Victims of drunk driving accidents face a myriad of emotional issues in addition to any physical injuries suffered. It is difficult to say just which emotional traumas are the most common because every person is unique and will respond to trauma in an individualized way.
What we have learned about trauma in our years of providing legal services is that it often takes an act of closure for victims to move forward. Victims often need to find out who is responsible for their pain and their suffering. Identifying and assigning responsibility in an official manner often opens the doorway to full emotional and mental recovery.
Exactly who is at fault in a drunk driving accident? Obviously, the driver is at fault for choosing to drive while intoxicated. However, there are times when other parties share the blame. Let’s say the motorist in a drunk driving accident stopped at a bar or a club and consumed large quantities of alcohol. The bartender or club owner never took steps to stop the driver from drinking even though he was visibly intoxicated.
When the drunk driver left the bar, he collided with a car just a few blocks away resulting in serious injuries to the occupants of the other automobile. By utilizing dram shop liability laws, it is sometimes possible for the victims to hold both the driver of the car and the servers of the bar responsible for the drunk driving accident.
At the very least, this is an option worthy of discussion with a personal injury attorney. Our law firm serves injured residents in the Oklahoma City area. We routinely publish information about drunk driving accidents on our website and in our blog. Please visit us to learn more.
