Intoxicated drivers are extremely dangerous and their actions can cause serious damage, injuries, or even death. If someone you love was harmed in an accident involving a drunk driver, it is crucial that you know what to do next to seek justice and compensation. Whether the driver was under the influence of drugs or alcohol, any type of intoxication is not tolerated in drivers. With the legal limit for blood alcohol concentration set at 0.08%, any driver found to be operating a vehicle at this level, or a higher one, could face DUI charges.
Read on to learn more about what you can do if someone you love was injured or killed in a drunk driving accident.
Reporting the Crash
If you were involved in the crash or were informed of it before police were called, make sure you call 911 immediately. Not only do you need medical attention for your friend or family member, and anyone else injured, but the police need to be informed of the incident and the cause. Any accident that causes an injury should be reported to the police, but reporting drunk driving accidents is especially important. The driver will need to be arrested and stopped before he or she can go on to continue harming others.
Getting Medical Attention
Anyone injured in a car accident should seek immediate medical attention. Anyone injured in the crash will usually be administered to by first responders or taken to the hospital in an ambulance. Even if your loved one was seen to on the day of the accident, it is a good idea to seek a second opinion from a doctor you know and trust. When your loved one sees the doctor, make sure they inform the medical provider that they were injured in a car accident and make sure they keep a record of the appointment and any diagnosis made by the doctor. Medical professionals know what signs to look for in car accident victims and will usually check for whiplash, signs of concussion, or other common motor vehicle accident injuries.
This isn’t just for your friend’s well-being, having a medical testimony could also help with insurance claims or a legal case later on down the road.
Gathering Information
If your loved one is seriously injured, or if they have passed away due to the crash, it may fall to you to help gather information about the crash. If this is the case, try your best to remain levelheaded. Make sure you have the full name and driver’s license number of the drunk driver, and any information about the vehicles involved and the damage sustained. If the weather was poor, or if a light was out, or some other hazards existed, take notes. Also, if the driver exhibited strange behavior or was visibly intoxicated, write down what you know.
Bystanders are often some of the most reliable testimonies in cases like these, and if you know of anyone else who witnessed the crash, or who saw the driver before he or she got into their car, get their information. Jot down a few notes about what they saw, in their words.
Contacting an Attorney
Even if the police assure you that they are doing everything in their power to bring the guilty party to justice, you might still need to take additional measures on behalf of your loved one. Insurance companies can be difficult to deal with, and even if they do provide compensation, it might not be enough to cover medical expenses and other damages. So, in order to receive maximum compensation for your injured loved one, and to bring the drunk driver to justice, it is important for you to hire an attorney and pursue a personal injury case. In these cases, you can fight for compensation for your loved ones’ pain and suffering, material damages, medical expenses, and more.
Unfortunately, drunk driving accidents are often fatal. Intoxicated drivers usually have trouble with depth perception, cannot properly judge their speed, and may miss clear traffic patterns or safety warnings. For these reasons, DUI accidents can be extremely damaging and may result in catastrophic injury or death. If someone you love was killed by a drunk driver, you may be eligible to file a wrongful death lawsuit on their behalf. In such a lawsuit, you may pursue compensation for your loved ones’ pain and suffering, as well as their medical expenses, the emotional pain of your loss, their loss of income, burial expenses, and funeral expenses.
Do you think you have a personal injury or wrongful death case? Contact Zambrano Law Firm today to discuss your DUI case with our South Texas attorneys.