Opinion ID: 522306
Heading Depth: 3
Heading Rank: 5

Heading: Blood-alcohol levels

Text: 60 Harvey next argues the trial court erred in refusing to give his requested instruction on the presumptions governing blood-alcohol levels under Wyoming law. The instruction which Harvey tendered provided in part as follows: 61 Defendant alleges that, at the time of the accident, Gregory Allen Harvey and Chris Schade were under the influence of alcoholic beverages. The defendant further alleges that Chris Schade was operating a motor vehicle under the influence of alcohol. 62 In order to determine the degree of a person's intoxication, the law engages the following presumptions. 63 If at the time a chemical analysis was performed, there was an amount of five one-hundredths of one percent (0.05%) or less of alcohol in a person's blood, it shall be presumed that the person was not under the influence of alcohol. 64 The source of the proposed instruction is the provision of Wyoming statutory law commonly known as the drunk-driving statute. In Combined Ins. Co. of America v. Sinclair, 584 P.2d 1034, 1047 (Wyo.1978), the Wyoming Supreme Court held that the presumptions of the cited statute apply only to criminal actions. The trial court did not abuse its discretion in refusing to give Harvey's proposed instruction.