driving under the influence are a $3,300 fine, a revoked driver’s license and arrest. Of course, a DUI arrest can cause much more expense than just this.
News reports indicate that at least 300 people in Ventura County may have suffered these penalties after receiving a faulty alcohol breath test. The authorities are currently reviewing the cases and notifying defendants whom they believe may have been wrongly convicted. Of course, many drivers may have suffered an arrest for a crime they didn’t commit.
Our experienced defective device attorneys are in a position to help people convicted of a DUI in California and throughout the country if their conviction is based on evidence gathered by the alleged type of defective breathalyzer-like device. Our lawyers DO NOT fight DUI convictions in criminal court, rather our attorneys are investigating civil claims for money damages against the parties responsible, according to media reports, for the reported faulty breathalyzer.
The Simmons Hanly Conroy has offices in both California and St. Louis. If you have received a faulty DUI conviction from a reported defective breathalyzer-like test, please take a moment and call our toll free number at 1-855-264-6270 or Contact Us for a free consultation about your potential case involving the Alco-Sensor V faulty breathalyzer device.
