Drunk driving is a serious crime that can cause the driver to lose their license, pay hefty fines, and even spend some time in jail. Drunk driving is also highly dangerous and can lead to serious accidents that may cause extensive car damage and injuries to any drivers or passengers in the other vehicle. Because alcohol delays a person’s cognitive skills, most drunk individuals are unable to drive properly while under the influence of alcohol. If you’ve been injured in an accident that was caused by drunk driving, you should know more about the legal options available to you.
Effects of Drunk Driving
The effects of drunk driving are almost always severe because of how drinking alcohol affects the body and mind. To understand how severe these effects are, it’s important to look at the effects of various blood alcohol concentration levels. In most states, driving with a BAC of .08 or higher is considered to be illegal. With a .02 BAC, people begin to experience a slight loss of judgment, which may even cause issues with their driving. At the legal limit of .08, overall muscle coordination will become poor, which creates problems with balance, vision, speech, and reaction time. The driver’s reasoning, judgment, and self control are all impaired with a BAC of .08.
At this level, staying at the proper speed and concentrating on other vehicles when driving becomes difficult. If a person’s blood alcohol levels reach .10, their control and reaction time will deteriorate substantially along with your ability to think and their coordination levels. When driving, a .10 BAC oftentimes results in difficulties with maintaining lane position and braking properly, which certainly increases the possibility that the driver will cause an accident. At BAC levels of .15, a substantial loss of balance is normal. The driver’s muscle control will also be much lower than it should be when operating a vehicle. Driving a car properly and following the rules of the road becomes practically impossible at a BAC of .15.
How Drunk Driving Accident Attorneys Can Help With Your Case
If you were recently in a car accident that was the fault of a drunk driver, you will likely be able to take legal action against this driver with the assistance of drunk driving lawyers such as ours. When an individual who has been driving drunk causes a car accident, they are invariably deemed to be 100 percent at
fault for the accident. Even if your injuries are minor, filing a lawsuit may be able to help you obtain the compensation you deserve. Our drunk driving accident attorneys can help you by determining which legal actions are appropriate with your case and whether or not it will be possible to prove that the other driver was at fault for the accident.
Our attorneys will handle all of the necessary paperwork that comes with cases like these, which can be extensive if a lawsuit is filed. We can also assist you by handling any negotiations with the insurance company or lawyer for the other driver. While it’s possible that your case will go to court, many cases are resolved before this occurs through the provision of a settlement offer. If you receive a settlement offer, we can help you determine if the offer is fair and takes all of your injuries into account.
Types of Compensation You Could Obtain
When you file a personal injury lawsuit because of a car accident that was caused by a drunk driver, you will likely have the opportunity to receive a wide range of different types of compensation. If the other driver had car insurance, the main damages that you can recover include lost income, medical expenses for your injuries, emotional pain and suffering, and possible punitive damages.
With personal injury claims, punitive damages may be awarded in the event that the court deems that the drunk driver should be monetarily punished for their actions. Since insurance companies typically cover most aspects of compensation, punitive damages can be applied when the court believes that the penalties are not as severe as they should be. The driver will be punished because they chose to drive while knowing that they were drunk.
If you’ve been involved in a drunk driving accident, contact our drunk driving lawyers today so that we can assist you in obtaining the compensation that you’re rightfully owed. Once you get in touch with our drunk driving accident attorneys, we’ll provide you with a free case assessment.
