It’s believed that there’s an alcohol-related road accident every 50 minutes in the USA, which ends in a fatality.
Regardless of all the publicity concerning this significant problem, people still drink and drive and cause accidents…
There’s nothing worse than the thought of being an unwitting victim of an out of control drunk driver when you’re innocuously driving your car or innocently walking along the road.
The damage created for these victims, both physically and mentally, can be horrendous and can last a lifetime.
The aftermath of dealing with perhaps debilitating and life-threatening injuries can be an additional nightmare to the initial accident.
Medical expenses, hospital and ambulance bills, lost wages, not to mention the hurt and pain of suffering can all create major and unwelcome additional incidents in the victim’s life.
It is, therefore, essential that the victims of drink drivers’ crimes get full compensation for the awful experience they have been subjected to.
Most US states impose harsh consequences on motorists who have caused accidents while under the influence of alcohol.
If you live in an area where there’s a high number of drunk driving fatalities and DUI arrests, then you’ll need to be even more aware of where to go for compensation and which attorneys you can trust to get the best legal help and financial support for you.
Because drink driving is illegal, the state will intervene and impose criminal and administrative consequences on the drunk driver.
By law, victims of such crimes can also sue those responsible in a personal injury lawsuit for financial responsibility.
Damages for victims vary enormously, so compensatory and punitive damages can be sued for.
This is when a personal injury attorney needs to become your best friend as they can help pursue compensation from the liable party.
Perhaps you’ll need assistance with accident reconstruction, hiring expert witnesses, and the challenging of reluctant insurance companies.
You’ll perhaps need legal advice with:
- Determining driver negligence.
- Perhaps the payment of long-term medical care.
- The inability to work can result in the victim losing long-term income.
- Third-party lawsuits – known as dram shop laws – which is where the shop or restaurant serving the drunk driver is at fault and can be pursued.
- Pain and suffering consequences – can result in more monetary compensation.
- Severe reckless or intentionally caused injuries – the court may require the defendant to pay additional charges if the accident was deemed due to recklessness. These are known as punitive damages and are more of a deterrent than compensational.
- Property damage could be due to the victim’s car or other personal property being damaged or destroyed.
You’ll need skilled, professional attorneys who know the law and the steps you need to take to get the compensation you’re entitled to.
Ensure you use attorneys who have proven track records of success, who are sensitive to your case and who will take the time to thoroughly research your accident to enable you to get the maximum amount of financial compensation you deserve after your horrendous ordeal.