A DUI often leads to an accident, sometimes with serious injuries to those involved. The person who was driving under the influence and who caused the accident will be arrested and charged with the DUI, but that doesn’t help the victim of the accident. What is going to help the victim, however, is contacting their own lawyer for help. They’re going to want to contact an Accident Attorney as quickly as possible.
Because of the DUI, the victim likely has quite a few expenses that need to be paid. The insurance company for the at-fault driver is likely willing to pay a settlement to the victim, but often they won’t be willing to pay the full amount the victim is entitled to. This is where a lawyer can be especially beneficial. The lawyer can prove the accident was the fault of the drunk driver and help the victim of the accident obtain compensation for their injuries. This should include any expenses they had as a direct result of the accident.
This type of case is going to be separate from the DUI case, so there is likely two different cases the victim will need to be aware of. They may want to keep an eye on the DUI case to find out what the outcome is. A criminal case has a higher demand for evidence, so if the person is convicted of the DUI it’s likely easy to demonstrate they were driving under the influence to the civil courts so the person can obtain the right amount of compensation. These two cases are completely separate, but the outcome of the criminal case can help the outcome of the civil case.
If you’ve been in an accident caused by a drunk driver, don’t hesitate to get all of the help you’re going to need. If you’re having trouble obtaining a full settlement to cover all accident-related expenses, make sure you contact an Accident Attorney today. They can talk to you more about the differences between the civil and criminal cases and how the outcome of the criminal case could impact the outcome of your civil case. You can also like them on Facebook for more information.