Augusta Drunk Driving Accident Attorney

The dangers of drunk driving have been well-documented for decades, and yet, irresponsible drivers still take to the roads in an impaired state. This reckless action puts the lives of everyone on the roadways at risk, even those who follow the law. Accidents involving drunk drivers can result in severe damage and life-threatening injuries. Sometimes, these accidents also kill innocent people.

When you have been hurt in an accident involving a drunk driver, you may have options for seeking damages, all while taking the necessary time to recover from your injuries. In the event someone you love is killed by a drunk driver, you may be able to file a wrongful death claim to help compensate you for your loss. At The Hawk Firm, we are committed to fighting against injustice. An Augusta drunk driving accident attorney on our team can help you build your case for compensation. Reach out to us today for a free consultation. Contact us for more information.

What Makes the Augusta Attorneys at The Hawk Firm Stand Out

The Hawk Firm has been serving the people of Augusta since 1984. During that time, we have helped our clients settle for millions of dollars for injuries they suffered in accidents. We give free, no-obligation consultations to prospective clients. We know that seeking legal assistance can be intimidating. However, at The Hawk Firm, we do not get paid unless you win. That means all of your interactions with us, from your initial consultation to our final meeting, come at no cost to you. We are confident in our ability to achieve a successful settlement for you and are more concerned with helping you recover compensation than our own financial gain.

At The Hawk Firm, we do not accept any settlement unless it is fair to you. Therefore, we plan to represent you in a trial if we cannot reach a satisfactory settlement.

Our clients are our top priority, and we are always pleased when they are satisfied after working with us. Our firm has previously been honored by the American Institute of Personal Injury Attorneys as one of the 10 Best law firms for client satisfaction. We aim to provide transparent and knowledgeable legal services to all of our clients. We want everyone who hires us to understand their case as well as they can, so they can ask questions and know that we handle their case with care.

To view what past clients have said about their experience working with us, visit our testimonials page. We look forward to making you our next happy client. Contact us today to set up a meeting with one of our experienced Georgia personal injury lawyers. We’re ready to talk to you.

Establishing Liability for Your Drunk Driving Accident Claim

In Georgia, if you’ve been involved in an accident with a drunk driver, you can seek compensation for your injuries and damages. You may be able to pursue a personal injury claim against the intoxicated driver to cover medical expenses, property damage, and other losses. Proving negligence is a critical aspect of pursuing a personal injury claim in Georgia for a drunk driving accident.

You must have documentation to back up your claims of the other party’s negligence, so your attorney may gather and present evidence, such as:

• The police report
• The toxicology results
• Photographs of the crash scene and your injuries
• Testimony from eyewitnesses
• Traffic citations
• Video footage
• Medical records

This information can help us establish a timeline of how the accident happened while allowing us to meet the standard of negligence, which comprises:

• Duty of care: The other party had a responsibility to behave with everyone’s best interests in mind.
• Breach of duty: This party breached, or violated, this duty to act prudently.
• Causation: A drunk driving accident and your injuries resulted from this negligence.
• Damages: You accumulated monetary and non-monetary losses from this incident.

In a Driving Under the Influence (DUI) personal injury case, liability can extend to multiple parties, depending on the circumstances. The primary party held liable is the drunk driver. However, others who may be held liable include:

• Social Hosts or Establishments: In some cases, if the drunk driver was overserved alcohol at a bar, restaurant, or private residence, the establishment or social host might be liable for their role in providing alcohol to an already intoxicated person. Under Georgia’s dram shop law, if a business knowingly supplied a minor or a visibly intoxicated person alcohol, they may also be held accountable in your claim or lawsuit.
• Vehicle Owners: If the drunk driver did not own the vehicle involved in the accident, the owner of the vehicle may also be held liable, especially if they allowed the driver to use their vehicle despite knowing they were intoxicated.
• Employers: If the drunk driver was driving for work-related purposes, their employer may be held liable for the accident under certain circumstances.
• Third Parties: In rare cases, other third parties who contributed to the circumstances leading to the accident might also share liability.

