Houston Drunk Driving Accident Lawyers

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Houston Drunk Driving Accident Lawyers

Justice & Compensation After a Harris County Drunk Driving Crash

group of teenagers drinking alcohol at a party

​Drunk drivers are a menace to others on the road whether they realize it or not. To make matters worse, most intoxicated drivers are too ashamed of their wrongful actions to own up to them. When they cause a crash, they will usually deny any liability even though they know they put someone else in danger through their poor decisions.

Houston alone has experienced over 5,000 impaired driving accidents every year since 2010. This breaks down to about 14 drunk driving accidents per day, or one every other hour. Over 300 people are killed in these types of accidents in Houston, TX every year (The Houston Chronicle).

To get compensation from a drunk driver, you will likely need to file a personal injury claim against them. Dunk Law Firm in Houston can help. We are here to manage all aspects of your civil claim against the drunk driver and the insurance company representing them. Even if you were hit by a drunk driver with no insurance, you may still be able to pursue compensation.

Use our years of legal experience to your advantage. Call our drunk driving accident lawyers in Houston at (713) 575-1991 today.

On This Page:

Does Drunk Driving Cause Automatic Liability?

A car accident case caused by a drunk driver might seem to be fairly straightforward on the surface. Yet civil claims against drunk drivers are often complex and further complicated by insurance defense attorneys.

While intoxication is certainly proof of negligence on behalf of the drunk driver, it does not guarantee they will be fully liable for your damages. You still need to establish liability, which is something our firm excels in. We can also investigate if other parties could be liable for the accident, such as a bar that continued to serve alcohol to a patron even though they were clearly intoxicated and intended to drive later. Liability can be established in this way using dram shop laws.

What Types of Auto Accidents Are Caused by Impaired Drivers?

Some types of accidents are more frequently caused by drunk driving than others because of its erratic nature. Examples of accidents that drunk drivers regularly cause include:

  • Head-on collisions
  • Rear-end collisions
  • Rollover crashes

Unsuspecting motorists can always suffer serious injuries from the actions of a Houston drunk driver, regardless of the type of collision.

Is It Worth Suing a Drunk Driver?

drunk driver being given a breathalizer test

Deciding whether or not you want to pursue a drunk driving accident lawsuit against the negligent driver is entirely up to you. However, there are several things you should take into account when making your decision:

  1. Medical bills can pile up; if you have been injured, your best chance of recovering sufficient compensation is to pursue a claim against the other driver's insurance
  2. Filing a lawsuit can ensure the driver doesn't hurt anyone else by demanding that they be held accountable for their actions
  3. If you have lost a loved one to a drunk driver, pursuing a wrongful death claim will help ensure that their loved ones are properly cared for in their absence

Total Compensation in Drunk Driving Claims

The devastation caused by a drunk driver can wreck your finances. As medical costs add up, you might be unable to go to work and earn a paycheck due to the severity of your injuries, compounding the issue. Our Houston drunk driving accident attorneys know what you are going through, whether you were hurt in a crash or lost a loved one. We will do all we can to ensure you are fairly compensated in hopes that we can make your life at least a little less stressful.

Damages we can likely cite in your drunk driving accident claim:

  • Medical expenses
  • Lost income and wages
  • Lowered earning capacity
  • Pain and suffering
  • Lessened enjoyment of life
  • Property damage

If you lost a loved one to the recklessness of a drunk driver, then we can seek additional damages in your wrongful death claim. It might be possible to further compensate you for funeral and burial costs, lost income that should have been earned by your loved one, support and companionship you can no longer receive, and more. In all drunk driving cases that go to court, there is also the chance that the judge will approve punitive damages, which are meant to punish the defendant for criminal or egregious wrongdoing.

Can I Sue If I Was a Passenger in a Drunk Driver's Vehicle?

If you were injured in a drunk driving accident, even if you were a passenger in the drunk driver's car, you can still file a personal injury lawsuit against the driver. In order to bring a claim you will need to prove the same elements of negligence as any other motorist involved in the collision:

  1. That they owed you, as their passenger, a duty of care
  2. That they breached that duty of care by driving while intoxicated
  3. That they caused your injuries because of this breach

Is a DUI Conviction Evidence of Liability?

The average Houston personal injury claim takes longer to conclude than the average drunk driving criminal court case. We can use this difference to your advantage as a drunk driving accident claimant.

The criminal court is separate from the civil court, but evidence from one court can still be used in the other. If the defendant to your injury claim was convicted of drunk driving, then we can access evidence used in that case to benefit your claim. Even a conviction alone can be convincing if your claim becomes a lawsuit before a jury because it stands to say that evidence of criminal culpability can also prove civil liability.

Prevention: How Can I Avoid Getting Hit By a Drunk Driver?

how to avoid being hit by a drunk driver infographic

All drunk driving accidents would be avoidable, if we could simply get drivers to strop driving while intoxicated. Unfortunately, although drunk drivers face heavy fines and jail time, that still doesn't keep some from getting behind the wheel. Because of this, every driver should be aware of these 5 ways you can work to prevent being involved in an accident with a drunk driver:

  1. Avoid driving late at night or on holidays (this is when most drunk driving accidents occur)
  2. Drive closer to the right side of your lane than to the left; that way if a drunk driver is attempting to pass you and swerves out of their lane into yours, you have a little more space between your car and theirs
  3. Avoid country roads and two-lane highways at night; the majority of drunk driving accidents occur on these roads when it's dark out
  4. Report reckless or erratic drivers; if you see another driver who you believe may be intoxicated, call the police or highway patrol and immediately report the location, make and model of the car
  5. Don't let your friends drive drunk; if everyone takes steps to encourage friends and family to drive responsibly, we can reduce the number of drunk drivers on the road

Texas Drunk Driving Statistics

The Texas Department of Transportation (DOT) reported the following DUI statistics for the year 2020:

  • Throughout the entire state, 958 people were killed in motor vehicle crashes were a driver was known to be under the influence of alcohol, accounting for 25% of total traffic fatalities that year (source).
  • The majority of these DUI crashes throughout Texas occurred between the hours of 2:00 and 2:59 am.
  • In the city of Houston there were 79 fatalities related to DUI crashes in 2020 (source).
  • Harris County reported over 120 fatal crashes in 2020 related to DUI (source).
  • It was reported that throughout Texas, the age of drivers most commonly involved in fatal DUI crashes were between 21 and 35 (source).

Begin Your Claim – Call Our Firm Today

Moving quickly after a drunk driving accident is important for making the most of your claim and the available evidence. Also, if you wait too long, then the Texas statute of limitations can end and force your claim to an early close. Dunk Law Firm and our drunk driving accident lawyers in Houston are standing by to amplify your voice, hold drunk drivers accountable, and fight for the compensation you deserve.

If you have been hit by a drunk driver in Houston, we can help you pursue a settlement. Please schedule your free initial consultation today. We take calls around-the-clock.

Other services

Houston Office

717 Franklin St
Houston, TX 77002

(713) 575-1991

Memphis Office

149 Monroe Ave.
Memphis, TN 38103

(901) 231-4779

Milwaukee Office

777 Jefferson Street
Milwaukee, WI 53202

(713) 575-1991