Car Crash Lawyers Serving Tampa, Holiday, Miami, St. Petersburg, Port Charlotte, Fort Myers, Naples, Bonita Springs and Surrounding Areas
In Florida, 794 people died in 2010 as a result of car accidents involving alcohol; 17,748 car crashes occurred as a result of drunk drivers; and 12,168 people were injured. These troubling statistics from Florida Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles were compiled from the Florida Crash Records Database and show the extent of the drunk driving problem in the Sunshine State.
Drunk driving is an entirely preventable cause of injury and death. If drivers would simply obey the law and use a designated driver or take a cab when they’ve been drinking, tens of thousands of people wouldn’t lose loved ones or face life-changing injuries every year. Unfortunately, some drivers choose to break the law and cause devastation as a result.
If you or a loved one has been impacted by a drunk driver, you have legal rights in Florida. Depending on the extent of your injuries, you may be able to sue the intoxicated driver and recover compensation for your full medical costs, wages lost due to injuries, pain and suffering, emotional distress caused by the accident and other losses. In order to recover the maximum compensation possible under Florida law and to ensure that the drunk driver is made to pay for what he or she did, you will need a strong legal advocate on your side.
At the Disparti Law Group Accident & Injury Lawyers, P.A., we are here to help. Contact us today to schedule a free consultation using our online form or by calling toll free 866-678-1225. We serve clients in Miami, Tampa, Holiday and throughout Florida. Don’t fight the insurance companies alone. Let us put our decades of experience and knowledge to work for you.
Drunk Driving Laws in Tampa, FL
It is illegal to drive in Florida while impaired by alcohol or other drugs. A driver who has a blood alcohol content of 0.08 percent or higher is in violation of Florida’s drunk driving laws and can be arrested.
Drivers who show signs of impairment can also be arrested regardless of their BAC, as can drivers who are under the influence of either legal or illegal drugs. Teen drivers are considered to be breaking the law if they drive with any alcohol in their system, while commercial drivers are in violation if their BAC is above 0.04 percent.
Knowing these drunk driving laws is very important, because a legal violation can help you to make a strong case against a drunk driver so you can recover compensation. However, it is not necessary for the at-fault driver to have been charged in order to recover damages in a drunk driving accident lawsuit.
Common Drunk Driving Injuries
Drunk driving accidents tend to be among the most serious and dangerous crashes, in large part because the impaired driver typically does not have the same reflexes as a normal driver to take measures to avoid or minimize a collision.
Some of the common injuries that may result after an encounter with a drunk driver include:
- Bone fractures or broken bones
- Soft tissue damage including whiplash
- Cuts, bruises, lacerations or disfigurement
- The loss of limbs due to the limb being severed or due to extensive damage to the limb during or after the crash
- Burns
- Brain damage or traumatic brain injury
- Spinal cord injuries and paralysis
- Death.
You may require ongoing medical care, be unable to do the activities that you once enjoyed and be unable to work. If this occurs, you need to be compensated for all of these losses that were caused by someone’s drinking and getting behind the wheel.
The worst-case scenario of a drunk driving accident, however, is the death of an innocent victim. When a death occurs — whether it is of someone in another vehicle or of a passenger in the vehicle with the drunk driver — the surviving family members suffer the loss of financial support from the deceased as well as the loss of love and companionship. A wrongful death lawsuit can provide monetary compensation for this loss.
Get Help From Our Tampa Drunk Driving Accident Lawyers Today
At the Disparti Law Group Accident & Injury Lawyers, P.A., we fight vigorously for people who have suffered serious injuries because of a drunk driver’s carelessness. Contact us today at 866-678-1225 or fill out our online form to learn more about how we can help you to get justice. Your first consultation is free. We work on a contingency fee basis, which means that you don’t owe us anything unless you recover money in your case.