It’s crucial to consult with a legal professional in your jurisdiction to determine the specific parties who may be held liable in your DUI accident case and to understand the legal process involved.

Sharing Information With Insurance Companies

The insurance company may call you following your accident, and you should tell them basic details of what happened, like:

• Your name and insurance and contact information
• The date, time, and location of the crash
• The make and model of your vehicle

However, do not answer any leading questions and do not make assumptions. They can use anything you say to determine the compensation you receive.

Your lawyer’s primary duty is to protect your best interests. They will work to ensure you receive fair compensation, which may not be the primary goal of the insurance company. Dealing with an insurance company can also be stressful and time-consuming. Allowing your lawyer to handle this aspect of your case can alleviate that burden.

In a personal injury case, especially after a DUI accident, it’s essential to have a legal professional represent your interests. Have your Augusta drunk driving accident attorney speak with them on your behalf. That way, you can eliminate the stress from your recovery period and focus on what is important.

Filing Your Lawsuit Within the Georgia Statute of Limitations

According to Georgia law, you usually have two years from the date of your accident or the day of your loved one’s death to take legal action against the other party. When you contact our firm, we begin working for you immediately to ensure you adhere to the statute of limitations.

Do not wait to seek legal representation following your accident. If you miss the deadline, you cannot recover damages.

Recovering Damages in Augusta Drunk Driving Accident Cases

Drunk driving is one of the most dangerous actions that a driver can take. Driving a vehicle calls for concentration and patience. Trying to drive a vehicle while under the influence of alcohol, a substance known to affect decision-making ability and reaction time, puts all road users’ lives in potential danger.

In addition, because of how drunk drivers behave, accidents they cause can have catastrophic results. If you were injured because of a drunk driver, you may have the right to recover compensation for any damages you suffered.

Economic Damages You May Seek

Economic damages can account for past, present, or future financial hardships resulting from your accident with a drunk driver. Keep records of all your expenses after your accident. They can help your attorney as they try to determine how much money you should receive for your injuries. Expenses that you should track include not just medical expenses but also car rental fees, the money you were unable to earn while out of work, and other property or personal expenses.

These losses may include:

• Medical expenses: If you required pain medications, an ambulance ride, surgeries, diagnostic screenings, hospital stays, assistive medical equipment, and ongoing care appointments, you could recover damages for your past and future medical bills.
• Lost income: If you couldn’t earn your regular income while you received treatment for your accident-related injuries, you may seek compensation for these missed earnings.
• Lost earning capacity: If your doctor orders you to work part-time or delay your return to work for the time being, compensation can make up for this change in earning power.
• End-of-life expenses: If your loved one passed away from their injuries related to the crash, you could collect compensation for their funeral and burial service costs, final medical bills, and loss of financial support.

Possible Non-Economic Damages

Non-economic damages don’t hold a monetary value. However, using your economic damages and evaluating how the crash and injuries have affected your life, your attorney can assess these damages accordingly.

These losses may include:

• Pain and suffering: If the pain and discomfort you have from your injuries alter your way of life and inconvenience you, this form of compensation can help you adjust.
• Mental anguish: Sometimes, the trauma of a drunk driving accident can cause nightmares, insomnia, phobias, and general anxiety.
• Loss of consortium: The result of a drunk driving accident can take a toll on the relationships with your loved ones, especially your spouse.
• Disfigurement: Injuries, like burns, traumatic brain injuries, and lacerations, can inhibit your mobility and alter your appearance. You can request compensation to help you complete certain tasks you need extra assistance with.

Accidents with drunk drivers can result in devastating losses. The suffering you experience after your accident negatively affects your life, and thus, you deserve compensation.

If you are unsure if you can recover something, speak with your attorney. They may guide you through the claims process and work to ensure that you obtain the compensation you need to move forward.

