DUI Blood Test

The Blood Test Is Most Accurate

The blood test is by far the most accurate test to determine someone’s blood-alcohol level. Despite its accuracy, the blood test can only tell what a person’s blood-alcohol level was at the time of taking the test, and not at the time of driving which has usually occurred over an hour before the test.

The “Rising Defense”

Thus, if some or all of the alcohol you drank was still in your stomach when you were driving, it was probably in your bloodstream when you took the DUI blood test. In that case, your Orange County DUI lawyer can argue that your blood-alcohol level was below the legal limit at the time of driving. But your BAC was over the legal limit at the time you took the blood test. If so, you may be entitled to a dismissal or a not guilty verdict. This is called a “rising defense” because your blood-alcohol level was rising at the time of driving. If your Orange County DUI attorney can present forensic evidence to support a rising defense, they may be able to get your case dismissed or a reduction of charge.

You MUST Be Given A Choice

You must be given the choice of a blood test or breath test after you are arrested for DUI. Failure to give you a choice of tests is a violation of your Constitutional right to be free from an unreasonable search. This means that if you weren’t given a choice, your DUI attorney can file a motion to suppress the blood test results. If the judge finds that the blood test result was illegally obtained, it must be suppressed or thrown out.

Challenging The Validity Of The DUI Blood Test (Title 17)

A blood test administered after a DUI arrest must be conducted in strict accordance with the rigid standards of

Title 17 of the California Code of Regulations. Title 17 mandates who can administer a blood test as well as how the sample is to be drawn, treated, identified, transported, and tested. Any violation of Title 17 provides grounds for your DUI lawyer to move to have the blood evidence suppressed. The following are examples of Title 17 violations that can lead to suppression of blood evidence:

Blood not treated with sufficient anticoagulant
Blood not treated timely with sufficient preservative. Natural fermentation of blood produces alcohol and compromises the blood test
Insufficient chain-of-custody. Samples may have been mixed up on a busy night or the sample wasn’t marked properly
Blood test technician not qualified or qualifications expired
Contamination of the blood sample due to swabbing skin with ethyl alcohol
Sample stored at improper temperature
Testing machine not calibrated or properly maintained
Blood test sample not of sufficient amount.

The blood test results are often critical in a drunk driving case for both proving a violation of California Vehicle Code Section 23152(b) in court and as evidence at the Administrative Per Se DMV Hearing. Therefore, it’s

imperative for your DUI attorney to look very closely at the blood-test procedures and find out if Title 17 was strictly followed.

The smallest mistake could make all the difference in your case. At The Law Offices of EJ Stopyro we work with leading experts in Forensic Toxicology, including a former supervisor of the Orange County Forensics Alcohol Lab. No mistake will go unnoticed!

Free Telephonic Consultation With an Orange County DUI Lawyer

To find out if your blood test was performed in strict compliance with Title 17 it is important to hire an experienced and skilled DUI attorney. Call The Law Office of EJ Stopyro today at (949) 278-6353 for a free telephonic consultation.