Drunk drivers are known for making bad decisions on the roads around Turlock and Stanislaus County. They can be counted on to slide over into your lane without looking or force you to hit the brakes when they pull out in front of you. They can also have such a delayed response that they slam into other drivers without slowing down, causing serious injury or death.
If you are hurt in an accident caused by a drunk driver, a Turlock DUI accident attorney like Martin Gasparian of Maison Law wants to represent you and protect your rights to compensation. The driver who made the decision to drive while under the influence of drugs or alcohol should be responsible for every financial burden resulting from a serious accident. Contact our Turlock offices to talk over your case and get a free consultation on your best options to hold that driver and his or her insurance company accountable.
DUI Accident Dangers In Turlock
Impaired drivers aren’t just a danger after sundown. Drivers can make terrible decisions at any time of day and leave other motorists in extreme danger. You have no way of knowing if the motorists in the lanes next to you are safely monitoring the road or if they have a skewed perception because of drug or alcohol abuse.
Those dangers are seen every week in Turlock. In 2019, Turlock Law Enforcement listed alcohol as a factor in 43 accidents in the city. In those accidents, 47 people were injured, and tragically one life was lost. Across all of Stanislaus County, 25 lives were claimed in alcohol-related accidents in 2019.
Drunk Driver Extreme Accident Threats
As a cautious driver, you may have learned to spot the indicators of a careless driver about to make a bad move. You might anticipate that they are about to switch lanes without checking a blind spot, or you might see distressed drivers and realize they are about to turn right in front of you.
Experienced motorists can learn to steer clear of these predictable potential collisions, but that’s one of the problems with drunk drivers. They often operate their vehicle in a reckless manner that often can’t be expected or avoided.
These are some added factors involved with drivers traveling while impaired:
- Unpredictable Driving – Safe, defensive drivers can have a hard time avoiding accidents with drivers under the influence because their moves are very hard to predict.
- Increased Impact Speed – Normal drivers will often slam the brakes when they see their about to be in an impact but drunk drivers may not be able to recognize a coming collision. They aren’t aware enough to hit the brakes and as a result, carry a lot more speed into an accident.
- Less Recognition – A sober driver may be steering into a collision but if they look up in time can swerve to avoid the crash. This might not stop the impact, but it might turn a head-on crash into a much less dangerous sideswipe accident. DUI violators usually don’t have enough wits about them to steer clear of trouble. Their perception may be so warped they may not even realize they are traveling down a highway in the wrong direction.
Compensation in a DUI Accident Claim
If you are hurt by the senseless actions of a drunk driver, you may have to count on a claim for damages to try to recoup your financial losses after an accident. Your civil lawsuit against the driver and his or her insurance company can move forward even though the driver will also be facing criminal charges and a criminal trial. The criminal trial doesn’t have to be wrapped up for your civil case to proceed.
Washington allows victims up to three years to file a claim over injuries, but you won’t want to use all of that time. The sooner you file, the sooner you and your attorney can round up all the evidence you’ll need to build a strong case. This will be harder to do the longer you wait.
In your claim you can request compensation for many of the hardships you’ve suffered since the accident:
- Actual Damages: An award can help cover out-of-pocket financial costs like medical expenses, property damage, and lost wages from time you miss at your job due to injuries.
- General Damages: Compensation for things other than financial loss. Your physical and emotional pain can also be factored into a settlement.
- Punitive or Exemplary Damages: In certain cases fines are added to the final award to punish the defendant for intentional or particularly harmful conduct.
Contact a Turlock DUI Car Accident Lawyer
After an accident involving a DUI driver leaves you to deal with a serious injury, contact an experienced Turlock car accident lawyer such as Martin Gasparian for a free consultation and case evaluation. Mr. Gasparian takes a hands-on approach to every case. He believes that clients should work directly with their lawyer, get honest advice, and personalized attention to detail their case deserves.
