Call Us 919-240-4054Everyone knows it’s wrong to drive drunk, but lots of irresponsible people still do it.
Drunk drivers are responsible for causing devastating injuries and death. North Carolina law considers it impaired driving for a driver to drive on a highway or street with a blood alcohol concentration of 0.08 or more. The blood alcohol limit for operating a commercial vehicle is 0.04. Anyone driving with a blood alcohol level higher than these limits is committing a crime.
It is a felony to drive while impaired if you have been convicted of three or more offenses of drunk driving. It is also against North Carolina law to drive with any amount of a Schedule I controlled substance in your blood or urine.
What to do if you have been hit by a drunk driver
Take note of everything you can about the driver:
- Does the driver smell of alcohol?
- Is the driver is slurring his/her words?
- Are there are any alcohol or drugs visible in the driver’s vehicle?
Contact law enforcement immediately and get a report of the accident. Law enforcement officials will perform tests on the driver’s blood alcohol concentration and test for controlled substances.
Who may be responsible for the injury or loss of life?
Of course, the driver may be held responsible. In some cases, a passenger who was aware of the driver’s driving while impaired and did not act to prevent the driver from driving may be held responsible to the victim. This claim may be difficult to prove because it is sometimes hard to know if someone is drunk.
What we will do
Our drunk driving accident lawyers can investigate the claim for you or a loved one who has been injured or died as a result of a drunk driver’s negligence.
- You may also have a claim against the bar or restaurant that sold the driver the alcohol.
- If the driver became drunk at a party, you may have a claim against the host of the party.
- In some cases, employers invite employees to events where alcohol is served: in those cases, the employer might be held responsible when its employee causes injury or death from drunk driving.
Our DUI accident attorneys can evaluate all of these potential claims.
What kind of compensation are victims of drunk driving accidents entitled to?
If you or a loved one has been injured or has died as the result of a drunk driver, you may recover money damages for your medical bills, lost wages, property damage, and pain and suffering.
Unlike other car accidents, North Carolina also allows victims of drunk driving to obtain punitive damages. These are extra money damages that are intended to punish the drunk driver and to deter or keep other people from driving drunk in the future. These punitive damage awards can be very high.
Samples of cases our drunk driving injury attorneys have handled
Our drunk driving injury attorneys have brought personal injury and wrongful death claims for many people injured or killed by drunk drivers.
This year, Leto Copeley, along with her co-counsel, obtained a jury verdict of $4.295 million in Chatham County Superior Court on behalf of a man whose wife was killed by a drunk driver at 6:30 a.m. when she was walking with a friend for exercise.
We have represented many victims of other drunk driving accidents. Most of them have lived. But all of them suffered fear, trauma, and injury all because someone made the decision to drink and then get behind the wheel of a car or truck
Please contact our car accident attorneys immediately if you or a loved one has been injured or killed by a drunk driver.
If you or your family member has been injured by a drunk driver, please contact us right away. It is important to act quickly because there are legal deadlines that may prevent you from filing a lawsuit if you wait too long.
The law in the area of drunk driving is more complicated than the laws relating to other car accidents. Our experienced DUI injury attorneys will hold drunk drivers accountable and will seek to obtain compensatory and punitive damages against the drunk driver for causing your loved one’s devastating injuries or loss of life.
OTHER RESOURCES
Mothers Against Drunk Driving (MADD) was formed in 1980 to help victims of crimes performed by people driving under the influence of alcohol or drugs. MADD helps the families of those injured or killed by drunk driving and helps educate the public about the problems of drunk and drugged driving. MADD has a 24-hour victim helpline, 1-877-MADD-HELP.
