Even though driving under the influence has been illegal in Connecticut and across the entire country for decades, a shocking number of people still choose to get behind the wheel while impaired every single day. Even worse, some of those irresponsible drivers end up causing traffic accidents due to their intoxication, and those accidents sometimes result in people who were just in the wrong place at the wrong time suffering life-altering, if not life-threatening, injuries.
Fortunately, Connecticut civil law gives you the right to file suit against a drunk driver who struck and injured you, and you have help available from a Stamford drunk driving accident lawyer. From ensuring that every liable party is held fully accountable to demanding comprehensive compensation for your short-term and long-term losses, your dedicated auto accident attorney from Berkowitz and Hanna LLC will be a steadfast ally from start to finish of your legal proceedings.
Since driving under the influence is prohibited by Connecticut state law, it also qualifies as a violation of the “duty of care” all drivers have to act lawfully and responsibly while driving on public roads. With that in mind, anyone who can prove that another driver involved in a traffic wreck with them was drunk at the time—either through a “preponderance of evidence” in a civil claim, or by referring to a related DUI conviction—should be able to demand civil compensation from that drunk driver based on their legal negligence.
Additionally, it is sometimes possible to file suit against third parties who contributed to causing someone to drive drunk under Connecticut’s “dram shop” laws. As a Stamford drunk driving injury attorney can further explain, businesses like bars and liquor stores can be held civilly liable for crashes caused by a drunk driver if they knowingly overserved that drunk driver before they got behind the wheel, or if they served any alcohol to a minor who then caused a crash while driving drunk.
A lawsuit or settlement demand over a car accident caused by a drunk driver can incorporate both economic and non-economic forms of harm stemming from that accident, including:
Courts will also sometimes impose additional “punitive damages” against drunk drivers specifically to punish them for their unlawful behavior. A DUI crash lawyer in Stamford can help you maximize the damages in your specific case.
Getting caught up in a car crash because of another person’s misconduct is always frustrating, but being hurt in a wreck caused by someone who was drunk behind the wheel can be better described as infuriating. The silver lining, though, is that being able to prove that another driver was drunk will likely give you very strong grounds to sue them for any and all losses you experienced in your collision with them.
Working closely with a Stamford drunk driving accident lawyer from Berkowitz and Hanna LLC can go a long way towards maximizing your chances of getting the optimal result from your claim. Call today to discuss your options with a dedicated member of our team. Your initial consultation is completely free.
Berkowitz Hanna
1177 Summer St 4th Floor
Stamford CT
06905
