In order to combat the wave of fatalities and injuries on our Texas roads from drunk driving collisions, North Texas police departments have issued a joint announcement that they are increasing their patrols today. And they are again adopting a “no refusal policy” and will arrest any one suspected of drunken driving who won’t take a breath test or give a blood sample and obtain a search warrant to determine their blood alcohol level. The ramped up law enforcement continues through July 7th.
The July 4th Period Is A DangerousTime To Be Driving In Texas
A shocking number of Texans (54) were killed and hundreds were seriously injured last year during this period due to drunk driving collisions. This is by far the deadliest holiday period — worse than New Year’s Eve and New Year’s Day combined. And police made 1,124 driving while intoxicated arrests during this short 10 day period or these drunks would have caused more injuries.
Drunk Driving Accidents in the DFW Area Are A Serious Problem
I am constantly ranting about how rampant DWIs are in our Dallas Fort Worth area. Last year 121 people were killed and 1,261 others were seriously injured by DWI drivers in Tarrant and Dallas Counties.
How Much Alcohol Can You Drink Legally in Texas?
The legal limit for an adult’s blood alcohol (BAC) content is .08%. Commercial drivers are restricted to a BAC of 4%. And someone under 21 is not allowed to have any alcohol in his system. I represented the critically injured young man in the “Affluenza” case. There, my client’s 16 year old driver had a BAC of .24% — a whopping three times the legal limit if he were 21 years old, and the brand new driver already had a minor in possession citation from when he was only 15 years old. Four people were tragically killed and others were injured. What the driver did infuriates me.
What Can We Do?
Texas has far more drunk driving accidents than any other state in the nation, over 10,000 last year. And rarely is a drunk driving accident just a minor rear-end collision. It is often a devasting head-on or “T-bone” side collision at a high rate of speed.
How can we stop drunks before they crash into us? The answer is for DAs to prosecute more of these criminals and for civil attorneys to sue them for the damages our clients sustain. We must jail these criminals and punish them financially. This is the only way to prevent his deadly conduct. As readers of this blog know, I hate drunk drivers and want to keep them off the roads so they don’t hurt us.
Supporting Drunk Driving Accident Victims Through MADD
The premier victim rights organizations for the victims of drunk driving cases is Mothers Against Drunk Driving. The Berenson Law Offices is proud to sponsor MADD and to be the Presenting Sponsor of the 2014 Walk Like MADD, which raises money to increase awareness of the danger of drunk driving and to support victims of this horrible crime.
Should You Hire An Attorney If You Have Been Injured In a Drunk Driving Crash?
Those injured by drunk drivers or the families of those who have been killed by a drunk driver have the right to be compensated. If you or a loved one have been injured in a drunk driving accident, don’t accept a settlement offer unless you first speak to an experienced Fort Worth personal injury attorney. Don’t let an insurance company convince you that your case is only worth the low-ball offer they are hoping that you will accept.
Juries are not sympathetic to drunk or stoned drivers in court. They will probably award substantial damages which may include punitive damages against the defendant. Insurance companies know they will lose in court and they know that with an aggressive lawyer on your side, they will be forced to pay you a lot of money.
What Insurance Companies Will Do
Insurance companies often contact victims quickly after a drunk driving accident and offer them an insultingly low amount of money, sometimes just 10% of the value they estimate the case to be worth. They may even come to your house and hand you a check on the spot in exchange for your signature on a form that releases their driver and their company from ever paying you anything else. But these tiny offers certainly will not reimburse you for your doctor and therapy bills, lost wages, pain and suffering, and other damages that you are entitled to receive.
What Good Injury Lawyers Will Do
An experienced personal injury lawyer knows to thoroughly and quickly investigate who supplied the drunk driver with the alcohol. The restaurant, bar, liquor store, or others may also be liable for damages under certain circumstances under what is called the dram shop law. Speak to a knowledgeable drunk driving accident attorney and find out what your case is really worth.
Ways you can stay safe:
To keep intoxicated or negligent driving from ruining your holiday celebration, here are a few reminders to keep you from getting hurt:
* Drive in the right lane. Many times drunk drivers drift out of their lane or into oncoming traffic.
* Avoid late night driving.
* Choose a designated driver.
* Never get in the car with an intoxicated driver.
Have you been injured in a Fort Worth or Dallas drunk driving collision?
If you were in an accident in North Texas and sustained injuries, call the Berenson Law Offices today at 817-885-8000 or toll-free at 1-888-801-8585 or email us by clicking here.
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