Being involved in any car accident is upsetting, but you can be particularly angry when you are hurt in an accident that could have easily been prevented. When people choose to drink and drive, they put others at risk. Driving while intoxicated is not a victimless crime, and many people can be affected by the poor decisions of others.
If you’ve been hurt in a vehicle collision involving a drunk driver, you will likely want justice against the driver who hurt you. The driver will likely be held to account for their crime in criminal court, but you can also hold them to account for your damages in civil court.
Winning a claim against the drunk driver requires many important steps, but none of those steps is more important than proving fault.
Proving the Fault of an Intoxicated Driver
In some drunk driving cases, the proof will be lingering on the driver’s breath and it will come out of the mouth of the driver as they attempt to apologize for their behavior. In some instances you will have the evidence of a criminal case to use in your civil case.
For instance, if the drunk driver is convicted in criminal court, you can use a certified copy of a conviction as evidence in your case that the driver was drunk.
There are other types of evidence you could use as well.
- Witness statements
- Police reports/accident reports
- Lab reports of the driver’s blood alcohol concentration
- The driver’s own statements
- Physical evidence and photographic evidence
As you can see, there are times where it could be relatively easy to prove your accident was caused by a drunk driver, but there are other times when it will be much more difficult. Not every drunk driver acts drunk, and some may refuse to speak to the police after an accident.
It’s useful to have a lawyer assist you with proving the fault of a drunk driver so that your case’s chance of success will improve.
How a Car Accident Lawyer Can Help You
When you’ve been injured in a vehicle accident, you have a lot to deal with during the aftermath. You have pain from your injuries, lost work wages, stress, anxiety, and worry about your injuries and how they will affect your future. Your lawyer can take over the burden of investigating your car crash and proving fault on the part of the drunk driver.
Your attorney will know what types of evidence to gather and how to collect the documentation needed to win your claim.
Speak with a Vehicle Crash Attorney Today
Drunk drivers must be held accountable when they cause accidents so that they don’t continue to hurt others the way they hurt you. You deserve full compensation for every loss you’ve faced, but proving your case isn’t always easy. It requires great legal knowledge and experience, which is what the lawyers at Custodio & Dubey LLP have to offer you.
Talk with an attorney at our firm during a free case review and tell us about your accident and the hopes you have for your case. Call 213-632-5647 or complete the website submission form located at the bottom of this page.
