DUI ACCIDENTS
Drunk driving accidents occur throughout the year in South Carolina. There is often times an increase in DUI arrests around certain holidays and those same holidays bring with them an increase in drunk driving accidents. Being involved in a drunk driving accident can often times result in serious and life changing injuries. In many DUI cases drunk drunk driving accidents result in death of the victims.
Contact Greenville DUI Accident Lawyer Ryan Montgomery to discuss your case if you, or a loved one, have been injured in a drunk driving or drugged driving accident. Mr. Montgomery serves the injured throughout Anderson County, Greenville County and Spartanburg County, South Carolina.
Drunk drivers pose a serious risk to everyone on our roadways. Driving while intoxicated or impaired claims the lives of hundreds of South Carolina motorists every year and leaves thousands facing serious injuries. These are needless accidents and injuries that could have been prevented.
A skilled and experienced personal injury attorney can help you hold the drunk driver who injured you responsible for your injuries. Building an effective case against a drunk driver is similar to building one against any other driver who causes an accident.
Several factors do differentiate a drunk driving accident case, including:
- The possibility of recovering punitive damages
- The possibility of pursuing a dram shop claim against a bar or restaurant that may have served alcohol to the drunk driver who injured you
- A criminal conviction can lead to the removal of the question of liability from the dispute.
- The possibility of pursuing a claim against an adult or social host who knowingly served alcohol to a minor
Establishing Fault In DUI Accidents
When a car or truck accident involves a drunk driver, it is common – and very understandable – to automatically blame that driver, regardless of details. Sentiment against drunk drivers is strong, and it is easy to assume that inebriation was the cause of the accident. This may be the case. However, the answer to “Who is responsible in a DUI accident?” is not always as straightforward as you might expect it to be.
Also Worth Asking: “Where did the alcohol come from?”
There may be other liable parties in a DUI accident. An experienced and knowledgeable personal injury lawyer will explore all potential sources of compensation for an injured client. In the case of a drunk driving accident, this often means investigating how that person came to be drunk and behind the wheel of a car or truck.
There may be cause to file an injury claim or lawsuit against a bar or restaurant that served liquor to an obviously drunk patron, without regard for the likelihood that he or she would then leave the restaurant under the influence of alcohol. In some cases, there may be a similar cause of action against a social host such as a homeowner who served beer or mixed drinks to guests at a party. When a drunk driver is a minor, there may be criminal as well as civil penalties for a social host who provided alcohol to the teenager.
Another potential source of compensation after a collision with a vehicle operated by a drunk driver is your own insurance policy. If he or she did not have insurance, or adequate insurance, your own insurance company’s uninsured/underinsured motorist coverage may apply.
