Understand Your Rights in a Drunk Driving Accident
At Friedman, Hirschen & Miller in Albany, our lawyers accept the challenge of representing the victims of drunk driving accidents. Although New York law provides for punitive damages against people responsible for alcohol-related accidents, auto insurance will not cover punitive damages awards. This is only one of the obstacles that the victims of drunk drivers face in winning compensation for their injuries.
Contact our law firm for a free consultation about your legal rights and practical options if you or a family member was injured in a drunk driving accident. We represent accident victims in drunk driver cases whether or not the other driver was charged or convicted of DWI.
At a minimum, we can use evidence of the other driver's intoxication to establish or strengthen your negligence claim. Once liability is established, we document and present your damages evidence in much the same way as we handle other motor vehicle accident cases.
In some cases, dram shop liability will expand your damages options
Punitive damages can be awarded by a jury against a drunk driver, but in many cases, there's little or no practical ability to collect them. Another option is to investigate the possibility of a dram shop action against the establishment that overserved the drunk driver. While these cases can be difficult to investigate, our lawyers know how to develop and pursue the facts that can show that a particular bar, cocktail lounge or social host provided alcohol to a person despite signs of visible intoxication.
Our experience with the most challenging motor vehicle accident cases can give you a distinct advantage if you need to pursue personal injury or wrongful death claims against a drunk driver. To learn more about our ability to help you get the most out of your claim, contact an attorney at Friedman, Hirschen & Miller in Albany for a free consultation.
