The financial costs of a DUI conviction start to add up the moment you are arrested. To begin with, your vehicle was likely impounded. Depending on where you were arrested and how many days your vehicle remained in impound, you can spend several hundred dollars just getting your vehicle released. Next, you probably had to post a bond in order to secure your release from custody while your case is pending. Unless you lucked out and managed to be arrested and released on your days off, you probably missed at least a day or work. When you add up the initial costs of a conviction you can easily have spent over $1000 before you even make your initial court appearance.
If you are ultimately convicted of a DUI, the real costs start to kick in. Consider some of the most common expenses incurred by a defendant convicted of DUI in Nebraska:
- Court costs
- Fines
- Probation fees
- Alcohol evaluation and treatment expenses
- Installation and monthly fees for an Ignition Interlock Device (IID)
On top of those direct expenses, a typical DUI will also result in a number of non-judicial consequences for a defendant, many of which also have a financial component to them, including:
- Additional lost wages, or complete loss of a job
- Missed future employment opportunities
- Legal expenses
- Transportation costs while licensed revoked
- Increased insurance rates
- Defending disciplinary action for a professional license
Once again, the unique nature of a DUI prosecution make it impossible to provide a precise future once all of these expenses are added together. It is, however, possible that your DUI conviction will cost you well over $5,000.
The high cost of a conviction should provide sufficient incentive for you to consult with an experienced Nebraska criminal defense attorney right away to find out if you have any potential defenses that could result in avoiding the conviction altogether. If you have been charged with driving under the influence in Nebraska, contact the Petersen Law Office 24 hours a day at 402-513-2180 to discuss your case with an experienced DUI defense attorney.
Attorney Petersen was invited to join the National Advocacy for DUI Defense (NAFDD) organization in 2013. NAFDD vets thousands of lawyers and only chooses those who have achieved stellar results in DUI defense cases. Attorney Petersen was named one of the Top 50 defense attorneys in Nebraska out of more than 5,000.
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