"What I've learned over time is if you bring to the courtroom
the ironclad will to win...success will follow."
– Douglas L Cowan
Cowan Kirk Gaston

A new law will go into effect in New York on August 15th requiring drivers convicted of driving under the influence to install an ignition interlock breathalyzer device in their vehicle.  New York is the 10th state in the country to require the installation of ignition interlock devices in convicted drunk drivers’ vehicles.

The devices will test a driver’s blood alcohol content to ensure that it is below .025 percent before starting their vehicle.  If the device records a driver’s BAC as higher than the legal limit of .08 they will face criminal charges.  Convicted drunk drivers will also be required to report to a specified location once a month for an official to analyze the data from their ignition interlock breathalyzer device.

If you or someone you know has been charged with driving under the influence, contact the Seattle DUI attorneys of The Cowan Kirk Gaston Law Firm at 1-866-822-1230 to learn more about your rights.

A mother from Seattle was arrested for driving under the influence last Friday evening during a trip with her two children.

43-year old Sarah Jane Rattray crashed her vehicle with her two children, both under 10 years of age, in the car last Friday night while on a family road trip.  Rattray was attempting to change a tire on her car at the Interstate 205 offramp at Highway 43 after the accident when a police officer pulled over to help.  The officer said that he began to notice she was impaired and asked her to take a field sobriety test.  Rattray’s blood alcohol content was .29, over three times the legal limit of .08.

Rattray was taken to Clackamas County Jail for driving under the influence and under suspicion of two counts of reckless endangerment.

If you or someone you know has been charged with a DUI, contact the Seattle DUI defense lawyers of The Cowan Kirk Gaston Law Firm at 1-866-822-1230 to learn more about your rights.

The New Jersey state supreme court agreed to change DUI laws for non-English speakers yesterday.  The court ruled that drivers who do not speak English are required to be provided a translation of the statement of consequences related to not taking an alcohol breath test.  The law does not require that drivers understand the translated statement, and if officials are unable to identify or translate a drivers language then the driver is awarded immunity.

No other state requires translation to be provided, though many do have written or spoken translations of the statement on hand.  One official involved in passing the legislation stated, “I think other states are going to follow New Jersey’s lead”.

If you or someone you know has been charged with driving under the influence, contact the Seattle DUI defense attorneys of The Cowan Kirk Gaston Law Firm at 1-866-822-1230 to learn more about your rights.

The Seattle Seahawks running back, 25-year old Quinton Ganther, was arrested early Saturday morning under suspicion of driving under the influence.

The arrest occurred near downtown Sacramento by the California Highway Patrol.  Ganther was taken to the Sacramento County main jail with bail of $1,482.  He was released later Saturday and has court scheduled for tomorrow, Wednesday, July 8th in Sacramento.

Ganther’s blood alcohol content at the time of the arrest has not been released, but the legal limit in California is .08 percent.

Ganther was signed onto the Seahawks in March after playing for the Washington Redskins.

If you or someone know has been charged with driving under the influence, contact the Seattle DUI attorneys of The Cowan Kirk Gaston Law Firm at 1-866-822-1230 to learn more about your rights.

The former “Melrose Place” actress, Amy Locane-Bovenizer was arrested on charges of driving under the influence and vehicular homicide after a terrible car accident Sunday evening.

Locane-Bovenizer was driving her 2007 Chevy Tahoe when she struck the passenger side of a car turning into a driveway in a Princeton, New Jersey neighborhood.  The passenger of the vehicle, 60-year old Helene Seeman, was killed in the accident.  The driver, her husband 60-year old Fred Seeman, was sent via Medevac to Johnson University Hospital in critical condition.

Earlier that evening, just a few miles from the crash Locane-Bovenizer was involved in a hit-and-run.  The driver of the vehicle hit by Locane-Bovenizer then followed her and says that she was swerving and running into mailboxes the whole way.

After the second accident, Somerset County police officials said that Locane-Bovenizer’s eyes were glassy and red and that she smelled of alcohol.  Locane-Bovenizer’s husband is a wine expert and she admitted to having a few glasses before getting behind the wheel.

Locane-Bovenizer was arraigned Monday with bail set at $50,000.  If convicted, she could face up to ten years in prison.

Our thoughts and prayers go out to the family and friends of Helene Seeman.

The DUI suspect accused of driving under the influence and crashing into another car, killing two high school seniors, plead not guilty in court today.

The tragic car accident occurred on June 9th on Interstate 5 in Tukwila and killed high school students Derek King and Nick Hodgins.  Officials said that the suspect, 50-year old Alexander Peder, had a blood alcohol content level twice the legal limit at the time of the accident.

Peder was charged with two counts of vehicular homicide and driving under the influence.

Our utmost sympathies go out to the family and friends of Derek King and Nick Hodgins.

Ray McDonald, defensive lineman for the San Fransisco 49ers, was arrested this past Saturday in San Mateo County for driving under the influence.  California Highway Patrol officials took McDonald to the San Mateo County Jail in Redwood City, California where he was released on his own recognizance an hour and a half later.

In a public statement, McDonald said, “I just want to apologize for making this a distraction because that’s not my intent.  My intent is to come out here and work hard and try to win ballgames this year”.  McDonald, who will be entering his fourth season in the NFL this fall, is scheduled to appear in court on June 22nd.

If your or someone you know has been charged with a DUI, contact the Seattle DUI attorneys of The Cowan Kirk Gaston Law Firm at 1-866-822-1230 to learn more about your rights.

A Seattle man was taken into custody Friday evening after hitting three cars, and is under suspicion for driving while intoxicated.

According to a State Patrol spokesperson, the man was driving north on interstate 5 near the West Seattle Bridge exit when he struck the first car.  The driver continued and hit two more cars around NE 50th.

After hitting the second car the vehicle lost one tire, but the driver continued driving on the tire rim.  Sometime after the crashes, he exited north I-5 and got onto south I-5, where troopers caught him around the Lakeview Blvd. exit.

The driver is a 29-year old man with a history of DUI convictions.

If you or someone you know has been charged with a DUI, contact the Seattle DUI defense attorneys of The Cowan Kirk Gaston Law Firm at 1-866-822-1230 to learn more about your rights.

This past Sunday, May 30th two women were airlifted to Harborview Medical Center in Seattle after crashing into a telephone pole off of U.S. Highway 101.

The driver, 36 year old Cassandra L. Kiesz from Des Moines, Washington, was driving southbound on Highway 101 and entered a left hand corner around mile post 308 where she turned right, and the vehicle drove out of control 100 yards into a ditch before running into a telephone pole.

Kiesz suffers from lacerations, internal bleeding, and brain injury.  Another passenger in the car, 55 year old Diane Henry of Brinnon, Washington, suffered unknown minor injuries.  Both Kiesz and Henry were not wearing seatbelts, but a second passenger wearing a seatbelt was not injured.

Police suspect Kiesz was under the influence of alcohol which most likely led to the accident.  Charges of vehicular assault and DUI are pending.

If you or someone you love has been charged with a DUI contact the Seattle DUI attorneys of the Cowan Kirk Gatson Law Firm at 1-866-822-1230 to learn more about your rights.

A man is being investigated by police after crashing into a dump truck.

The 37-year-old man was taken to the hospital after the accident but the extent of his injuries is unknown at this point.

According to officials, the man was driving south on Highway 395 about to exit the highway when he lost control of the Dodge dump truck causing it to roll on its side.

If you or a loved one has been arrested for a DUI, contact the Seattle DUI lawyers of the Cowan, Kirk & Gaston Law Firm by calling 866-822-1230.