Some Drunk Driving Accident Victims Qualify for Punitive Damages

Punitive damages aim to punish the defendant for their willful negligence and help ensure they don’t do such a thing again. Still, obtaining punitive damages following a car accident is rare. However, you could have grounds to recover punitive damages when a drunk driver is involved.

Under Georgia state law, claimants may secure punitive damages if they can show that the defendant showed willful negligence in their actions. Drunk driving is one such instance where punitive damages may come into play because the driver blatantly and willfully disobeyed the law.

If a Drunk Driving Accident Results in Wrongful Death

According to Georgia law, wrongful death occurs when any form of negligence results in the death of a person. In Georgia, the family of the deceased person could be entitled to the full value of the life of the decedent. The full value of life is the total amount that someone’s life is deemed to be worth without deducting any personal expenses had the deceased lived.

At The Hawk Firm, we have helped our clients recover settlements in drunk driving wrongful death cases. Our commitment in seeing injustices punished is our driving force in seeing our clients recover what they need when they lose a loved one.

Typical Drunk Driving Injuries

When a driver gets behind the wheel drunk, it is unlikely that they operate their motor vehicle as they would sober. Their impairment could lead to them causing serious damage to other drivers, pedestrians, cyclists, or other people’s property.

Common injuries suffered in drunk driving accidents are:

• Traumatic brain injuries (TBI)
• Fractures or broken bones
• Loss of limb
• Lacerations
• Burns
• Whiplash
• Spinal cord injuries
• Internal bleeding
• Organ damage
• Death

The most severe of these injuries can result in significant medical expenses, surgeries, and years of treatment. In the worst cases, innocent people may be killed.

Drunk Driving Statistics Across the United States and Georgia

Drunk driving is a serious issue not just nationwide but also in Georgia. According to a report published by the Georgia Governor’s Office of Highway Safety (GOHS), 24 percent of motor vehicle fatalities involved a driver with a blood alcohol content of 0.08 or greater.

The percentage of alcohol-related fatalities compared to all motor vehicle fatalities in Georgia was actually less than the national average of 28 percent. However, nearly one-quarter of Georgia’s motor vehicle fatalities could have been prevented if drivers would not have gotten behind the wheel drunk. In all, that accounts for 353 fatalities in one year.

Georgia has seen more than 350 alcohol-related motor vehicle accidents yearly in the last eight years, with a high of 379 fatalities in one year.

Get Help From Our Augusta Drunk Driving Accident Attorneys Today

No one should ever have to deal with the traumatic experience that follows a drunk driving accident. But if an intoxicated driver has injured you or a loved one, you may have legal options for recovering compensation. At The Hawk Firm, we are committed to serving the people of Augusta and ensuring they are safe on the roadways.

Also, in Georgia, DUI can apply to substances other than alcohol. The state’s DUI laws encompass impairment caused by drugs, both legal and illegal, in addition to alcohol. This means that if a person is operating a vehicle under the influence of drugs, whether prescription medications, over-the-counter drugs, or illegal substances, they can be charged with DUI. Georgia law enforcement and courts take a comprehensive approach to impaired driving. Penalties for DUI related to drug use can be similar to those for alcohol-related DUI.

When people willfully break the law and upend someone else’s life, they should cover the resulting damages. Our clients can rest assured knowing that our Augusta drunk driving accident attorneys work with their best interest in mind. Our lawyers will fight on their behalf to recover the compensation they deserve. Contact us today at (706) 724-8537 to begin a free consultation with our staff. Don’t pay any fees unless and until we secure compensation for you. For more information, reach out to an Augusta personal injury lawyer.

Client Testimonials

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ 5 Star Review

“Best Law Firm in the CSRA! Thank you Hawk Firm for handling all of my legal needs with outstanding professionalism! Highly recommend The Hawk Firm to anyone in need of legal services!” -Rob W.