OHIO DRUNK DRIVING ACCIDENT ATTORNEY

Thanks to public education efforts from groups and agencies like Mothers Against Drunk Driving (MADD) and the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) as well as enforcement actions by local law enforcement agencies, the overall number of drunk driving fatality crashes across the nation has generally trended downward in recent years. Unfortunately, as encouraging as these statistics are drunk-driving accidents and fatality crashes continue to occur in Ohio and elsewhere around the country. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, between 2003 and 2012 there were over 3,600 individuals killed by drunk drivers – about 360 people per year, or about 30 every month.

As anyone who has been injured by a drunk driver or lost a loved one to a drunk driver can attest, these senseless crashes and collisions impose significant physical, mental, emotional, and financial strains on the injury victim and/or the victim’s family members. At Groth & Associates, we cannot heal broken bones or alleviate mental trauma in the wake of an Ohio drunk driving accident. What we can do is help you obtain financial compensation from the drunk driver responsible for your injuries and losses, thereby helping alleviate any financial strain you may be experiencing and helping you begin the process of rebuilding your life.

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DANGERS OF DRIVING UNDER THE INFLUENCE OF ALCOHOL

The dangers of driving under the influence of alcohol are well-known. One of the most dangerous effects that alcohol has on a person is it impairs the person’s ability to focus their attention on two or more tasks at the same time (such as maintaining a near-constant speed while also maintaining a single lane of travel). In addition, alcohol also:

  • Dulls a person’s senses and makes obstacles, hazards, other vehicles, and/or pedestrians and motorcyclists more difficult for the drunk driver to detect;
  • Increases the drunk driver’s reaction time: that is, once the drunk driver perceives a hazard it takes the drunk driver longer to take appropriate action;
  • Can lead to the drunk driver taking risks behind the wheel that he or she would not normally take; and/or
  • Can increase the chances that the driver will become drowsy or fall asleep behind the wheel.

A driver who chooses to first consume alcohol and then get behind the wheel commits a negligent – perhaps even reckless – act. No reasonable driver would voluntarily consume an intoxicating substance and then choose to drive. For this reason, so long as evidence and testimony presented by you (the injury victim) establishes that the at-fault driver in your crash was under the influence of alcohol and his or her intoxication caused your accident and injuries, you will in most situations be able to recover compensation.

VARIOUS TYPES OF COMPENSATION AVAILABLE FOR DRUNK DRIVING ACCIDENT VICTIMS

In general, so long as an injury, loss, or expense can be causally connected to the at-fault driver’s drunk driving, it is eligible to be compensated through an award of monetary damages. Examples of compensable injuries and losses include:

  • Medical bills, surgical costs, and the cost of ongoing treatments and therapy;
  • Prescription drug costs;
  • Medical assistive devices like wheelchairs;
  • In-home healthcare costs;
  • Lost wages due to time missed from work;
  • Lost future earnings if you are not able to return to work or cannot return to your former employment;
  • Funeral costs;
  • Final medical expenses;
  • Compensation for pain and suffering; and/or
  • Other similar economic and noneconomic damages and losses.

By working with an experienced and knowledgeable Ohio drunk driving accident lawyer like the legal team at Groth & Associates, you can help ensure that compensation is sought for all of your past and future expenses.

COMMON ISSUES IN OHIO DRUNK DRIVING INJURY CASES

If you intend to seek monetary damages from an allegedly drunk driver who caused you or your loved one’s injury or fatality accident, it will fall to you to provide evidence and testimony that the driver was, in fact, under the influence. This may require you to obtain police reports and/or hospital records that show the at-fault driver’s blood or breath alcohol concentration. You may also need to identify and subpoena witnesses who observed the at-fault driver drink or drive erratically. This all takes time and resources: two things which your drunk driving accident lawyer ought to have.

Contact the Ohio Car Accident Lawyers at Groth & Associates Today

Trust Groth & Associates to help you and your family obtain financial compensation and begin rebuilding your life and that of your family following an Ohio drunk driving accident. Speak with our Toledo car accident attorneys as soon as possible after your crash to maximize your opportunity to succeed in your drunk driving lawsuit.