The Garza Law Firm, PLLC defends Tennessee Driving Under the Influence and Tennessee Boating Under the Influence charges, as well as other Personal Injury and Criminal Defense cases, across the State of Tennessee. The Garza Law Firm serves the following cities and counties, including but not limited to: • Alcoa • Anderson County • Athens • Blount County • Bradley County • Campbell County • Chattanooga • Claiborne County • Cleveland • Clinton • Cocke County • Cookeville • Crossville • Cumberland County • Dandridge • Englewood • Etowah • Gatlinburg • Grainger County • Greene County • Greeneville • Hamblen County • Hamilton County • Hancock County • Harriman • Hawkins County • Jefferson City • Jefferson County • Johnson City • Knoxville • Knox County • Lenoir City • Loudon County • Madisonville • Marion County • Maryville • Maynardville • McMinn County • Meigs County • Monroe County• Morgan County • Morristown • New Market • Newport • New Tazewell • Oak Ridge • Oliver Springs • Overton County • Pigeon Forge • Polk County • Putnam County • Rhea County • Roane County • Rutledge • Scott County • Sequatchie County • Sevier County • Sevierville • Sullivan County • Sweetwater • Tazewell • Tellico Plains • Unicoi County • Union County • Vonore • Wartburg • Washington County

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Tennessee DUI Defense Lawyer

DISCLAIMER: The information on this website should not be construed as legal advice. Any information submitted by our online intake form does not create an attorney-client relationship between you and The Garza Law Firm, PLLC, until you sign a contract of representation. Although we cannot guarantee that information sent over the internet will not be intercepted, we will keep the information confidential once it is received by our office.

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Tennessee DUI Testing

Breath and Blood Tests:

Breath testing devices used by law enforcement can be inaccurate because of the assumptions that all people metabolize alcohol at the same rate, ate the same amount of food, have the same metabolisms; and drank the same amount of alcohol.

Blood testing, produces a much more accurate result. But the results are often typically higher than those obtained by a non-contaminated breath test.

The validity of breath testing rests on assumptions that can be attacked by

an experienced DUI attorney in a wide

variety of cases:

Common Challenges To Breath Tests:

1. The Machine Was Not Properly Operated

2. The Machine Was Not Properly Maintained

3. The Machine Was Not Properly Calibrated

4. The Machine Was Affected By Radio Frequency Interference (Police Radio etc.)

5. The Machine Has An "Acceptable" Range Of +/- .02%

6. Your Body Temperature Was Greater Than 98.6

7. You Were Tested Within 2 Hours From Your Last Drink

8. You Have Medical Or Dental Problems That Make You An Improper Candidate For Breath Testing

9. The Officer Did Not Have You Under Continuous Observation For 15 Minutes Prior To Giving You The Breath Test

10. Your Symptoms And Drinking Pattern Are Inconsistent With The Test Result

11. Manufacturer does not warrant that the Intoxilyzer is fit for any particular purpose

12. Intoxilyzer is capable of breath preservation, however, DPS purposely fails to require the breath specimens to be saved, therefore, no independent testing can be done

13. Residual alcohol in the mouth increased the results

DUI Defense Attorney in Tennessee

Field Sobriety Tests

Standardized field sobriety tests (“SFST”) are what the police use to try to determine if a person is intoxicated. The only three SFSTs are as follows:

1. Horizontal gaze nystagmus (HGN) test;

2. One-leg stand test; and

3. Walk and turn test.

These three tests were developed by researchers funded by the National Highway and Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA). It is this research that the police and prosecutors use to try and prove that a person is intoxicated.

SFST’s are standardized because:

1. Tests are administered in the prescribed, standardized manner;

2. Standardized clues are used to assess the suspect's performance;

3. Standardized criteria are employed to interpret that performance

If any one of the standardized filed sobriety test elements are changed, the validity is compromised. See NHTSA DWI Detection and Standardized Field Sobriety Testing Manual.

The fact that the tests are standardized makes it essential that your attorney is also trained and certified to administer the Standardized Field Sobriety Tests like a police officer. Marcos Garza knows the NHTSA DWI Manual. Therefore, he knows when an officer has failed to administer a SFST properly and can try to either get evidence thrown out of court or show how the tests were not administered properly so the results of the tests were compromised and therefore invalid.