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Does A Legal Criminal Conviction Affect Health Insurance Coverage?

If Someone Is Convicted Of A DUI And Was In An Accident That Caused Them Injuries, Can Health Insurance Companies Deny Or Limit Coverage If There Is A Legal Criminal Conviction Involved?

Such matters usually fall under the civil aspect. However, when talking about the criminal aspect, unfortunately, Arizona does not have a crime of DUI with an accident. It is unfortunate because if there is an accident with serious injury or death, very likely a person is going to be charged with the general offense of aggravated assault, or manslaughter, or negligent homicide, or second degree murder, or first degree murder.

To add insult to injury, because someone was under the influence of alcohol while driving a motor vehicle, oftentimes the county will consider the motor vehicle as a deadly weapon or dangerous instrument. Therefore, they will be charged with aggravated assault or second degree murder or manslaughter or negligent homicide as a dangerous offense, which greatly increases the amount of jail time that a person faces the potential of receiving.

In DUI cases where someone had a blood alcohol content just a bit above the legal limit, that person on the first-time offense is facing anywhere from one day in jail up to six months in jail. However, if there was an accident where someone was seriously physically injured, then that person is looking at anywhere from 5 to 15 years in prison where the starting point is seven-and-a-half years in prison.

Technically, the way that aggravated assault, dangerous charges are charged, there doesn’t even necessarily need to be a serious physical injury. It can literally be any type of injury. If someone is driving drunk and hits another vehicle and that person in the other vehicle stubbed their finger or hit their head, technically, the person who was driving drunk who caused the accident can be charged with an aggravated assault, dangerous offense.

Anytime there is an accident involved with the allegation that someone was driving under the influence of alcohol, those types of cases have to be handled a specific way in order to best protect the person from dealing with the case later on as a felony. Realistically, if the prosecutor decides to charge a dangerous felony offense against someone because they were driving under the influence and got into an accident and hurt someone, there is nothing a defense attorney can do to stop them.

If the county wants to charge someone with these serious charges, they can do it. A defense attorney knows what they can do to minimize the likelihood of that happening. It’s part of the job of a defense attorney to try and do everything possible to not have the case taken out of misdemeanor land and taken up to felony land, especially when it’s a first time offense, and when the injuries are not severe. Anytime there is an accident, that’s a red flag that the case needs to be handled a specific way in order to best protect a client and hopefully prevent the case from being re-filed as a felony.

If you are not sure whether A Legal Criminal Conviction Will Affect Your Health Insurance Coverage, call the Law Offices of Brian D. Sloan for a FREE Initial Consultation at 480-900-0384 or 602-900-0384 and get the information and legal answers you’re seeking.

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Brian Douglas Sloan

DUI ATTORNEY


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Why DUI Attorney Brian Douglas Sloan?

19+

19+ Years SOLELY Focused on DUI Defense

4,200+

4,200+ DUIs Successfully Defended

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  • Only DUI "Power Lawyer" in the Nation Featured in USA Today, 2022

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“I am one of only a handful of Phoenix DUI Lawyers that focuses solely on DUI Defense representation.”

I have spent my entire career focused on Arizona DUI Defense representation, having personally defended over 4,200+ DUI clients in the past 19+ years.

If you’re looking for a divorce attorney, tax attorney, or civil attorney, I can comfortably say, "I’m not the one for you."

Coming up with traditional, as well as outside-the-box motions and defenses for my clients, often with good results, is the hallmark of my practice.

Lawyers that say they are "aggressive" or "will fight for you" are a dime a dozen. They use these phrases because they think people want to hear them. Being "aggressive" isn’t the same as being good and is often used to put on a show to hide the fact that they aren’t doing anything meaningful for the client.

The same is true for the lawyers claiming to do DUI Defense, Criminal Cases, Accident Cases, and Divorces. A Jack-of-all-Trades is a master of none! By handling all sorts of cases, they take away from their ability to truly focus on DUIs, and keep up to date on the latest changes in Phoenix DUI Defense Representation.

What I offer is intelligent, quality DUI Defense at an exceptional price.

I have not only taught other lawyers how to do DUI Defense Representation at statewide seminars, but I produced DUI Legal Guides used by defense lawyers across Arizona.

I am one of Arizona's most award-winning DUI Defense Lawyers, recognized nationally, including in a 2022 issue of USA Today.

There are no other private DUI Defense Lawyers in Arizona that have personally defended more DUI cases than I have. And as a bonus, I offer a flat rate for my legal services without any hidden charges. This guarantees that I offer some of the most competitive rates among all Arizona DUI Attorneys, while being the preeminent leader in the field of DUI Defense Representation.

Over the years, countless people have come to me after discovering that their first lawyer made a mistake, gave them false hope or false promises, or simply took their money and didn't do much to advance their case. And you would be surprised at how often this happens.

So, instead of wasting time and money on the wrong DUI Defense Attorney, do yourself a favor and get the proven and documented best DUI Lawyer in Phoenix and the surrounding areas of Maricopa County.

You can reach me on my cell phone: 480-720-7839.


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Brian Douglas Sloan

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