LEGAL REPRESENTATION OF THE INJURED AND CRIMINALLY ACCUSED
Did you think Halloween was for kids and was synonymous with Candy? Did you think nothing else happened on All Hallows Eve? Sure we all grew up trick or treating and bringing back bags of candy, but that is not all that happens on Halloween.
I remember as a kid mapping out the blocks so that we could go around the blocks in an organized fashion while passing our home to unload the bags. I would drop off a bag, empty it a hit the next set of blocks. Growing up in Toluca Lake we would always arrange to hit Bob Hope’s home first and then again at the end of the evening.
At first Hope had his butler come to the door with a sterling silver tray of Silver Dollars and later Chocolate Eclairs when silver dollars went out of circulation. It was the one “treat” that never made it into the bag. It disappeared before we got to the sidewalk. But today would you let your kids eats a treat that was unwrapped? Of course not, things have changed.
But the one thing that has not changed is people using the evening as an “excuse to party and drink”. I remember families inviting us inside to check out our costumes… while they threw back a few brewski’s.
At some point these guests left to go home… and were drunk. That was an accident waiting to happen, especially with all the kids running/darting into the street. I think society is more aware today and often takes Uber or Lyft. However, here in the greater Palm Springs community, we have more DUI fatalities than anywhere else in California…per capita.
So if you are driving home after drinking and get in an accident with a kid, two things take place. You will have to hire a lawyer if arrested for a DUI or when the victim sues you for damages/death of their child. If the kid dies you will be charged with Murder or Felony Manslaughter.
In both instances you ask the question “who do I hire to help me that will be competent and honest who has the experience to do a good job for me.” For years I had a talk show entitled “Accidentally Yours” that answered that question.
On each show I would suggest that “people don’t plan to fail, they fail to plan”. The last things you want is to have to make a major decision under pressure. Thus I tell the readers of this weekly legal column…Plan Now! Decide now who you would call if arrested for a DUI or if you or a loved one was in an accident.
We all keep the names and number of vendors to assist us in case of an emergency………..a plumber, an electrician etc. Why not add to that list the lawyer you would call so you can make an intelligent decision now and not when you’re pressured!
In both instances the best thing you can do is to Keep Silent. Silence is Golden and Handcuffs are Silver when it comes to interrogation on a DUI or Accident case. You want to talk to your lawyer first and to stay OFF OF SOCIAL MEDIA. FB and other forms of social media have made it very easy for investigators and insurance adjusters to learn about YOU.
If you have been in an accident and tell the doctor you hurt everywhere and can’t do anything, then you certainly do not want the wrong person to see you talking about golf or tennis. Likewise you do not want the wrong person to read your comments about the accident or driving.
So the moral of the story is… DON’T DRINK AND DRIVE, CALL A TAXI OR UBER………IT IS A LOT CHEAPER THAN HAVING AN ACCIDENT OR DUI AND CALLING ME ………SO DRIVE SOBER OR GET PULLED OVER DURING THE HOLIDAYS.
Questions or ideas for future columns contact Dale Gribow 760-837-7500 or dale@dalegribowlaw.com.
DALE GRIBOW
LEGAL REPRESENTATION OF THE
INJURED AND CRIMINALLY ACCUSED
“TOP LAWYER” – California’s Prestige Magazine, Palm Springs Life (PI/DUI) 2011-19
“TOP LAWYER” – Inland Empire Magazine 2016- 2019
PERFECT 10.0 AVVO Peer Rating
“PREEMINENT” Rating – Martindale Hubbell Legal Directory
BEST Attorneys of America -“Rue” (Limited to Top 100 Attorneys per State)
Legal Eagle “Best and Brightest Legal Minds” by Palm Springs Life- June 2016
“DON’T DRINK AND DRIVE OR TEXT AND GET A DUI OR ACCIDENT… CALL A TAXI, LYFT OR UBER….THEY ARE A LOT CHEAPER THAN CALLING ME”
