Chris Corzo Injury Attorneys Can Help You Get Compensation After a Drunk Driving Accident
Drunk driving accidents are preventable tragedies that often leave victims with life-altering injuries, emotional trauma, and overwhelming financial burdens. If you or a loved one has been injured by a drunk driver, you deserve justice and fair compensation for your losses. At Chris Corzo Injury Attorneys, our experienced car accident lawyers have recovered billions of dollars for our clients and are ready to hold negligent drivers accountable.
If you or a loved one has been injured or killed in a drunk driving accident, you should not have to face the challenges of recovery and rebuilding on your own. Chris Corzo Injury Attorneys can help you obtain the compensation you deserve.
Call (225) 999-1111 or fill out our online contact form to speak with a Baton Rouge drunk driving accident lawyer today.
Why Choose Us?
There are many reasons to choose Chris Corzo Injury Attorneys to represent you in a Baton Rouge DUI accident injury case. Some of those reasons include:
- Decades of experience negotiating with insurance companies and recovering maximum compensation for victims involved in DUI accidents.
- Our attorneys have a deep understanding of Louisiana insurance laws and car accident injury laws to help you achieve the best possible outcome in your motor vehicle accident claim.
- We work with some of the best expert witnesses in the country to help establish the cause of your accident, the liable parties, and the value of your damages.
- We are fully dedicated to our client’s well-being and helping them recover and move forward with their lives.
Schedule a free consultation with us to discuss your case. We think you will quickly understand that we are not your typical personal injury law firm in Baton Rouge. Our Christian values drive everything we do, and we work tirelessly to get our clients the justice and compensation they deserve.
Is It Too Late To File a Lawsuit?
The deadline to file a claim is set by the statute of limitations for a specific civil legal action. Louisiana has recently extended its statute of limitations for most personal injury claims, including car accident injury claims.
If your accident happened on or after July 1, 2024, you now have two years to file a claim. However, if your accident happened before July 1, 2024, you only have one year to file a claim.
There are exceptions to the statute of limitations. In rare cases, you may have extended time to file a claim. In other cases, you may have a much shorter deadline to file. It is essential to consult with an experienced Baton Rouge DUI accident lawyer to determine your filing deadline.
If you lost a loved one in a DUI accident, you may be able to bring a survival action and/or wrongful death action.
You need to know that the new statute of limitations for most personal injury actions does not apply to wrongful death and survival actions. In those actions, you only have one year from the date of your loved one’s death to file a claim.
The sooner you contact Chris Corzo Injury Attorneys, the sooner we can get to work building your strongest case to recover maximum compensation.
Drunk Driving Laws in Louisiana
Drunk driving accidents occur when individuals operate vehicles while under the influence of alcohol or drugs, impairing their ability to drive safely. These accidents can result in severe injuries, property damage, and, tragically, loss of life. To combat drunk driving, Louisiana, like other states, has enacted laws and penalties to deter such behavior and protect the public.
Louisiana’s drunk driving laws are primarily covered under Louisiana Revised Statutes (RS) 14:98. This statute outlines the legal blood alcohol concentration (BAC) limits and the associated penalties for driving under the influence (DUI) or driving while intoxicated (DWI).
Louisiana’s BAC limits were as follows:
- 0.08% BAC or higher for drivers aged 21 and older.
- 0.02% BAC or higher for drivers under the age of 21.
- 0.04% BAC or higher for commercial vehicle drivers.
Penalties for DUI/DWI convictions can include fines, license suspension, mandatory participation in a substance abuse program, community service, probation, and even imprisonment, depending on the severity of the offense and any prior convictions.
In cases where a drunk driver causes an accident resulting in injuries or fatalities, they may face not only criminal charges but also civil liability for the damages they caused. Injured parties or their families can pursue compensation through personal injury lawsuits against the responsible driver to cover medical expenses, property damage, lost wages, pain, and suffering.
Who is Liable for a Drunk Driving Accident?
