When you’re in a crash with a drunk driver, it can turn your world upside down in an instant. A drunk driving crash can be frustrating because it is so needless. Here are 6 tips to help you make things right when you’re hit by a drunk driver:
If you’re hit by a drunk driver, the police are your friends. They don’t work for you, but in the context of a drunk driving offense, the police can do a lot to help you build your case. The police are often the only ones who can document the crash on the scene. They can put the drunk driver through field sobriety tests and make an arrest. The results of the breathalyzer or a blood test can go a long way to help you prove your case.
Taking photos of the crash scene is a great way to document what happened to you. That way, any insurance companies involved and the jury can look at the scene for themselves. Photographs can paint a vivid picture.
Your photos don’t have to be fancy. Your phone will do the trick. Take photos of the vehicle damage and the general crash scene. If you can turn on your phone’s video and take some discreet video of the drunk driver’s demeanor, that might help you, too. Many police officers have dash cams and body cams today, but you can’t always rely on them to document the evidence that you need. You can’t take too many photos, so now is a great time to be snap happy.
Intoxicated people can sometimes be difficult. Be careful if you choose to interact with the drunk driver. Your safety is the most important.
When the police investigate a drunk driving crash, they make a crash report. In Tennessee, most of the time you can get a report online several days after the crash. In other cases, you have to request a copy of the report from the agency that conducts the investigation. A crash report may have valuable information that you can use to help you build your case. It might have witness information. It might have the officer’s documentation of the events that led to the crash. A crash report is a great place for your Knoxville personal injury lawyer to start when they begin to build your case for a fair recovery.
In addition to the police report, there are other things that you can do to gather evidence. The Tennessee Public Records Act allows you to ask for copies of public records from law enforcement. This can include dash cam and body cam footage. Getting copies of any video that exists in your case can help you paint a vivid picture for the jury.
The drunk driver might have to answer to charges of DUI. If those charges result in a conviction, they may have to pay you restitution as part of their sentence. However, the damages that are available to you as part of the criminal case are often not as complete as the damages that may be available to you in a civil case. It’s important to work with an experienced injury lawyer in order to bring a full claim for the recovery that you deserve.
After spending his secondary years of study at The McCallie School in Chattanooga, G Turner Howard III earned his BA at Tulane University. A member of the Tennessee Trial Lawyers Association, he received his law degree from the University of Tennessee College of Law. Before becoming an attorney, he earned a Master’s and Doctor of Divinity at Andrews Theological Seminary and Columbia Theological Seminary. He also served as a 1st Lieutenant in the US Army in Vietnam. With more than 20 years of experience, his firm has helped clients receive millions of dollars for personal injury, and in many cases, much faster than they ever expected.
