You went out for drinks with your friends when you turned 21. The college has a dry campus, but you decided that it would be fine to bring a few drinks back with you. You had one drink the entire night, so you drove your friends around to party.
Later that evening, you all went out to your vehicle and hopped in. You were thinking about going out to the local bars. Unfortunately, on your way off the campus, you ended up hitting someone on a bicycle when they suddenly entered the roadway.
They were fine, but you ended up having to take a breath test. The test showed that you were over the limit despite the fact that you’d had only one drink all night. On top of that, the college found out from one of your friends that you had alcohol in your dorm room.
Now, you’re facing a DUI and could face other punishments from the school. What should you do?
If you’re charged with a DUI at school, this is a big problem. You could lose your financial aid, ability to stay in the dorms or face harsh fines. You could lose your ability to drive and have your license suspended, too. Your insurance rates may increase, leaving you to struggle to find insurance or to keep what you have.
Unfortunately, a DUI in college can have significant fallout. Some of the primary issues you could face include:
- Losing your spot in a program
- Losing the ability to stay on campus
- Losing financial aid
- Losing scholarships
- Suspension from school
- An inability to obtain licensure in your field
- The loss of your license
- Heavy fines
It’s not a surprise that you were drinking on your birthday, but the court is serious about DUI charges. This is going to be even more true in a case where someone was impacted by your decision to drive.
The first thing you’ll need to do to help yourself is to reach out to your attorney. Don’t talk to the police and don’t admit fault. You want to have someone on your side talk to you about what you can say or do and what you shouldn’t say or do to protect yourself.
What has already happened can’t be reversed, but your attorney will work hard to find ways to negate the prosecution’s case. They will be there to fight for lower penalties and to minimize the impact of these charges on your life.
