Queens Vehicular Assault in the First Degree

Assault is a crime that involves one person using violence to injure another person. Typically, when thinking about how assaults are committed, many people think about fist fights, shooting someone, or stabbing someone. However, an assault can be committed using almost anything. In fact, vehicles are commonly used to commit assaults. If someone is injured in a car accident cause by you and you are charged with driving while intoxicated, you will likely also face a charge of vehicular assault. There are three different vehicle assault offenses: vehicular assault in the first degree, vehicular assault in the second degree and aggravated vehicular assault. While vehicular assault in the first degree is not the most serious vehicular assault crime, it is still a felony with harsh consequences. If you are convicted you will end up in prison for several years and face substantial financial penalties. If you have been arrested and charged with vehicular assault in the first degree it is important that you immediately contact an experienced Queens Vehicular Assault in the First Degree Lawyer who will vigorously defend you to ensure that your case is resolved in the best possible manner given the facts of your case.

• New York Criminal Lawyer
• N.Y. Criminal Code and New York Assault Lawyer
• N.Y. Criminal Code and Queens Assault Lawyer
• N.Y. Criminal Code and Queens Assault in the First Degree
• N.Y. Criminal Code and Queens Assault in the Second Degree
• N.Y. Criminal Code and Queens Assault in the Third Degree
• N.Y. Criminal Code and Queens Reckless Assault of a Child
• N.Y. Criminal Code and Queens Reckless Assault of a Child by a Child Day Care Provider
• N.Y. Criminal Code and Queens Aggravated Assault Upon a Person Less Than Eleven
• N.Y. Criminal Code and Queens Assault with a Deadly Weapon
• N.Y. Criminal Code and Queens Assault with a Dangerous Instrument
• N.Y. Criminal Code and Queens Assault with a Gun
• N.Y. Criminal Code and Queens Assault with a Knife
• N.Y. Criminal Code and Queens Assault at a Bar
• N.Y. Criminal Code and Queens Vehicular Assault in the First Degree
• N.Y. Criminal Code and Queens Vehicular Assault in the Second Degree
• N.Y. Criminal Code and Queens Aggravated Vehicular Assault
• N.Y. Criminal Code and Queens Gang Assault in the First Degree
• N.Y. Criminal Code and Queens Gang Assault in the Second Degree
• N.Y. Criminal Code and Queens Assault on a Police Officer
• N.Y. Criminal Code and Queens Assault on a Firefighter
• N.Y. Criminal Code and Queens Assault on a Social Worker
• N.Y. Criminal Code and Queens Assault on a Judge
• N.Y. Criminal Code and Queens Sexual Assault

You will face a charge of vehicular assault in the first degree if you use a vehicle to cause serious physical injury to another person, and:

• You are legally intoxicated, meaning that your blood alcohol level is .18, or
• Within the past 10 years you have previously been convicted of driving while intoxicated in New York or another state, or
• Your driving privileges have been suspended in another state because you were convicted of driving while intoxicated, or
• Your driving privileges have been suspended in another state because you refuse to take a test to determine if you were driving while intoxicated, or
• You cause serious physical injury to more than one person, or
• You have been previously convicted of vehicular manslaughter, or
• A child who is less than 15 years old is in the car with you and is seriously injured.

It is a Class D felony. N.Y. Pen. Law § 120.04

Serious physical injury is one that is so severe that it creates a substantial risk of death, causes death, causes protracted disfigurement or impairment of health, or causes loss of a bodily organ. N.Y. Pen. Law § 10.00.

If you are accused of vehicular assault you will be arrested and taken to a local police precinct for processing. You will then be transferred to Central Booking where you will remain until your case is ready for arraignment. At your arraignment the prosecutor will let you know the crimes with you are charged. You may be charged with several other crimes in addition to the vehicular assault charge. The judge will also make a decision about bail: the judge may set a bail amount, release you without requiring you to post bail, or require that you be held without bail. Lastly, you will be told the next time you will be required to appear in court.

After your arraignment there may be several hearings and meetings with the prosecutor before your case goes to trial. In order to avoid a trial and close the case, the prosecutor may offer you a deal that would allow you to plead guilty to a lesser offense. If you agree you would avoid the possibility of being convicted of the original charges and being given a relatively harsh sentence. You would instead face a relatively light sentence. However, if you do agree to plead guilty to a lesser charge, you will definitely end up with a criminal record without the possibility of being acquitted of the charges.

Depending on the circumstances of your case, there are several ways to defend against a vehicular assault. While there are a number of different factors that may go into such as charge, the 2 factors that must be present for any vehicular assault charge is that you must have been intoxicated by drugs or alcohol while driving a motor vehicle and you must have caused serious injury to the victim. You can challenge the accuracy of the chemical test that was used by the prosecutor as evidence that you were intoxicated. A wide range of factors can affect chemical tests, making such a test inaccurate. For example, the consumption of food or medication could impact the accuracy of a chemical test. You may also have a defense related to how the test was administered. New York has rules that must be followed as to how chemical tests must be administered and how the equipment must be calibrated.

The lack of seriousness of the victim's injury may also provide a defense to a charge of vehicular assault in the first degree. New York courts will look closely at the medical evidence to determine as to whether or not the victim suffered a serious injury.