In most drunk driving accidents, the drunk driver is liable for the damages they cause. However, there are cases where the driver who was hit by a drunk driver is also partially liable. For example, if a driver hits a pedestrian while driving and talking on their cell phone, the driver and the cell phone company may be partially liable for the accident.
The key to determining who is liable for a drunk driving accident is determining whether or not the driver was negligent in causing the accident. If the driver who hit the drunk driver was negligent, then the driver who was hit may be partially liable for the accident. If the driver who hit the drunk driver was not negligent, then the drunk driver will be liable for the damages.
Chris Corzo Injury Attorneys can help you determine who is liable for your injuries. We will work with your insurance company to ensure that you receive the compensation you need to fully recover.
Louisiana Dram Shop Law
Dram shop laws are statutes that hold establishments, such as bars, restaurants, and other businesses that sell alcoholic beverages, liable for the actions of their intoxicated customers. In Louisiana, these laws are found under Louisiana Revised Statutes (RS) 9:2800.1.
According to Louisiana’s dram shop laws, if an establishment serves alcohol to an individual who is visibly intoxicated or under the age of 21, and that person subsequently causes injury or property damage due to their intoxication, the establishment can be held legally responsible. The injured party can file a lawsuit against the establishment to seek compensation for their damages.
It’s important to note that dram shop liability is not absolute in Louisiana, and there are specific conditions that must be met for an establishment to be held accountable. The establishment must have had actual knowledge of the customer’s intoxication or age and continued to serve them despite this knowledge.
Recovering Compensation After a Drunk Driving Accident
The goal of a personal injury lawsuit is to hold the negligent party accountable for their actions and to compensate you for your losses. A successful personal injury lawsuit can help you recover monetary damages to cover your medical expenses, rehabilitative care, lost wages, and pain and suffering. Drunk driving accidents are especially severe because they are completely preventable.
The compensation you can recover depends on the following:
- The extent of your injuries
- The circumstances of the accident
- The at-fault driver’s insurance policy
Victims of drunk driving accidents are often left with exorbitant medical bills, long-term rehabilitation treatments, and permanent injuries. A successful personal injury lawsuit can help you cover these expenses and more.
You may be able to recover compensation for the following damages:
- Medical expenses
- Future medical expenses
- Lost wages
- Loss of earning capacity
- Pain and suffering
- Physical and emotional pain
- Physical and emotional suffering
- Loss of consortium
- Funeral expenses
- Punitive damages
At Chris Corzo Injury Attorneys, we understand the pain and suffering that a drunk driving accident can cause. We will fight to hold the negligent driver accountable for their actions and to ensure that you receive the compensation you need to recover.
Why Do I Need To Hire a Baton Rouge Drunk Driving Accident Lawyer?
You may think that recovering fair compensation for your damages in a DUI accident is a slam dunk. However, insurance companies are not your friends.
They are in business to make a profit. They will deny your claim if possible, and if not, they will try to devalue your claim. Insurance companies often use sneaky tactics to take advantage of injury victims and get them to settle for much less than they are entitled to.
An experienced Baton Rouge drunk driving accident attorney knows all the insurance companies’ tactics and how to combat them to help you recover the full value of your damages.
Pursuing the actual value of your damages can be expensive. However, most car accident injury attorneys handle cases on a contingency fee basis. This means you don’t have to pay anything upfront for them to fight for your compensation. You only pay when they win for you.
The bottom line is that you almost always have a much better outcome when you are represented by an experienced Baton Rouge DUI accident lawyer.
Get Started on Your Case Today
The sooner you reach out to our firm, the more evidence you can preserve. Our firm can help you gather evidence, such as eyewitness accounts, police reports, and medical records. We can also help you secure all of the insurance information of the at-fault driver.
Call (225) 999-1111 to speak with a Baton Rouge drunk driving accident lawyer. We can help you seek compensation for your injuries and loss of income. We can also help you fight for justice on behalf of the harm a drunk driver has caused.