Drunk Driving Accident Attorneys in Pasadena

At KP Law, You Are More Than a Statistic

Every 50 minutes, someone in the United States dies in a drunk driver accident. This adds up to almost 30 people per day and more than 10,000 lives per year. If you’ve been injured in or lost a loved one to a drunk driving crash, you are not alone. At KP Law, our team also sees you as more than a statistic.

From sky-high medical bills to missed work, and even the immeasurable costs of grief, suffering, and changes to your quality of life, we understand what you are facing after this type of collision. That’s why we have dedicated ourselves to pursuing compensation on behalf of the injured and bereaved.

Drunk driving is unacceptable. If you’ve been harmed by a drunk driver, let our attorneys help.

Proving Liability

In all 50 of the United States, driving with a blood alcohol content (BAC) of 0.08 is a criminal offense. If the drunk driver who hits you goes to jail, you will have an exceptionally strong lawsuit. This is because the burden of proof is much higher in criminal court, and a set of factfinders have already found the defendant guilty “beyond a reasonable doubt.” In civil cases, like drunk driving accident claims, you must show that the defendant is liable for your losses by a “preponderance of the evidence.” This means that you are entitled to monetary damages when there is a more than 50% chance a drunk driver caused your crash.

Still, opposing counsel may try to shirk liability by arguing your behavior somehow caused or contributed to the collision. This is why you need an experienced and effective legal team on your side.

How to Report a Drunk Driver

If a drunk driver is responsible for your car accident, you should not have to report them. Police should come to the scene and may even make an arrest. You should call the police in minor accidents if you suspect the driver who hit you is under the influence. Always call the authorities in the event of a hit-and-run accident, especially if there are any injuries.

Conversely, if you spot a drunk driver before an accident occurs, you should remove yourself from the vehicle’s path and dial 911. Give the dispatcher your location, speed, and details about the dangerous car on the road, such as color, make, and model. You should also tell the dispatcher what unsafe and illegal actions you saw the driver commit, as this can help police officers make an arrest by establishing “probable cause.” Details about the car’s license plate number, its exact location by street name, and its direction of travel will also be helpful to the police.

Signs of drunk driving include:

• Swerving
• Unexpected speeding or slowing down below the speed limit
• Sudden, abrupt turns and stops
• Driving down the center of the road
• Inability to stay in one lane
• Driving on the wrong side of the road
• Failure to respond to traffic signals

If you suspect there is an impaired driver or reckless driver behind you, you should:

• Let the driver pass you and give yourself plenty of space
• Stay behind and away from the driver
• Call 911 and report them when it is safe for you to do so.

Behaving appropriately when there is a drunk driver in your path can save your life and reporting the driver can save others from injury and death, as well. Unfortunately, there are times when you will not notice a drunk driver in your path until it is too late.

When this is the case, contact us at (866) 973-5691 as soon as you are able.

Consequences of Drunk Driver Accidents

Drunk drivers are bad drivers, without exception. This is due to the effects alcohol has on a driver’s judgement, behavior, muscle control, reaction time, and coordination. Even with a BAC of as little as 0.02, drivers can lose their better judgement. Between 0.05 and 0.10, reaction time, control, and reasoning deteriorate completely.

If you’ve been injured or had your life flipped upside-down by a drunk driver, remember that the accident is not your fault.

Filing a lawsuit can help ensure the driver handles the consequences of your accident, which can consist of:

• Emergency room treatments and medical bills
• The costs of rehabilitative care
• Missed wages
• Decreased earning potential
• Funerary and burial expenses (in wrongful death cases)
• Pain and suffering
• Changes to your overall quality of life
• And more

In drunk driving accidents, specifically, punitive damages are also common. Also called exemplary damages, these awards are meant to punish the drunk driver, discourage similar behavior in the future, and provide you with additional comfort.

Pursue everything you are entitled to with KP Law

Why Choose Our Firm

As former insurance defense lawyers with 40 years of experience, our Pasadena injury attorneys at KP law knows what it takes to win a drunk driving accident case in Pasadena. We also offer free consultations and do not charge any fees unless we win your case.

We are available 24/7 at (866) 973-5691 and look forward to meeting you during a no-cost initial evaluation. Contact us today to get your life back on track after a devastating drunk driver accident.