Accidents Caused by Drunk or Impaired Driving
Even with all of the education, stiffer criminal penalties, and increased social risks, driving drunk, drugged, and impaired are on the rise. More people are dying and injured on our highways than ever before because of drunk drivers’ total disregard for the safety of others.
According the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, 36 people die every day and 700 people are hurt every day in car crashes that involve an alcohol-impaired driver. http://www-nrd.nhtsa.dot.gov/Pubs/810801.PDF
According to the Commonwealth of Virginia 2014 Virginia Traffic Crash Facts, over 6100 crashes were caused by a driver being impaired. Over 110 deaths were caused by an impaired driver in 2014 and similar to that number in prior years.
And get this: according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, drunk driving costs $199 BILLION a year in societal resources, and costs each adult in the United States almost $800 per year.
What can you do about it? If you are hurt by a drunk driver, make sure you come to us for representation. We will fight like heck to get you what you deserve and stand for what is right so that this driver and drivers like him or her never drive drunk or impaired again.
DUI Law In Virginia
- If you are under 21 years old, and have a blood alcohol level (“BAC”) of .02% or higher, you are driving under the influence.
- If you are older than 21, then .08% BAC or higher is considered legally impaired.
- If you are a commercial driver over the age of 21, and your BAC is .04% or higher, then that is legally impaired.
How does Driving Drunk or Impaired Affect One’s Driving?
The human brain has to deal with many things and process countless data all the time. Alcohol affects attentiveness and one’s ability to make any kind of decisions on the road. It reduces a person’s ability to react to changes in the environment and execute specific, often difficult maneuvers behind the wheel.
Physically, it affects muscle coordination – balance, speech, vision, reaction time, and hearing. Mentally, it affects concentration, short-term memory, and information processing.
Yet, people still choose to drink or drug and then get behind the wheel of a car.
Some of the most common and extremely dangerous types of behaviors of an impaired driver include:
- Speeding
- Swerving from lane to lane
- Wrong-way driving
- Reckless driving
- Tailgating
- Aggressive driving
- Running red lights or stop signs
- Making illegal turns
- Passing illegally
Wrongful Death and Drunk Driving
If a loved one is killed by a drunk or impaired driver, you or a personal representative may file a civil suit for wrongful death on behalf of the loved one’s estate. The purpose of a wrongful death suit is to protect the surviving members of the family – a husband and children, a wife, or the children left behind — so that these surviving members may have some financial security. Wrongful death suits are based in personal injury negligence law, and follow the same legal standards of proof. Both economic and non-economic damages are available, as well as punitive damages if appropriate. Punitive damages are arbitrary amounts awarded with the sole intent of punishing the drunk driver and deterring future drunk driving incidents.
Altizer Law, P.C., Fights Drunk and Impaired Drivers
We want the best for you – we also want to help you hold the criminal drunk driver responsible for your harms and losses.
Drunk driving victims are not limited to pursuing claims arising from the negligence of drunk drivers. They also have a right to sue for punitive damages designed to punish the drunk driver for willful, wanton, and reckless conduct. When you need a Virginia drunk driving accident lawyer, the experienced team of attorneys at Altizer Law, P.C., in Roanoke, Virginia, will aggressively litigate drunk driving accidents to protect injury victims throughout Virginia.
There is limited time in which to seek justice in the courts under the Virginia statute of limitations. We urge you to connect with our firm as soon as possible after the accident. We will manage every detail of your case professionally, skillfully, and with total commitment to you and your family. Call us as soon as you or your loved one needs us. We will be there for you.
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