There are four situations which cause a DUI to increase from a misdemeanor offense to a felony offense:
If you cause serious injury or substantial bodily harm to another person while driving under the influence;
If you kill someone while driving under the influence;
If you have two prior DUI convictions within the last seven years; or
You have a prior DUI conviction that was a felony, regardless of how many prior DUI convictions you have.
Any of these four circumstances mean that you will have a felony conviction on your record. This is why a qualified, experienced DUI defense lawyer is critical to your case. You need the best representation so that every effort is made to avoid a conviction, or at a minimum, reduce your sentence