Super Lawyers
Justia Lawyer Rating
The Best Lawyers in America
Avvo Clients' Choice
Avvo Rating 10.0
National College for DUI Defense
National Collage for DUI Defense
American Council Of Second Amendment Lawyers
Avvo Clients Choice Award
Avvo Rating
Trial Lawyers University
Best Lawyers
James Publishing Author
Super Lawyers
Trial Lawyers College

DUI Blood Testing

In order to prove an OWI case, the prosecution often relies on the blood alcohol content (BAC) reading as evidence. If a driver does not cooperate by taking the breathalyzer test, the police may try to strengthen the case by asking a judge to sign a search warrant for a blood test. This is especially true in OWI accident cases involving serious injuries and/or death.

If all the conditions are proper and appropriate, the testing can be very accurate. The problem potentially with breath testing, for example, is that the machine itself has some limitations with regard to its ability to properly perceive exclusively alcohol.

Challenging the Blood Test

The first thing an OWI defense lawyer will do if a client was subjected to a court-ordered blood test is conduct an investigation to determine the validity of the search warrant. For example, if the blood test was administered before the officer had a physical copy of the search warrant, an attorney may argue that it was invalid.

Even if the blood test search warrant is deemed valid, there are several ways to challenge the test. Blood tests must follow a very specific chain of command—if any part of that chain is missing, the results of the test could be thrown out. Improperly administered blood tests can also falsely inflate the BAC reading. Additionally, there can be a multitude of issues or potential problems, contamination that can occur during the draw of the blood from the person's arm. If that blood gets contaminated, that also can cause a false result.

There are other substances that can be on human breath, like acetone, that can cause an interference with the machine and be misread as alcohol. That's one problem with breath testing as it relates to the machine itself. There are a variety of potential problems as it relates to the persons who're being tested–so the driver's breath.

So, for example, if the driver has an issue with their respiratory system or their digestive system, both of those can potentially have an impact on the result and again cause falsely high results. So a common potential problem with breath testing is if the person has an advanced state of heartburn, what we call GERD–GERD standing for Gastroesophageal Reflux Disease.

If the person has that condition than what can happen is the raw alcohol–as well as the alcohol vapors–can erupt from the stomach into the mouth and as the person's blowing into the machine, the machine can't distinguish the mouth alcohol from the breath alcohol; again causing the machine to report a falsely high result. Learn how we contest a blood test here.

Determining Blood Contamination

Well, the first thing in the instance of a blood test, the first thing to look for is to determine whether or not the client's explanation of the drinking pattern makes sense as it pertains to their behavior at the roadside as well as the test result itself.

For example, if a client comes into the office, and they say that they had three drinks of alcohol, and we look at the video tape and we can see that the person looks very sober, and yet the blood test result is, let's just say a 1.7, we would say there is something wrong with that blood test and we would want to figure out what that thing is.

In order to make that determination, a request to the state lab would be made for the documents and things–what they call the case file–that would include all of the chromatographs and all of the documentation that they keep establishing that the machine is working properly.

We can look at those chromatographs, the actual raw data, and see if there is a problem. That can tell us in and of itself that there may be a problem. We're also looking for problems in the chain of evidence or problems with the conditions under which the blood was drawn. Again, any of which can have an impact on the end result.

Call Today! FREE Consultation Lawyer and Receive Immediate Attention for Your Criminal Law Case Patrick T. Barone is a Michigan Super Lawyer, who has maintained continuous top attorney ratings since 2007. In addition, the Michigan native is the author of multiple books on OWI, DUI and criminal law. The OUIL attorney near me has lectured at over 80 legal seminars all over America. He leads Barone Defense Firm in providing aggressive legal warriors for each client's criminal case.

Contact us 24 hours a day at our law firm’s easy to remember toll-free number, 1-877-ALL-MICH or 877-255-6424, for a free criminal case review. The Michigan attorneys near me at Barone Defense Firm travel the entire Great Lakes State, to help citizens in legal trouble in Michigan for alleged criminal law violations.

For your FREE lawyer consultation, call today to learn how to protect yourself from a possible unwarranted conviction. What do you have to lose, when the free legal advice with our litigation team’s criminal lawyers near me can answer many tough questions?

Client Reviews
★★★★★
Patrick Barone is the ONLY choice for DUI defense. He was realistic from the start and made it a point to look at my case before taking my money. As a business owner, when I think of attorneys, I think of the "shark infested waters. Patrick is a shark alright, but his prey is not the client; it's justice for his client. Ten stars Patrick!! Chris F.
★★★★★
Attorney Patrick Barone was very helpful and helped me understand the charge and sentence absolutely clearly. He also guided me through step by step helping me form a statement. His instructions were clear and detailed. It was obvious he cared about me understanding every important detail within my case. I would absolutely recommend this defense firm to anyone in need. Aaron B.
★★★★★
The Barone Defense Firm is the firm I recommend. They are truly concerned about the person, not just the legal issue, but the person as well. They are the most knowledgeable defense firm that I am aware of, having actually written the book on DWI Defense. If you are faced with a DWI you will not find a more professional and skilled law firm. But, most importantly, they care about how the accused individual recovers his or her life when the case is complete. Very remarkable group of lawyers. William H.