Smartphones are only getting smarter. With each software update comes a variety of new apps designed to make your life easier – but those installations should come with warning signs.
Smartphones are a known cause of traffic accidents, with more and more drivers reporting being distracted by texts and calls while on the road. Data collected by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration shows that 424,000 people were injured in crashes involving distracted drivers in 2013 – a 10 percent increase in just two years. What’s more, 3,154 people died.
Any skilled Michigan DUI defense attorney can tell you that there have been a variety of state court cases that have deemed that DUI stops that were made based on anonymous tips were unlawful.
For example, in the state of Texas, an anonymous tipster phoned the county sheriff's department to say that he or she had seen a red pickup truck going the wrong way in the northbound lane. At that time, the informant's identity was unknown, as was the informant's reliability and location at the time of the spotting. Accordingly, the Texas court found the stop unlawful, noting that caution must be taken in the reliance of an anonymous tip because the tip, on its own, will rarely provide the requisite reasonable suspicion necessary to authorize an investigative stop and detention.
Another example is a Georgia case in which an anonymous tip was left without the inclusion of specific details; it was found insufficient to justify a DUI stop. The court noted that the tip was not particularly predictive of the driver's future behavior by which its reliability could be tested. More specifically, the tip, alone, provided virtually nothing from which one might conclude that the caller was either honest or his information reliable; similarly, the tip gave absolutely no clue as to what the basis was for the caller's predictions with respect to the suspect's criminal activities.
If you need a qualified Michigan DUI defense attorney, call Chris Trainor at (800) 961 - 8477.
When patients visit doctors, it is usually to discuss or diagnose a condition they know almost nothing about – such as pain that won’t go away or a cough they just can’t shake. Patients expect their physicians to have all the answers, but doctors are people, and they make mistakes just like anyone else.
Accidents can happen anywhere, and they often occur when we least expect them. When you enter a shopping mall or another commercial establishment, you expect the area to be reasonably safe. Unfortunately, store owners and managers sometimes neglect basic maintenance or fail to warn customers about hazards.
A prime concern in DUI cases is the potential for juror bias. Your Michigan DUI attorney can help minimize the possibility that jurors will hear the evidence in your case with preconceptions by asking pointed questions during jury selection.
While alcohol consumption is still a mainstay of many social gatherings and events, individuals who hold very strong, negative feelings toward drinking will likely exclude alcohol. Your Michigan DUI attorney can get a fair sense of juror attitudes by asking questions regarding whether they serve alcohol at family parties. If a juror held a wedding reception for a marrying son or daughter, your attorney can ask if alcohol was served.
The type of alcohol kept and served at home can shed light on a prospective juror's attitudes as well. Many people will drink a glass of wine after dinner but abstain from hard alcohol. If on the other hand, the individual keeps a stocked bar at home, she is not as likely to hold a strong bias against alcohol consumption.
Your Michigan DUI attorney can ask whether the juror has ever driven home after drinking, too. The juror's answer can tell a lot about her attitude about drinking. If she believed it was safe to drive and arrived home safely, this suggests a lack of bias. Even the juror's body language can be telling with this question. She might shake her head determinedly and exclaim, "No. Never would I drive after having even one drink!"
If juror questioning reveals that a particular individual never drinks, however, this does not necessarily mean she is biased against alcohol consumption. Many people abstain for medical reasons.
Asking the right questions can help prevent biased jurors from being seated in your DUI case. If you need legal representation, contact Michigan DUI attorney, Chris Trainor, for a review of your case.
