Have you been injured in a car crash that involved a drunk driver? Has someone you know died in one? A person is hurt every two minutes in a car accident with a person who is driving under the influence (DUI) of drugs or alcohol. By the time most people get their first DUI charge, on average, they have driven in that state at least 80 times. Every day, nearly 4,000 people are arrested for DUI around the United States. That may sound like a lot until you learn that more than 300,000 people drive in this condition every day. If you have been injured or someone you love has been killed, you have legal options. You can talk to a personal injury attorney or wrongful death lawyer Houston.
No one wants to need to sue someone over the wrongful death of a loved one. Few people want to have to sue someone because they have suffered an injury. If you are considering looking for a Houston personal injury lawyer or wrongful death lawyer Houston, here is some information to give you an idea of how the courts view culpability in DUI cases.
How much to blame was the DUI driver? A DUI conviction following a motor vehicle accident is generally enough for most civil courts to say they have enough proof that the driver caused the car accident and is responsible for it. Unfortunately, while this is a good start for the lawsuit on behalf of the non-culpable parties in the DUI car accident, it is not enough to receive damages for a personal injury settlement or a wrongful death case. This is dependent on the state in which the accident occurs but some do allow defendants to use a “comparative negligence defense.” The judge in the case can then assign a certain percentage of fault to the drunk driver and that can reduce the awards granted to the victim or victims.
How much medical care did or do you need? Injuries that are suffered in a motor vehicle accident of any kind can result in needing to spend long periods of time in the hospital, in a rehabilitation center and/or receiving nursing care. If you are in an accident with an impaired driver or think you have any other reason to file a personal injury lawsuit against the other driver, get medical care immediately. Your award you receive may be based on your medical bills and condition.
Can the establishment that server the driver be held accountable? Some states have DUI laws that include “dram shop laws.” These make any bar or restaurant that serves alcohol be held liable for any injuries or deaths that are caused by an impaired driver to whom they served alcohol after they appeared to be intoxicated. If you are in a state that has these laws, you will have a much better chance of getting a better settlement. The individual in question will have had to have appeared intoxicated when they were served. Any establishment that serves alcohol would be covered.
Did anyone die? If you lost a loved one in an accident with an impaired driver, you have a much better chance of receiving a settlement. If this happened, you should contact a wrongful death lawyer Houston right away. Some people do not want to take this step but if the person who was killed was the primary income earner in a household, the settlement can really make a difference in the lives of the people who were left behind.
Few people want to need to hire any kind of accident lawyer Houston. It would be nice to think that all Texas plant explosion lawyers would go out of business because these accidents never happened again. It would be nice if all of the Texas plant explosion lawyers went out of business for lack of need of their services. No one wants to have to hire a work injury attorney Houston or a wrongful death lawyer Houston but it is good we have them when we need them now.
