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When someone chooses to drink and drive, they knowingly put the lives of everyone they cross paths with at risk. Every year, countless innocent people experience injuries in drunk driving car accidents in Harrisburg. These accidents are completely preventable, and yet people suffer harm on a daily basis because drunk drivers choose to get behind the wheel of a car.
Despite the widely known consequences of drunk driving, it continues to be one of the leading causes of tragic car accidents in Pennsylvania and across the United States. When you or someone you love gets hurt because of a drunk driver, you have the right to pursue justice and accountability with the support of a dedicated auto accident attorney.
Consequences for Drunk Drivers
A driver is considered by law to be drunk when they have a blood-alcohol concentration of 0.08 percent or higher. The higher a driver’s BAC is at the time of their arrest for drunk driving, the harsher the punishments they may face. Drunk drivers with previous DUI convictions may also face enhanced penalties.
Drunk drivers can face consequences in both civil and criminal lawsuits. Criminal charges can punish a drunk driver in several ways, including jail time, monetary fines, or revocation of their license. In civil lawsuits, injured accident survivors or the family members of someone who passed away can hold drunk drivers accountable. A capable Harrisburg lawyer can assist a drunk driving accident survivor with attaining compensation for their injuries and other losses.
Pursuing Compensation After a Drunk Driving Crash
As long as you are not more than 51% at fault for a crash, you may be entitled to compensation. However, even if the driver was drunk when the crash occurred, you may still need to provide additional evidence to prove that the driver’s negligence led to your injuries and other losses.
In Harrisburg, recoverable damages in a civil suit based on a drunk driving accident can be economic or non-economic. Economic damages cover quantifiable losses such as medical bills, vehicle repair costs, and lost wages. Non-economic damages cover losses that are not quantifiable. Some examples of non-economic damages include pain and suffering, mental and emotional distress, and reduced quality of life.
Insurance companies may push back against the validity of non-economic damages because they do not have a statement or bill proving their monetary value, so it may be essential to work with a seasoned attorney who knows how to prove these types of damages and their value. The right evidence can sway a jury in your favor or have an insurance company provide the maximum settlement that you are entitled to. Our attorneys can gather and review all available evidence to support your claim, including police reports, physical evidence of the crash, photographs of the accident scene, eyewitness statements, videos of the accident, and expert witnesses.
Call a Harrisburg Attorney After a Drunk Driving Car Accident
You likely have countless questions and concerns after being involved in a car accident caused by a drunk driver. Navigating medical bills, vehicle damage, and other losses can feel overwhelming on your own. You deserve to have a legal team on your side whose goal is to help you obtain fair compensation and hold a drunk driver accountable. Call Lowenthal & Abrams, Injury Attorneys, after a drunk driving car accident in Harrisburg to discuss your next steps.
