DUI Lawyers Ohio

DRUNK DRIVING ACCIDENTS

Tragically, many motor vehicle and pedestrian accidents are caused by drunk drivers. These can be complex cases and may involve multiple party liability. For this reason, you should seek an attorney who has experience representing victims of drunk drivers.

Questions To Ask

You should carefully evaluate the lawyer's experience with drunk driving cases. It is important to know how many victims of drunk driving the attorney has represented in the last two years. Ask whether the attorney is willing to seek damages against the establishment that served liquor to the drunk driver, and how many times he or she has successfully made such claims. Ask if the lawyer is willing to represent you, not only in your civil suit, but also in the criminal prosecution of the drunk driver. For a list of other questions you should ask before hiring a lawyer, click here.

Clark Perdue

Clark Perdue has extensive experience handling claims involving drunk drivers. We have represented hundreds of victims of drunk drivers, and have a reputation for our work in this area. There is never a charge for an initial consultation and we will meet you--in our office, in your home or at the hospital.

Questions You Should Ask An Attorney

What to Do Following a Drunk Driving Accident

Damages

In addition to regular motor vehicle accident damages, sometimes a drunk driving victim may recover damages against the establishment that sold the alcohol to the driver. Damages may also be recovered against parents who provide alcohol to a child under the age of 21. If the drunk driver has no automobile insurance or inadequate insurance, you may be entitled to make a claim against your own insurance company. You may also have a claim against a "victims of crime" compensation fund.

Drunk Driving

Drunk driving is a serious crime that carries severe penalties, especially if someone is hurt. Aggravated vehicular assault--a felony--is punishable by one to five years in prison and a $2,500 fine. If criminal proceedings are involved, victims have the right to attend the proceedings. Prior to sentencing, you may tell the judge:

That you want to be kept informed of any trial or pretrial dates in the criminal case.
That you want the drunk driver held fully accountable for his/her conduct and that you are opposed to any plea bargaining proposals.
How the drunk driver has hurt you and your family.
That you want the drunk driver to pay you any money you have lost as a result of the crash.
That you want the court to seize the drunk driver's license plates and to immobilize or confiscate the car, particularly if the drunk driver is a repeat offender.

At Clark Perdue, we have handled many cases for victims of drunk driving. For example:

We represented a young married couple that was visiting friends in Columbus from out of state. While driving back to their hotel, the couple's vehicle was struck by a drunk driver going in excess of 100 mph. Unfortunately, the young woman was killed and her husband partially paralyzed. The drunk driver did not have enough insurance to fairly compensate the family. However, the injured husband was determined to do everything that he could to make sure that such a tragedy did not happen to another innocent victim. Therefore, we obtained a judgment against the drunk driver in the amount of $4 million. The drunk driver could discharge this judgment by doing three things: (1) convincing his insurance company to pay his policy limits to our client (2) personally paying $20,000 into a nursing scholarship fund created by the husband in honor of his wife, and (3) presenting, over a six year period, a series of community service speeches about the dangers of drunken driving. Sometimes it is not just about the money.
One summer evening, several underage teenagers purchased alcohol from a drive-through carryout that failed to ask for ID. After consuming some of their drinks, the teenagers attended a party. The hosting adults made available to the minors additional alcoholic beverages by leaving a large keg of beer unsupervised in their backyard. After leaving this party, the now intoxicated teenagers drove their vehicle left of center, killing a young girl who was president of her graduating class. Her parents retained us, and we filed suit against the drunk driver, the owners of the drive-through carryout, and the hosting parents. After a lengthy lawsuit, we obtained a substantial settlement for the family.
Our client was working in his dry-cleaning business in the early evening when a drunk driver lost control of his vehicle and crashed through the front of the building, pinning our client between the counter and the wall. It took the fire department 45 minutes to rescue our client from the building. The drunk driver was uninsured and was imprisoned as a result of the crash. Our client suffered several broken vertebrae and permanent damage to his sciatic nerve. The building was demolished resulting in our client losing his business. We were able to reach a fair settlement with our client ' s commercial automobile insurer.

M.A.D.D.

Drunk driving is a menace to our society. If we could eliminate drunk driving in Ohio, hundreds of deaths and injuries could be avoided every year. Clark Perdue has been involved with the Ohio State chapter of Mother's Against Drunk Driving (M.A.D.D.) since the chapter was founded. We have provided financial and volunteer support for this worthy cause, which fights to curb drunk driving.