Driving after drinking is a very irresponsible choice. Some who choose to drive while drunk simply do not care about the consequences of their actions. Others may fail to recognize the warning signs that they have had too much to drink. Some people have a difficult time gauging their own level of impairment.
Impaired motorists cause many of the worst crashes that occur every year. They can put other people in the hospital and leave families grieving unnecessary tragedies.
Who generally pays the financial costs for a drunk driving crash?
Insurance or the drunk driver
Some people think that insurance doesn’t apply in scenarios involving clear violations of the law. Thankfully, liability insurance covers drunk driving crashes just like it covers collisions caused by excess speed or the failure to use a turn signal.
However, the insurance carried by the driver at fault for the crash may not be enough to cover medical expenses and lost wages. In some cases, those affected by drunk driving crashes need to consider taking legal action. Personal injury or wrongful death lawsuits against a drunk driver are often an option.
Wrongful actions, including clear violations of the law like drunk driving, leave people vulnerable to litigation. Drunk drivers may have to directly compensate the people harmed by their poor choices.
Licensed bars and restaurants
Sometimes, drunk drivers patronize a business before causing a crash. They down multiple beers, shots or glasses of wine and then try to drive home in an intoxicated state. In such situations, the bar or restaurant may have a degree of liability.
The state’s dram shop law makes a business liable for drunk driving crashes if workers violate alcohol service rules. There are two types of violations that could trigger the dram shop law. The first involves serving a minor alcohol. If workers at a bar or a restaurant provide alcoholic beverages to someone who is not legally old enough to drink, the business may be liable for any collisions the underage driver causes after leaving.
It is also illegal to continue serving alcohol to someone who is visibly intoxicated. If the people affected by a crash can prove that the impaired motorist was visibly drunk and continued buying beverages at a business prior to causing a crash, then the company that served the alcohol may be liable for the collision that occurred.
Given the devastation that drunk driving car crashes can cause, the people affected often need help evaluating their options for compensation. Holding the right party accountable can help limit the long-term financial setbacks caused by a drunk driver.