Serious injuries can occur in drunk driving accidents. These injuries may include physical and emotional trauma. They also often involve financial damages like medical expenses and lost wages.
It’s essential to get medical treatment right away. You should also gather information about the crash scene, such as police reports, witness statements, and BAC test results.
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They Can Help You Gather Evidence
If a drunk driver causes an accident and you are hurt, you may be able to seek compensation through an insurance claim or a personal injury lawsuit. A drunk driving accident lawyers can review your case details to help you understand the available options.
While it may be tempting to try and collect evidence on your own, this is a bad idea for several reasons. First and foremost, your health should be a priority, and getting involved in evidence collection can interfere with its admissibility in court.
In addition to police reports, your lawyer may subpoena officer body cam footage taken at the scene of your accident or shortly after that. Likewise, your lawyer can ask to authenticate security camera footage from nearby businesses that recorded the crash and its aftermath. These types of cameras help show the direction of the vehicles, the at-fault driver’s maneuvers, and other important information.
They Can Help You Negotiate
With the assistance of a drunk driving accident lawyer, you can bring a lawsuit for damages to recoup your non-economic and economic losses. It includes medical expenses, lost income, property damage, and more. They can also assist you in determining the total value of your losses, including any future costs that may arise.
Determining fault in a DUI accident can be complex. Often, more than one person or business is at fault. Defense attorneys can try to heap as much blame onto you as possible to lower their client’s liability and financial obligations. A lawyer can protect you from these tactics and build a solid case to ensure you receive fair compensation for your losses.
In a hit-and-run case, a lawyer can also assist you in pursuing damages from any additional parties that may be liable. For instance, companies that serve or sell alcohol to intoxicated individuals may be held accountable for drunk driving accidents that their customers cause under New York’s “Dram Shop Law.”
They Can Take Your Case to Trial
A skilled lawyer can gather evidence such as police reports, BAC test results, witness statements, and medical reports to prove that the driver was intoxicated at the time of the accident. In your lawsuit, you can get both economic and non-economic damages. Economic damages include medical bills, expenses, and lost wages related to the crash. Non-economic damages include payment for your pain and suffering and the quality of life you have lost. Your attorney can assist you in maximizing the amount of compensation you receive and determine the scope of your losses.
Depending on the severity of your injuries, you might be eligible for exemplary damages. The defendant is intended to be punished for extreme negligence with this kind of damage.
Help You Get the Compensation You Deserve
A skilled attorney can assist you in getting paid for the losses you suffered from the accident. It covers lost wages, pain and suffering, and medical costs from the past and present. Additionally, they might be able to obtain for you punitive damages, which are meant to hold the defendant accountable for their egregious negligence and discourage future reckless behavior.
A skilled drunk driving accident lawyer can often secure a fair settlement through the insurance company without going to trial. However, they will be prepared to take the case to court if a fair settlement cannot be reached.
Drunk drivers frequently cause major collisions with catastrophic injuries. A reasonable attorney will be able to identify all parties liable for your accident-related losses, including the at-fault driver and any establishments that continued to serve them alcohol. If applicable, they can also file an underinsured motorist claim on your behalf and help you maximize your compensation.