PURSUING FULL COMPENSATION FOR PERSONAL INJURIES CAUSED BY DUI
Motor vehicle accidents disrupt lives, damage property, and injure or kill people. It’s naturally upsetting, even infuriating, when negligent driving leads to injury and loss. Yet, we’re often willing to blame bad luck as much as bad driving. We’re reluctant to criticize too harshly, because, after all, who hasn’t experienced a moment of inattention behind the wheel? The great exception is our attitude toward drunk driving accidents. Quite rightly, we believe that a reckless, intoxicated person who gets behind a wheel of a car deserves to feel the full weight of criminal and civil law. At Pope Law, we feel for innocent parties whose lives are shattered by DUI accidents. We bring more than 30 years of zealous advocacy to your case, fighting to maximize the compensation for your losses.
WHAT YOU SHOULD DO IF A DRUNK DRIVER HITS YOUR CAR
If you haven’t suffered a debilitating injury in the car accident, follow these steps:
Get yourself to a safe location — You might accomplish this by moving your car to the side of the road to a well-lighted place. If you cannot move your car, you’ll have to consider factors such as oncoming traffic and possible fuel leaks to decide if you’re safer inside or outside.
Take down the other vehicle’s license plate number — If you suspect the other driver has been drinking or is under the influence of drugs, don’t engage the person. Do not request insurance information.
Call the police — Make sure you tell the dispatcher you suspect DUI.
Wait in a safe place — If your car is not leaking fuel and you are not in danger from oncoming traffic, lock yourself in your car and wait for the police to arrive. When they do, reiterate that you believe the other driver is intoxicated.
IF YOU MISTAKENLY ACCEPTED A RIDE FROM A DRUNK DRIVER WHO GOT INTO AN ACCIDENT, YOU CAN STILL MAKE A CLAIM FOR YOUR PERSONAL INJURIES
New Jersey recognizes comparative negligence and assumption of risk. Courts generally consider that passengers who knowingly ride with drunk drivers have assumed that risk and have contributed to their own injuries. So, knowing the driver is drunk would bar recovery of compensation in most cases. If an injured passenger claims not to have known the driver was drunk or had been drinking, the court looks at the totality of the circumstances to see if the passenger was reasonable in concluding the driver was capable or negligently overlooked the obvious. To present your case effectively, choose a proven accident attorney.
It’s worth noting that in 2012, 28 percent of motor vehicle fatalities in New Jersey involved alcohol-impaired drivers, for a total of 164 deaths. A passenger who survives to sue a drunk driver for personal injury is fortunate not to have suffered wrongful death.
Retain aggressive representation for your DUI accident injuries in NY and NJ
A DUI accident is possibly the worst case of preventable harm. Pope Law is determined to seek justice for you by maximizing the value of your claim for damages. To schedule your free consultation, call (973) 344-4406 or contact our Newark office online.
