Yes. DUI bodily injury and DUI manslaughter charges are serious felonies with mandatory minimum prison sentences (5 years for DUI manslaughter), large fines, license revocation, and a permanent felony record. The complexity of the evidence (medical records, accident reconstruction, toxicology), the procedural rigor of Superior Court practice, and the lifelong consequences of conviction all demand experienced specialized defense counsel. A DUI bodily injury lawyer typically retains expert witnesses (toxicologists, accident reconstructionists, medical experts) to challenge the prosecution case. Public defenders can handle these cases but the stakes warrant private counsel with dedicated bandwidth from day one.
