You’re Hit by a Drunk Driver. What Happens Now?

Despite the high number of fatalities that occur eachyear due to drunk driving, thousands of motorists across the countrycontinue to consume alcohol and drive for various reasons: they livenearby the bar, they have a high alcohol tolerance, they don’t want towait to sober up, or it’s late and the roads are clear.

As many of us know, these mentalities are nothing but justifications in the minds of intoxicated individuals to drink and drive. In 2017 alone, there were 10,874 fatalities in alcohol-related crashes.

Steps Following an Accident With a Drunk Driver

Whenyou are hit by an intoxicated driver, it’s essential to understand thesteps you should take following the accident and the rights you havemoving forward.

You should first:

• Contact the police immediately. This will allow the officers to determine if the other driver is intoxicated. If so, they can be sure to take that driver off the road and put the information in a police report. This will also help your injury case down the road. Do not try to engage with the driver, especially if he or she is noticeably intoxicated.
• Document the accident scene. If you are able, try to get photos of both cars as well as other factors that may have contributed to the accident or were impacted by it, such as road signs or skid marks on the road.
• Obtain witness information. If there were any witnesses to the accident, they can corroborate that the intoxicated driver’s actions resulted in the accident. This information includes whether they were driving on the wrong side of the road or perhaps swerved into your lane.
• Get medical treatment. If you were not taken by ambulance to a hospital, you should immediately seek medical treatment. Even if you do not believe you are injured, you may have internal injuries or injuries that won’t affect you until later on. Going immediately after the accident will help prove that the injuries were sustained in the accident.

How Are Victims Compensated?

In the state of Nevada, a wide variety of damages are recognized when you are a victim of any car accident. Nevada also recognizes the right for victims and their families to sue for punitive damages in cases that involve intoxication. Manslaughter charges may also be brought against the drunk driver if anyone dies in the accident or as a result of it.

Aconviction for driving under the influence will, typically,automatically establish the facts to sue for punitive damages. It can beeasier for victims of drunk driving accidents to obtain the fullestamount of compensation allowed by law because the act of driving drunkalready establishes criminal and financial liability to compensate thevictim. In cases where the drunk driver is uninsured or underinsured,the drunk driver, himself, would be personally liable to have theirwages garnished for the rest of his or her life.

Various types of damages recognized in Nevada:

• Pain and suffering
• Property damage
• Long-term disability
• Quality of life issues
• Loss of consortium
• Wrongful death
• Lost wages
• Medical bills
• Funeral expenses

Theproperty damage may be the easiest part to quantify. If a vehicle wastotaled or requires extensive repairs, the value can be calculated andpaid in full.

The best Las Vegas car accident attorneys at Steve Dixon Law will be able to calculate more complicated damages, such as lost wages and ongoing medical treatments. If you are injured, your average income can be compared to current income. If your long-term ability to earn those wages is compromised, then future wages can also be assessed in the same manner.

Medical bills are also basedon your current medical bills and also any future medical bills that maybe incurred when long-term therapy or care is required. Quality of lifedamages exist when a person is injured and no longer able to enjoy lifein the same manner because of the impairment.

Lossof consortium and wrongful death lawsuits are filed on behalf of thefamily members and significant others who are injured. They may havelost tangible and intangible benefits such as the companionship of aspouse or other loved one, an inheritance, financial support, or maycontinue to suffer emotional damages of pain and suffering themselves.They may also be forced to care for someone with a permanent disability.

It is critical that you start building your case as quickly as possible by contacting the Las Vegas personal injury lawyers at Steve Dixon Law. A personal injury attorney from Las Vegas working in our offices can help you understand the types of compensation available to you and the steps that you must take to claim them in court.

Injured by a Drunk Driver? Contact Steve Dixon Law

In order to prevail in a Las Vegas personal injury case against a drunk driver and anyone else responsible, you will need an experienced Las Vegas car accident lawyer. Only an experienced car accident attorney has the skills to present your claims as firmly as possible and expert witnesses to support it.

The experienced attorneys at Steve Dixon Law have the foresight to manage your claim at every phase. This frees you of any risk of missing out on compensation owed to you and allows you to expedite settlements in many cases.

In the days, weeks, and months immediately after an accident, the need for financial resources is the most serious. Having a seasoned attorney on your side will provide you with the resources you need to obtain the best medical care while ensuring the burden is off your shoulders and you can focus on healing.

If you’ve been injured by a drunk or impaired driver, contact Steve Dixon Law at (702) 329-4911 for helping seeking compensation and protecting your rights.