DUI caused by medical conditions

On Behalf of | Nov 25, 2019 | Criminal Defense

Not everyone arrested on suspicion of drunk driving is actually guilty. The fact of the matter is that many innocent people are accused of drunk driving just like innocent people may be wrongly accused of other types of crimes. Defending against a DUI charge may feel too hard, but it is possible and vitally important.

One man’s defense seemed to drag on for a long time with very few people believing him. According to an article by Forbes, the man’s drunk driving conviction was only one of the problems he faced due to a single root cause that ended up being a medical condition not caused by him or his actions in any way. This man had a relatively rare condition called Auto-Brewery Syndrome (ABS).

As the name implies, ABS involves the automatic creation of alcohol within a person’s body. Every human has natural bacteria in their stomach and intestines. These bacteria can be eroded when a person takes antibiotics, but most people’s systems rebalance appropriately. For the man in the article, however, his body did not readjust, and he was left with a system that produced a yeast that fermented into alcohol.

The fermentation was exacerbated when he consumed sugar or complex carbohydrates. It took many years of medical treatment to restore his natural bacteria. No details were provided as to whether his former DUI had been overturned after the discovery that he had Auto-Brewery Syndrome.

Tell us about your criminal case