You may be a safe driver with an unblemished driving record, but it will not protect you from an accident caused by someone who decides to drive while drunk. Don’t let drunk driving accidents in New York City leave you injured and feeling helpless.

Let the personal injury team at The Carrion Law Firm be your trusted advocates fighting for the compensation you deserve. You do not have to pay the price for the negligence of another driver. We built our outstanding reputation by successfully recovering damages for the victims of car accidents caused by drunk drivers throughout New York City through innovative and aggressive strategies.

For a free case review, contact our attorneys for drivers that were hit by a drunk driver in NYC. Our phone number is (718) 841-0083.

What to Do After a Drunk Driver Hits You in NYC

There are steps to take after any car accident to help ensure you get the medical attention and legal help you need. However, there are additional steps you should take specifically after a drunk driver hits you. Both of these lists are combined below to help you know what to do after being hit by a drunk driver in NYC.

Call 911

Calling 911 is essential after a car accident involving a drunk driver. First, calling 911 will help you get the medical attention you need for your injuries. Many drunk driving victims end up needing immediate medical attention for serious injuries. Going without medical care can be dangerous or even fatal.

Calling 911 also ensures the police can create a report and intervene as necessary. A police report provides drivers with essential info about their accident. However, police can also perform field sobriety tests on the drunk driver, use a breathalyzer test, arrest the drunk driver for DUI/DWI, and intervene if the other driver is belligerent.

Collect Evidence

After an accident, you should always get certain pieces of evidence to help you build a case against the driver who hit you:

• Contact info for all drivers
• Contact info for all witnesses
• Insurance info for all drivers
• Make, model, year, color, and license plate number for each vehicle involved
• Location of the accident
• Info on the road, lighting, and weather conditions

If you can, also get pictures of the vehicle damage, accident layout, and injuries.

In a drunk driving accident, you should also be on the lookout for any signs that the driver was intoxicated that you can later testify about to prove your case against them:

• Slurred speech
• The smell of alcohol
• Admissions about drinking and driving
• Open or empty bottles or cans in their car
• Trouble retrieving documents
• Wobbly or staggering walking
• Slow or lethargic movements
• Glassy eyes

Call a Lawyer

There are many things that an experienced attorney can help you with after being hit by a drunk driver. The earlier you call, the more help you can receive.

Our NYC DUI accident victim attorneys can manage your post-accident care and help keep track of all of your medical expenses and other damages. The cost of alternate transportation, childcare, help with household duties, and more can all lead to surprising expenses our attorneys can claim for you in your case.

Our attorneys can also interface with the authorities and get access to the evidence we need to win your case. The police might have arrested the drunk driver who hit you on DUI charges, and they will usually do blood draws or other testing to find the driver’s BAC (blood-alcohol concentration). Getting copies of their lab results is essential to building our own case against the driver.

Your attorney can also act as a go-between between you and the insurance companies. It is important not to talk to insurance companies or give them information that could potentially lead to misunderstandings that jeopardize your claim or make them think you might have shared fault in causing the crash. Your lawyer can help with this.

How to Pursue Claims for a DUI Accident in NYC

When another driver hits you, you can often get compensation through your no-fault insurance. However, serious or permanent injuries can allow you to sue the other driver in court, which can potentially lead to additional damages and payments.

When proving fault in a lawsuit against a drunk driver, their intoxication will play a huge part in your case. To prove fault, you usually need to show that the other driver breached a legal duty that they owed you, which caused the accident. Driving under the influence is illegal and certainly breaches the driver’s duties under the law in New York City. Because this intoxication is such an important element, you will need proof of the driver’s level of intoxication and how it affected their driving.

The police can often test a driver’s BAC as part of a DUI arrest. This information can help with your civil case. Moreover, if the driver pleads guilty to the DUI or is found guilty in court, that admission or verdict can also help prove your injury case.

Talk to our NYC DUI victim attorneys for additional information about how insurance claims and lawsuits work for suing a drunk driver after a car accident.

Attorneys Who Go the Extra Mile for Their Clients

If you or a loved one is seriously injured in a car accident caused by an intoxicated or impaired driver, we investigate to identify other parties who may also be liable for causing or contributing to the accident. For example, dram shop laws may allow a claim to be made against a bar, restaurant, club or other establishment that served the alcohol to driver who hit you. This would be in addition to the claim about the driver. An employer may be held liable for car accidents caused by their employees. Evidence may indicate a failure of an employer to properly supervise the activities of its drivers, or it may show the employer was aware that the driver who caused your accident had a drinking problem.

Compensation For Devastating Injuries in Drunk Driving Accidents

A collision with a vehicle driven by a drunk driver frequently results in extensive and serious injuries, including:

• Traumatic brain injuries and concussions
• Bone fractures
• Back, neck, and spinal cord damage
• Lacerations and burns resulting in significant scarring and disfigurement

The injuries from an accident caused by a drunk driver may require long-term medical care and an extended period of rehabilitation and physical therapy before you can return to work. Making the parties responsible for causing your injuries includes recovering compensation for:

• Physicians services
• Hospitals
• Diagnostic tests
• Surgical procedures
• Lost wages
• Diminish future earning capacity
• Long-term disability
• Rehabilitation and physical therapy
• Mental and physical pain and suffering

The death of a loved one at the hands of a drunk driver entitles the family to pursue a wrongful death claim. Our compassionate attorneys understand the suffering a grieving family endures, so we take over the burden of dealing with insurance company claims adjusters to get them the money they need and deserve.

Knowing how much your damages are worth can be difficult without the help of an experienced car accident attorney. Our attorneys for drivers that were hit by a drunk driver in New York City can help break down your case and calculate damages for you. Never accept compensation without reviewing your case with a lawyer first. In many cases, there is no chance to go back and claim additional damages later; you only get one chance to do it right.

Recovering Damages from Uninsured and Underinsured Drunk Drivers

It may turn out that the drunk driver causing the accident that injured you did not have insurance or did not have enough insurance to fully pay the compensation you deserve. Our New York City car accident lawyers can pursue claims against the uninsured/underinsured motorist coverage of your auto insurance policy. Do not be fooled into thinking that your insurance company will simply write a check to pay the claim. We know from experience that auto insurance companies do not want to pay claims even when made by their insured, so we fight to get you the money you deserve.

DUI Hit and Run Accidents in NYC

Drivers are required to stop after an accident that involves injury. If the driver who hit you drove off, it can be difficult to prove that they were in fact intoxicated, and holding them responsible can be impossible. In many cases, quick police action can indeed catch the driver and allow you to pursue a lawsuit or other remedies against them.

Your attorneys for drivers that were hit by a drunk driver in NYC can also help you file uninsured driver claims after these kinds of crashes. If the driver who hit you cannot be located, you can often file an uninsured driver claim with your insurance, as discussed above. Innocent drivers do not drive off and commit hit and runs, so your insurance company will usually not try to put the blame on you and raise your insurance rates when filing an uninsured driver claim for a DUI hit and run. However, you should still work with an attorney to help you maximize the payments you receive for your injuries.

Contact Us for A Free Consultation

At The Carrion Law Firm, our attorneys for drivers that were hit by a drunk driver in NYC may be able to help with your case. Call us today at (718) 841-0083 for a free case review.