Many people who suffer injuries in accidents caused by drunk drivers can believe that hiring an attorney will not be necessary because negligence is clear in their case, but the same people need to understand that there can still be complications in recovering financial compensation that make it important for any victim to invest in retaining legal counsel. When you are dealing with any kind of injury or death stemming from a drunk driving accident in Louisiana, you can only benefit from having a New Orleans drunk driving accident lawyer on your side.
The most recent Louisiana Department of Transportation and Development Traffic Safety Data Report shows that 40.1 percent of traffic fatalities in the state were alcohol-related. The statistics also showed that 301 of 762 fatal crashes involved alcohol, with drivers having blood alcohol concentrations (BACs) of 0.02 or greater accounting for 225 crashes, drivers having blood alcohol concentrations (BACs) of 0.10 or greater accounting for 167 crashes, drivers having blood alcohol concentrations (BACs) of 0.2001 or greater accounting for 55 crashes.
Reasons Why a Personal Injury Attorney is Important for Drunk Driving Accident Cases
When you suffer injuries in an accident caused by a drunk driver, you are right to want to seek as much financial compensation as will be possible in your case. You should not count on an insurance company for the negligent driver to be willing to provide that, though.
Chances are very likely that an insurance company will do whatever it can to minimize what it pays you, even when its driver was clearly under the influence at the time of a crash. When you have a lawyer working on your behalf, they will know how to negotiate the fairest and fullest settlement to your case effectively.
By retaining legal counsel, you will have a far better chance of recovering all of the different kinds of damages that may be applicable in your case. For example, you may be entitled to compensation for medical bills, lost wages, rehabilitation expenses, and many noneconomic damages like pain and suffering, emotional distress, or others.
Another important aspect of a drunk driving case is that the negligent driver may not be the only party who is liable in your case, and an attorney will benefit you by determining every single party that could be held responsible. Louisiana does not have the same dram ship laws as other states that allow people to sue merchants or social hosts who intoxicate guests, but there are certain exceptions to Louisiana Revised Statute § 2800.1.
While the state law essentially provides that drunk drivers are the only ones responsible for their actions, three important exceptions exist to this law. First, an establishment can be liable for selling alcohol to a person who was under the legal drinking age, a party can be liable if they forced an individual against their will to become intoxicated, or a party could also be liable for serving non-alcoholic drinks that actually contained alcohol.
Call Us Today to Speak with a New Orleans Drunk Driving Accident Lawyer
Did you suffer severe injuries or did your loved one die in a drunk driving accident in Louisiana, Texas, or another location in the Gulf Coast region? Make sure that you do not fail to contact Egenberg Trial Lawyers for complete assistance in recovering the most possible compensation for your injury case.
Our firm knows how to investigate drunk driving crashes and identify every single liable party, so you will be confident that you are able to get as much money as is available in your case. Call (504) 229-3117 or contact us online to set up a free consultation with our New Orleans drunk driving accident lawyer.