Toccoa DUI Lawyer

If you or a loved one has been charged with DUI in Toccoa GA, contact our legal team today. With over 25 years of experience and over 5,000 clients represented, we understand what you are going through and how to help. Trust our firm if you have been charged with DUI or another traffic violation. Contact us now.

DUI Child Endangerment in Georgia

When someone is charged with DUI in Toccoa, there are many accompanying charges that a person could also find themselves charged with. One of those charges is child endangerment. A child endangerment charge occurs when a person has been suspected of driving under the influence while there is a child or children inside their vehicle.  the law on driving under the influence in the state of GeorgiaIs extremely strict.

Georgia law O.C.G.A. §40-6-391 outlines the offense of DUI Child Endangerment as follows:

A person who violates this Code section while transporting in a motor vehicle a child under the age of 14 years is guilty of the separate offense of endangering a child by driving under the influence of alcohol or drugs.

Under this statute, for each child that is in the vehicle where the driver is charged with DUI, there is an additional charge of child endangerment. In addition, a person will can be charged with multiple counts of child endangerment depending on how many children are in the car. For example, if there were 3 children in a vehicle under 14 years of age, the driver will be charged with DUI and three charges of child endangerment. This is 4 charges arising from the same incident.

The resulting convictions can be misdemeanor DUI or even felony DUI charges when the charges start to add up. Based on our example of a DUI and 3 child endangerment charges, a conviction will be treated as a 3rd in 5 years conviction for license suspension purposes. It will even count towards being a habitual violator meaning that you could lose your Georgia driving license for up to five years.

A DUI charge paired with child endangerment can have serious repercussions, especially for those responsible for caring for children. Some of the people who potentially face significant consequences include:

• Teachers
• Coaches
• Daycare owners and employees
• Healthcare providers
• Parents involved in a custody battle

Additionally, if your job requires you to drive, a conviction for DUI and child endangerment could mean the loss of your job. Situations where this could apply include:

• Truck drivers
• Employees who use company cars or fleet vehicles
• Salespeople
• Real estate agents
• Bus drivers

Contact Us Today

If you have been charged with DUI with or without a child endangerment charge, contact our office immediately. We are ready to take your call and know how to defend your case. Contact our Toccoa DUI Lawyers now.