If you are arrested for vehicular assault in the first degree, first you will be taken to the local police precinct. Within 24 hours of your arrest you will be arraigned. At your arraignment hearing you will learn the exact charges against you. In some cases the charges will be different from what you expected. Based on a review of the evidence, the prosecutor may decide to raise or lower the charges, or to add additional charges. You will also learn whether or not bail will be required.

Because vehicular assault in the first degree is a felony New York law requires that the prosecutor present your case to the Grand Jury. The Grand Jury will decide whether you should be indicted, meaning charged with a crime. If you are indicted, you may be able to negotiate a plea bargain with the prosecutor that will require you to plead guilty to a lesser crime that will result in a lighter sentence that you would otherwise receive. If you are not able to reach a plea agreement with the prosecutor then your case will go to trial.

If you are convicted of vehicular assault in the first degree your sentence may include prison, payment of fines and fees, probation, and loss of driving privileges.

Because vehicular assault in the first degree is a Class D felony, the maximum possible sentence is 7 years in prison. N.Y. Pen. Law § 70.00. However, the judge has the option of not sentencing you to any time in jail, but to probation. The actual sentence you will receive will largely depend on your prior criminal record. If you have no prior convictions there is no minimum sentence that the judge is required to give you. The judge could sentence you to probation, the judge could decide to sentence you to just a few months in jail, or the judge could sentence you to prison. If you have a prior felony conviction then the court will sentence you to at least 2-4 years for a vehicular assault in the first degree conviction. If you are a persistent felony offender, then the minimum sentence you will receive is 15-25 years in prison; the maximum sentence is life in prison. N.Y. Pen. Law § 70.08.

If you are convicted of vehicular assault in the first degree your sentence may include 5 years of probation. There will be several rules that you must follow while you are on probation. N.Y. Pen. Law § 65.10. The rules associated with probation vary from person to person, but may include that:

• You must not commit a crime
• You cannot leave the State of New York without permission
• You must consent to warrantless searches
• You must not associate with people who you know have criminal records
• You must not patronize unlawful or disreputable places
• You must not possess a firearm
• You must not possess a controlled substance or drug paraphernalia
• You must refrain from consuming alcohol
• You must undergo psychiatric treatment
• You must complete an alcohol or substance abuse program
• You must stick to a curfew
• You must have job or attend school
• You must pay restitution
• You must perform community service
• You must notify your Probation Officer of a new address
• You must regularly report to your Probation Officer

If you violate any of the terms of your probation, your Probation Officer may file a Violation of Probation with the court and you may be sent to prison.

Being convicted of vehicular assault in the first degree will have significant financial consequences as you will be required to pay a fine, fees and restitution. The judge may order you to pay a fine of up to $5,000. Furthermore, you will be required to pay a "mandatory surcharge" of $300, a victim assistance fee of $25. N.Y. Pen. Law § 60.35, as well as a probation supervision fees of $30 per month.

As part of your sentence the judge may order you to pay restitution to your victim to cover out-of-pocket expenses that result from your crime. For example, if you damage the victim's vehicle the court may order you to pay the cost of repairing or replacing the vehicle. Generally, the maximum amount of restitution is $15,000. However, the law allows a judge to order a higher amount of restitution under certain circumstances. Furthermore, you will also have to pay a fee to the company charged with collecting the restitution from you.

If you do not pay the ordered fine, fee or restitution, you may be charged with a crime and sent to prison for up to a year, your wages may be garnished or the state of New York may obtain a judgment against you. However, if you cannot pay the judge may adjust the payment terms, lower the amount you must pay, or revoke the part of the sentencing requiring you to pay.

If you are convicted of vehicular assault in the first degree, your license may be suspended or revoked for several months or for well over a year. If your license is revoked you will have to apply to get it reinstated. If you are found to be driving while your license is revoked or suspended you will be charged with a misdemeanor and face a fine and jail time.

Regardless of what your sentence is, if you are convicted of vehicular assault in the first degree you will have to live with having a criminal record which will negatively impact several aspects of your life. With a simple background check a potential employer or a college admissions officer will quickly learn that you were convicted of assaulting a child. As a result, you may lose many opportunities. If you are a child care provider, you may lose your license to operate a child care business. You will not be allowed to hold a job as a teacher. In addition, the custody arrangement with your children may be affected. If you are not a U.S. citizen, you may be deported under federal rules.

If you are involved in a car accident while you are intoxicated, the situation you face is far more serious than the loss of driving privileges and increased insurance rates. You could face years in prison and significant fees, fines and restitution. Thus, if you have been arrested for vehicular assault in the first degree it is important to immediately contact someone who understands the New York criminal system. The staff at Stephen Bilkis & Associates, PLLC has years of experience successfully defending clients in New York criminal courts who have been charged with various types of assault as well as other crimes such as menacing, reckless endangerment, stalking, and rape. Contact us at 800.696.9529 to schedule a free, no obligation consultation regarding your case. We serve those accused of assault in the following locations:

• Bronx
• Brooklyn
• Long Island
• Manhattan
• Nassau County
• New York City
• Queens
• Staten Island
• Suffolk County
• Westchester County