Understanding Your Rights After a Drunk Driving Accident
Motor vehicle collisions caused by drunk drivers present a wide range of problems for the victim or surviving family. Because impaired motorists are slower to brake or react, the impact is more likely to result in severe injuries. The more serious the injuries, the less likely that the other driver's insurance will cover your losses in an alcohol-related crash. Virginia provides for punitive damages if a driver has a .15 BAC or greater, but not all attorneys know haw to properly prove these types of cases.
Contact the attorneys at MacDowell & Associates for the insightful advice you need in the aftermath of a drunk driving accident. We have extensive experience with the investigation, settlement and trial of claims against drunk drivers throughout the Metro Washington area.
Call 703-763-0923 in Virginia, Maryland or the District of Columbia.
Because of our close familiarity with the litigation of car accident claims in all three metro jurisdictions, we can tailor our advice and tactics to the demands of your situation and the legal restrictions that apply to your case. For example, if you were injured in Maryland, you will not be able to seek punitive damages against the drunk driver. In the District, meanwhile, it's relatively easy to prove a right to punitive damages in a drunk driving accident, but another story altogether to collect it.
In Virginia, your right to punitive damages depends on the drunk driver's breath test results and blood alcohol concentration (BAC) level. If the driver's BAC is .15 or higher, Virginia law allows a right to claim punitive damages. Because punitive damages are not meant to compensate you for your actual losses but instead are intended to punish the party at fault, an award of punitive damages can be a very substantial sum.
Our trial attorneys don't need a DWI arrest or conviction to prove impairment or underage drinking in a car crash case. We understand the chemistry involved in the criminal proof of drunk driving, and the same toxicology reports and forensic testimony can prove the role of alcohol in a civil lawsuit for damages.
If you need legal advice about the best way to approach your claim for compensation in a drunk driving accident case anywhere in the Washington metro area, contact MacDowell & Associates in Fairfax for a free consultation.
