According to Mothers Against Drunk Driving, every day approximately 800 people are hurt in drunk driving accidents. According to MADD, every two minutes, a person is injured in a drunk driving accident and every 51 minutes, a person is killed. While we often hear about drunk driving accidents, impaired driving can occur due to the use of medication, the use of illegal drugs, or as a result of a person’s choice to smoke marijuana. Drunk driving and impaired driving accidents are highly preventable. All it takes is more people making the conscientious choice to avoid drinking and driving.
If you or a loved one were hurt in a drunk driving accident in Texas, you may be suffering from devastating or life-altering injuries. Even minor injuries or an emergency room visit resulting from a drunk driving accident or impaired driving accident can cost victims and their families thousands of dollars. The Cooper Law Firm are accident lawyers in Texas who help individuals who have been hurt due to the choices of an impaired or drunk driver. You and your family may be entitled to seek damages for lost wages, medical bills, and pain and suffering damages. However, you may only have a limited amount of time to make a claim under the law. Contact the Cooper Law Firm today to learn more about your options if your life has been impacted by a drunk or impaired driver.
Drunk Driving Accident Claims in Texas
In Texas, if you’ve been hurt in a drunk driving accident, you may be able to seek compensation from the drunk or impaired driver, but you may also be entitled to seek damages from a bar that served alcohol to a person who later got behind the wheel and hurt you. In order to seek damages successfully from a bar, you must be able to prove that the person was visibly intoxicated at the bar, and that bartenders continued to serve alcohol to the person. Pursuing a claim under dram shop laws can be complex because you’d need to prove that not only was the driver who hurt you visibly intoxicated, but also that bartenders continued to serve the person after it was clear that he or she was drunk. How can this be proven?
- If the bar regularly serves alcohol to intoxicated patrons, then you may be able to prove that the bar was partially at fault under Texas’s dram shop laws. Video of the bar on an average Saturday night may be sufficient proof.
- If there is video of bartenders serving alcohol to the driver who then crashed into you, you may have a dram shop case.
- Was the person obviously intoxicated? It is one thing to serve alcohol to a person who has had one or two drinks, and another thing entirely to continue to serve alcohol to a person who is blackout drunk. Bartenders are permitted to serve alcohol to someone who is having a good time but who is clearly still in charge of their faculties and isn’t posing a danger to themselves or others. Proving obvious intoxication can be challenging, but with the help of a qualified lawyer, you may be able to show that the person was obviously intoxicated through eyewitness testimony or other evidence. Is there video that the person was stumbling or falling while drinking? Did other patrons see that the person’s speech was slurred or that they were making inappropriate advances towards other guests?
- Bar receipts. Your lawyer may be able to look at bar records to see how many drinks were on the individual’s tab. If a person consumed 6 or 7 drinks in an hour, this may be sufficient evidence to prove that the bar might have been negligent.
- Police reports. If police reports indicate that the driver was intoxicated and he or she came directly from a bar before crashing into you, this may also be sufficient evidence to prove a dram shop negligence case.
These are just some of the ways that a dram shop case can be proven. The drunk driver himself or herself may also be responsible for your injuries. If you or a loved one have been hurt in a drunk driving crash in Texas, the Cooper Law Firm may be able to help you seek damages for your losses. Contact us today to learn more.
Drunk Driving Personal Injury Claims in Texas
Negligence plays a major role in whether you can seek damages following an accident. If a driver’s decision to get behind the wheel resulted in your accident, you may be entitled to seek damages from negligent drivers for your losses. You may have police reports showing that the other driver was impaired or drunk. While the driver may be facing criminal consequences, the driver may also be responsible for paying for your medical bills, lost wages, pain and suffering, and other losses. Contact the Cooper Law Firm, accident lawyers in Texas today to hold drunk drivers accountable and to seek justice for your injuries.
