Can I Lose My Job After a DWI Accident?

If you have been involved in a motor vehicle accident that also resulted in a DWI arrest, you are likely facing serious penalties in the event of a conviction. You may be especially concerned about whether a DWI accident means you will lose your job, or a professional license you have that allows you to do your job.

Depending upon the facts of your case, and depending upon whether you are convicted, you could lose your job in addition to facing other life-changing penalties. At The Law Offices of Tad Nelson & Associates, we can provide you with more information about charges following a DWI accident, and we can work on a defense strategy to help you beat the charges.

You May Lose Your Job Even If Nobody Is Injured

If you are involved in a DWI accident and nobody is injured, it is important to know that you can still face serious criminal penalties associated with a DWI, and you can still lose your job.

If you have any type of job that requires driving—such as a delivery driver or an Uber driver—you will no longer be able to do that job with a DWI on your record. You will also likely lose your CDL license if you are a truck or bus driver.

DWI accidents and DWI convictions can also result in you losing your job in certain cases if you work as a licensed teacher in Texas, as a healthcare provider, and in other professions where driving is not required.

You Can Face More Serious Consequences Than Losing Your Job

While concerns about losing your job are certainly legitimate, we want to emphasize just how critical it is to work with an aggressive DWI defense lawyer to try to beat the charges you are facing and to avoid a conviction. If you are convicted of a DWI after an accident, you can face much more serious consequences than losing your job.

If you’re involved in a DWI accident and someone gets hurt, you will likely be facing charges for intoxication assault. If a person dies in a DWI accident, you will likely face charges for intoxication manslaughter.

Under the Texas Penal Code, intoxication assault is charged when a person is operating a motor vehicle while intoxicated and, as a result of the intoxication, causes serious bodily injury to another person.

The law defines serious bodily injury as an “injury that creates a substantial risk of death or that causes serious permanent disfigurement or protracted loss or impairment of the function of any bodily member or organ.” Intoxication manslaughter is charged when a person operates a motor vehicle while intoxicated and, because of the intoxication, causes another person’s death.

Intoxication assault is a felony of the third degree, which can result in a prison sentence of 2-10 years and a fine of as much as $10,000. Intoxication manslaughter is a felony of the second degree and has a mandatory minimum 2-year prison sentence with a maximum of 20 years.

Contact a Texas DWI Accident Defense Lawyer

If you were involved in a DWI accident and are facing charges, you need to have a Texas DWI defense attorney on your side. Contact The Law Offices of Tad Nelson & Associates today for assistance with your defense.