West Jefferson, NC asked in Criminal Law, Car Accidents and DUI / DWI for North Carolina

Q: Charged with Felony Serious Injury by Vehicle with DUI in NC, need new lawyer.

I am facing a charge of Felony Serious Injury by Vehicle in North Carolina after a car accident in which the person I crashed into fractured both of her wrists. The incident involved DUI on my part, but I don't believe the injuries warrant such a serious charge. I am not satisfied with my current court-appointed lawyer and have been given 30 days by the court to find a new one. However, I'm facing difficulty because lawyers won't speak with me while I still have a court-appointed lawyer. How can I go about hiring a new lawyer under these circumstances?

1 Lawyer Answer

A: That's bizarre. Many people get court-appointed lawyers at first and then hire their own counsel once they have time to raise funds to do so. I'm not sure why any attorney who wants to make money would hesitate to talk to someone represented by a court-appointed one.

That said, you may still have an uphill battle here. The definition of "serious injury" in the pattern jury instruction for your charge is "Serious injury may be defined as 'such physical injury as causes great pain and

suffering.' "

Having two broken wrists probably has effected the other person's ability to work, eat, dress themselves, even use the toilet. Most jurors would consider that a serious injury. But if you can hire your own attorney to argue otherwise, I can't imagine why lawyers wouldn't consult with you. Keep digging and best of luck.

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