Injuries Caused By Intoxicated Persons
If you or a loved one has been injured or killed because of the reckless behavior of a drunk driver, there is protection for you under the law. Driving under the influence of alcohol is illegal because it impairs a driver's ability to respond to driving conditions and make safe decisions on the roadway. The consequences of this impairment can be dire, ranging from minor damage to vehicles to unnecessary loss of life, with many types of serious injury in between.
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), alcohol-related crashes cause an injury every 2 minutes and a death every 31 minutes. In 2005, that meant 16,885 people died as a direct result of someone's over-indulging and choosing to endanger themselves and others by getting behind the wheel. The non-fatal statistics are staggering as well. Total drunk driving arrests number more than 1 million drivers each year, with the 2005 figures nearing 1.4 million drunk driving arrests.
Those numbers are large, and the tragic reality is that every single accident has a very real affect on the lives of those involved. This includes the friends and family of the intoxicated driver, other drivers involved, and passengers who have little control over the driver's behavior. The statistics involving adults driving drunk with children in the car are particularly concerning: Of the 414 child passengers killed in alcohol-related crashes in 2005, more than half of those children were actually riding with the drinking driver.
These numbers are testament to a serious problem on the United States' roadways. There are very few people whose lives have not been touched in some way by a drunk driving incident. Those involved in accidents themselves can be forced to deal with everything from severe bruising, broken bones and internal bleeding to amputation, paralysis, traumatic brain injury, and death-- not to mention the personal, emotional, and financial burdens that these injuries inflict.
When someone is injured or killed by a drunk driver, it is the liability of that driver, their insurance company, and possibly their estate to be responsible for the damage they have caused. If your life has been turned upside down by the reckless behavior of someone driving under the influence, you may be entitled to compensation. While no amount of legal help can undo the accident that has taken place, VanDerGinst Law can do everything in their power to see that the repercussions of that accident are minimized in whatever way possible, so that you and your loved ones can focus on moving on with your lives.
If you or a loved one has suffered an injury or death as the result of someone driving under the influence, call VanDerGinst Law at 1-866-843-7367 or click here for a FREE online case evaluation. The initial consultation is free of charge. If we agree to handle your injury case, we will work on a contingency fee basis, which means we get paid for our services only if, and when, there is a money recovery for you. In many cases a lawsuit must be filed before an applicable expiration date, known as a statute of limitations. So please call right away to ensure that you do not waive your right to possible compensation.
