California DUI Defense and G.E.R.D. and/or Acid Reflux
Very common digestive conditions can inject extra alcohol into breath samples when DUI suspects are being tested… leading to wrongful DUI arrests and charges.
Our Los Angeles DUI Lawyers observe that the majority of California DUI arrests and prosecutions depend on evidence of a person's blood alcohol content (BAC). To produce this evidence, law enforcement agencies almost always use machines that convert a measurement of breath alcohol content into a BAC based on a variety of electromagnetic technologies.
Science continues to confirm that many simple factors interfere with the accuracy of these tests. The symptoms of gastroesophageal reflux disease- also known as "GERD"- provide a significant example. Heartburn, acid reflux, indigestion, and regurgitation characterize GERD, which can be temporary or chronic. Each of these conditions also causes a DUI suspect's breath sample to contain digestive gases with alcohol traces that often make BAC readings falsely high.
Bottom-line: our Los Angeles DUI Lawyers have seen GERD cause these errors, leading to wrongful DUI arrests and charges. However, revealing these errors can "torpedo" the prosecution's most important evidence.
GERD and acid reflux are lesser known California DUI defenses. That's why the first step we take in every California DUI case is to perform a full client interview so we can find out what will help a client as early as possible.