Many people associate DUI arrests with devastating car accidents resulting in serious injuries. However, it is important to know that even if there was no accident, you can still be arrested and charged with a DUI. One Virginia Beach bus driver learned this firsthand recently.
Earlier this month, the 60-year-old driver was pulled over by police and charged with driving under the influence of drugs. The driver was behind the wheel of a Transquest bus, a privately owned school bus. The driver was transporting students ages five through 12 from Norfolk Academy at the time of the accident.
The headmaster of Norfolk Academy is very concerned about what happened but says that the driver in question has been driving for over ten years without any similar incidents. There is allegedly cell phone video from a witness that shows police giving a field sobriety test to a woman dressed as a bus driver. Witnesses say that the driver was taken away in an ambulance.
Field sobriety tests and chemical tests are administered by law enforcement officials at the scene to help determine if a driver is under the influence of drugs or alcohol. However, these tests can be administered incorrectly by officers who lack proper training, rush through the process or disregard protocol. Improper administration can impact the results of the tests. It can also help the case of someone accused of a DUI in Virginia.
Being charged with a DUI does not automatically mean that the defendant will experience a conviction. A Portsmouth criminal defense attorney can take charge of a defendant’s situation and manage a case from start to finish. Securing an attorney can mean that the defendant’s rights are recognized and upheld, and this can make a huge difference in any DUI case.
Source: NewsChannel 3, “School bus driver charged with driving under the influence in Virginia Beach,” Allison Mechanic, June 23, 2015
