Drunk Driving Accident Lawyer in Lawrenceville

Every year, tens of thousands of people drive drunk and cause serious accidents. More often than not, it’s the victims who pay the price with lasting injuries, staggering medical bills, and extended time out of work. 

Fortunately, with the help of an experienced drunk driving car accident lawyer in Lawrenceville, GA, there are pathways toward justice and fair compensation for these victims. If you’re ready to pursue a drunk driving accident claim, Scott Pryor Law Group is ready to fight for your rights and the compensation you deserve. Contact us today to learn more.

• Understanding Drunk Driving Car Accidents in Lawrenceville, GA
  • Overview of Drunk Driving Statistics in Georgia
  • Risks and Consequences of Drunk Driving in Lawrenceville
• Legal Rights and Options for Victims of Drunk Driving Accidents
  • Who Can Be Held Liable: The Driver, Bar, or Social Host?
  • Understanding Comparative Negligence in Georgia
  • How a Drunk Driving Car Accident Lawyer Can Assist You
  • Building a Strong Drunk Driving Accident Case
  • Negotiating with Insurance Companies
  • Representing You in Court, If Necessary
  • Offering Local Insight
• Maximizing Compensation for Drunk Driving Accident Victims
  • Economic Damages
  • Non-Economic Damages
  • Punitive Damages
• Contact a Georgia DUI Accident Lawyer Today

Understanding Drunk Driving Car Accidents in Lawrenceville, GA

Drunk driving accidents are common in the United States, and the consequences are all too frequently deadly. According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, about 34 people in the U.S. died in drunk-driving accidents every day in 2023. That’s one drunk-driving death every 42 minutes. 

For those who survive drunk driving accidents, serious injuries and psychological trauma are common, and their effects can last a lifetime. From chronic pain to traumatic brain injury to permanent paralysis to PTSD symptoms, the impacts of these accidents can be physically and emotionally devastating.

Overview of Drunk Driving Statistics in Georgia

Although Georgia has strict drunk driving laws relative to most of the U.S., that doesn’t necessarily stop intoxicated people from getting behind the wheel in our state: it’s estimated that Georgia has more than 200,000 DUI arrests every single year. 

According to the Georgia Governor’s Office of Highway Safety, 507 people lost their lives in Georgia drunk driving accidents in 2022. That accounts for 28% of all car crash fatalities that year. 

Risks and Consequences of Drunk Driving in Lawrenceville

Those among the 200,000 people arrested for DUI every year can expect a fine upwards of $10,000, a license suspension, jail time, bail, towing costs, alcohol education or treatment programs, various other fees, and insurance rate increases. However, those are far from the worst consequences of drunk driving. The victims are often the ones who suffer most. 

Common injuries victims suffer include:

• Whiplash and soft tissue injuries
• Fractures and broken bones
• Spinal cord injuries
• Internal organ damage
• Traumatic brain injuries
• Permanent disabilities

Legal Rights and Options for Victims of Drunk Driving Accidents

Victims of drunk driving accidents typically have the legal right to pursue compensation for their injuries and suffering. An experienced DUI accident attorney in Lawrenceville can help you seek compensation for:

• Current and future medical expenses
• Lost wages and diminished earning capacity
• Property damage
• Pain and suffering
• Emotional distress

Who Can Be Held Liable: The Driver, Bar, or Social Host?

While the intoxicated driver may be the primary at-fault party, liability may extend to other parties under Georgia’s dram shop laws in some instances. Those parties can include:

• Bars or Restaurants: Under Georgia’s dram shop laws, any business that serves alcohol may be held partially liable if it overserves a patron or serves an underage patron and that patron gets into a drunk driving accident.
• Social Hosts: If someone serves alcohol to an underage person at a private residence, or overserves a guest who’s 21 or older, they may be partially responsible if those guests leave intoxicated and cause an accident. 

Understanding Comparative Negligence in Georgia

If you’re concerned that you may have been partially responsible for the accident and therefore don’t have a valid claim to compensation, don’t jump to any conclusions. Georgia follows a modified comparative negligence rule, meaning you can still recover compensation if you’re less than 50% responsible for the accident. However, your compensation will be reduced by the percentage of your fault.

How a Drunk Driving Car Accident Lawyer Can Assist You

The DUI accident lawyers at Scott Pryor Law Group have extensive experience fighting for the compensation our clients deserve after being injured in a DUI-related crash. Our team can help you by:

Building a Strong Drunk Driving Accident Case

We’ll put together a compelling case that establishes liability and shows the full extent and impact of your injuries. Building your case involves:

• Collecting police reports and BAC test results
• Interviewing witnesses
• Analyzing crash scene photos and videos
• Obtaining surveillance or dashcam footage
• Consulting medical professionals 

We may also work with accident reconstruction specialists to analyze the scene of the crash. These experts can provide a clear picture of how the accident happened and who might be responsible. 

Negotiating with Insurance Companies

Insurance companies have a whole playbook of tactics designed to downplay your injuries, shift blame, and minimize your payout. We’re well-versed in all of these tactics and prepared to fight fire with fire when they employ them. We’ll handle all communications with them so you don’t have to, and when it comes time to sit down at the negotiating table with them, we’ll advocate aggressively on your behalf. 

Representing You in Court, If Necessary

Most cases settle out of court, but if the insurance company refuses the kind of settlement you deserve, we’re fully prepared to file a lawsuit and take your case to Gwinnett County State Court. Should that happen, we’ll guide you through the entire process and represent you before the judge or jury.

Offering Local Insight

Our legal team’s extensive experience with Lawrenceville’s legal system, medical providers, and accident investigators offers a distinct advantage to all our local clients. We can build your case based on our knowledge of how local judges view these kinds of cases, and we have a network of experts who can offer their own unique local insight when gathering evidence.

Maximizing Compensation for Drunk Driving Accident Victims

We always aim to recover maximum compensation for our clients. What “maximum” is depends on the severity of the injuries, the strength of evidence, the number of liable parties, and whether or not the victim has permanent disabilities or long-term care needs. Compensation for the accident may include the following.

Economic Damages

Economic damages account for the financial losses incurred by the accident and your injuries. The liable party may be responsible for the following:

• Medical expenses
• Medical devices
• Lost wages
• Reduced earning capacity
• Property damage

Non-Economic Damages

Non-economic damages cover the intangible losses caused by the accident and your injuries. You may be entitled to compensation for your:

• Pain and suffering
• Emotional distress
• Loss of enjoyment of life

Punitive Damages

Punitive damages are awarded in cases where the liable party’s actions went beyond negligence and into recklessness and willful misconduct. These damages are not intended to compensate the victim but to punish the offender.

Contact a Georgia DUI Accident Lawyer Today

If you’ve suffered injuries caused by a drunk driver in Lawrenceville, you deserve justice. Our skilled DUI accident lawyers in Lawrenceville, GA, can assess your case free of charge and explain your legal rights to you. We can connect you with medical specialists, trauma counselors, and community support programs so that you can focus on healing while we focus on fighting for your rights. Contact us today for a free consultation.