Wrongful Death and Drunk Drivers
When drunk drivers are caught, they face all sorts of legal consequences. There are usually serious criminal charges with penalties ranging from restitution to mandatory prison time.
Those criminal charges are there to protect the public to punish the drunk driver for reckless actions and as a deterrent. In fact, a drunk driver can face criminal charges even if no one was harmed.
When a drunk driver injures or kills someone, that driver may also be the subject of a civil suit for wrongful death. If you are injured — or a loved one is killed — by a drunk driver, a civil suit may be the only way for you to recover the money you need to pay for medical costs, the ambulance that took you or your loved one to the hospital, or for the loss of that loved one and it may be the only way to make sure you have some financial stability.
One would think that a civil lawsuit against a convicted drunk driver would be an open and shut case. Unfortunately, this is not always the case. Defense attorneys and insurance companies have many ways to shield their clients from accountability. Even though a drunk driver has clearly injured you or a loved one through a negligent act, it’s not always easy
It is for this reason that victims of drunk driving should hire a team of tough injury lawyers with a track record of success at holding drunk drivers accountable and experienced in the ways insurance companies manipulate the system to avoid paying claims.