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At Dunk Law Firm, we truly care about each and every one of our clients. We know that being involved in an unexpected accident or losing a loved one in a tragic incident is overwhelming. We're here to help.
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Drunk drivers are a menace to others on the road whether they realize it or not. To make matters worse, most intoxicated drivers are too ashamed of their wrongful actions to own up to them. When they cause a crash, they will usually deny any liability even though they know they put someone else in danger through their poor decisions.
Houston alone has experienced over 5,000 impaired driving accidents every year since 2010. This breaks down to about 14 drunk driving accidents per day, or one every other hour. Over 300 people are killed in these types of accidents in Houston, TX every year (The Houston Chronicle).
To get compensation from a drunk driver, you will likely need to file a personal injury claim against them. Dunk Law Firm in Houston can help. We are here to manage all aspects of your civil claim against the drunk driver and the insurance company representing them. Even if you were hit by a drunk driver with no insurance, you may still be able to pursue compensation.
Use our years of legal experience to your advantage. Call our drunk driving accident lawyers in Houston at (713) 575-1991 today.
A car accident case caused by a drunk driver might seem to be fairly straightforward on the surface. Yet civil claims against drunk drivers are often complex and further complicated by insurance defense attorneys.
While intoxication is certainly proof of negligence on behalf of the drunk driver, it does not guarantee they will be fully liable for your damages. You still need to establish liability, which is something our firm excels in. We can also investigate if other parties could be liable for the accident, such as a bar that continued to serve alcohol to a patron even though they were clearly intoxicated and intended to drive later. Liability can be established in this way using dram shop laws.
Some types of accidents are more frequently caused by drunk driving than others because of its erratic nature. Examples of accidents that drunk drivers regularly cause include:
Unsuspecting motorists can always suffer serious injuries from the actions of a Houston drunk driver, regardless of the type of collision.
Deciding whether or not you want to pursue a drunk driving accident lawsuit against the negligent driver is entirely up to you. However, there are several things you should take into account when making your decision:
The devastation caused by a drunk driver can wreck your finances. As medical costs add up, you might be unable to go to work and earn a paycheck due to the severity of your injuries, compounding the issue. Our Houston drunk driving accident attorneys know what you are going through, whether you were hurt in a crash or lost a loved one. We will do all we can to ensure you are fairly compensated in hopes that we can make your life at least a little less stressful.
Damages we can likely cite in your drunk driving accident claim:
If you lost a loved one to the recklessness of a drunk driver, then we can seek additional damages in your wrongful death claim. It might be possible to further compensate you for funeral and burial costs, lost income that should have been earned by your loved one, support and companionship you can no longer receive, and more. In all drunk driving cases that go to court, there is also the chance that the judge will approve punitive damages, which are meant to punish the defendant for criminal or egregious wrongdoing.
If you were injured in a drunk driving accident, even if you were a passenger in the drunk driver's car, you can still file a personal injury lawsuit against the driver. In order to bring a claim you will need to prove the same elements of negligence as any other motorist involved in the collision:
The average Houston personal injury claim takes longer to conclude than the average drunk driving criminal court case. We can use this difference to your advantage as a drunk driving accident claimant.
The criminal court is separate from the civil court, but evidence from one court can still be used in the other. If the defendant to your injury claim was convicted of drunk driving, then we can access evidence used in that case to benefit your claim. Even a conviction alone can be convincing if your claim becomes a lawsuit before a jury because it stands to say that evidence of criminal culpability can also prove civil liability.
All drunk driving accidents would be avoidable, if we could simply get drivers to strop driving while intoxicated. Unfortunately, although drunk drivers face heavy fines and jail time, that still doesn't keep some from getting behind the wheel. Because of this, every driver should be aware of these 5 ways you can work to prevent being involved in an accident with a drunk driver:
The Texas Department of Transportation (DOT) reported the following DUI statistics for the year 2020:
Moving quickly after a drunk driving accident is important for making the most of your claim and the available evidence. Also, if you wait too long, then the Texas statute of limitations can end and force your claim to an early close. Dunk Law Firm and our drunk driving accident lawyers in Houston are standing by to amplify your voice, hold drunk drivers accountable, and fight for the compensation you deserve.
If you have been hit by a drunk driver in Houston, we can help you pursue a settlement. Please schedule your free initial consultation today. We take calls around-the-clock.
