NOT GUILTY: OUI Charge Dismissed After Single-Car Accident — Head Injury Defense Prevails
When a driver is involved in a serious motor vehicle accident, the physical trauma can produce symptoms that look exactly like alcohol intoxication. Slurred speech. Confusion. Unsteady balance. Difficulty following instructions. These are classic signs of impairment — but they are also classic signs of head injury.
In Commonwealth v. [Defendant], Docket No. 2564 CR 1871, Attorney Michael Murray secured a NOT GUILTY verdict for a client charged with Operating Under the Influence (OUI) after a serious single-car accident. The defense: the symptoms the officer observed were caused by head trauma from the crash, not voluntary intoxication.
A Serious Accident with Serious Injuries
The evidence at trial painted a picture of a violent collision. My client’s vehicle struck a tree. Officers and EMTs who responded to the scene testified under oath about the severity of the impact:
- Airbag deployment
- Evidence that my client was not wearing a seatbelt
- “Starring” of the windshield directly in front of the driver’s seat — indicating a serious head impact with the glass
This was not a fender-bender. This was a crash violent enough to deploy airbags and send an unrestrained driver’s head into the windshield with enough force to create a spider-web pattern in the glass.
Officers and EMTs Testified Honestly
To their credit, the responding officers and emergency medical technicians testified truthfully about a critical fact: physical impacts of this nature — particularly head injuries — routinely produce symptoms that can be confused with voluntary intoxication.
Confusion. Disorientation. Slurred speech. Bloodshot eyes. Poor balance. These are symptoms of traumatic brain injury just as much as they are symptoms of alcohol impairment.
The arresting officer, in what I would describe as perfect execution of his oath to protect and serve, recognized the severity of the accident and immediately had my client transported to the hospital for medical evaluation and treatment. This was the right call. However, my client was later charged with OUI based on observations made at a chaotic accident scene involving a person who had just suffered a significant head impact.
The Defense: Head Trauma, Not Intoxication
At trial, Attorney Murray focused the jury on the physical evidence of head trauma and the honest testimony from first responders acknowledging that accident injuries can mimic intoxication. The Commonwealth could not prove beyond a reasonable doubt that my client’s condition was caused by alcohol rather than by a violent collision that sent his head into a windshield.
The jury agreed. Verdict: NOT GUILTY.
Why This Matters for OUI Accident Cases
If you have been charged with OUI after a motor vehicle accident, the circumstances of that accident matter enormously. Head injuries, shock, medication administered by EMTs, and the general chaos of an accident scene can all produce observations that look like intoxication to an officer but have nothing to do with alcohol.
An experienced OUI defense attorney will examine the accident evidence, the medical records, and the testimony of first responders to build a defense that explains your condition without conceding impairment.
Charged with OUI After an Accident?
If you are facing OUI charges stemming from a motor vehicle accident in Massachusetts, contact the Law Office of Michael Patrick Murray, P.C. at (508) 393-4162 for a free consultation. Every case deserves a thorough investigation — and every client deserves a defense built on the facts.
*The defendant’s name has been omitted to protect their privacy. Past results do not guarantee future outcomes. Each case is unique and must be evaluated on its own facts.