Drunk Driving Motorcycle Accident Attorneys
Practicing in Virginia, North Carolina, South Carolina, West Virginia & Georgia
Crashes caused by drivers who are driving while under the influence of alcohol or illicit substances are both entirely preventable and extremely dangerous. Motorcyclists are especially at risk of suffering severe injuries if they are hit by a drunk driver because they have limited protection provided by their bikes.
Call (855) 529-7433 now if you were hit by a drunk driver while riding your motorcycle. Schedule a consultation with our drunk driving motorcycle accident attorneys.
Types of Damages in Drunk Driving Accidents
Unique evidence and types of damages that may be available to drunk driving accident claimants that are not available in other types of injury claims. For example, negligence and liability are often easier to prove when the driver who caused your accident was obviously intoxicated. In many cases, it’s easy to prove the drunk driver was entirely liable or carried a majority of the responsibility for the accident.
Motorcyclists injured in drunk driving cases may also have access to punitive damages. The reason these damages are referred to as “punitive” is because of their unique use as a punishment and deterrent. Punitive damages are intended to make the negligent act so financially painful that the drunk driver will abstain from making the same choices in the future.
Dram Shop Laws
A negligent driver’s insurance policy limits – or their complete lack of insurance – often prevent people injured in auto accidents from receiving the full compensation they deserve. An experienced motorcycle accident attorney may be able to find additional defendants to name in the plaintiff’s case to significantly increase the potential compensation the injured party can receive, though.
For example, in South Carolina, it is illegal for a bar to serve alcohol to a customer that it knows or should know is intoxicated. If the overserved drunk customer gets behind the wheel of their car and injures someone in a wreck, then the bar can be held liable and named as a defendant in a civil claim due to the state’s dram shop laws.
West Virginia allows people injured by drunk drivers to seek compensation from the establishment that served the driver, but Virginia generally does not. Georgia also allows people injured by drunk drivers to seek restitution from the liquor store, bar or restaurant that served the intoxicated driver.
In many states, dram shop laws are especially plaintiff-friendly if the intoxicated driver was a minor. In that case, you don’t even need to prove the driver was “noticeably” intoxicated at the time of being served by the establishment. Simply serving alcohol to a minor who then gets into an accident that injures or kills someone immediately makes the business open to liability.
Each state has slightly different dram shop laws, so make sure to speak with an experienced attorney to find out if those laws may apply to your case.
Have You Been Injured in a DUI Accident?
Our DUI motorcycle injury lawyers understand the physical suffering and emotional duress you and your family are enduring. We also understand the financial difficulties you face, such as rising medical bills and lost wages.
The clients we represent have been injured because someone was doing something they should not have been doing, like operating a motor vehicle after drinking alcohol. The fact that motorcycle accidents caused by drunk drivers could have been easily prevented makes them all the more unjust. Our legal team is dedicated to helping victims who have been seriously injured by the actions of irresponsible drunk drivers and alcohol-impaired motorists. For more than 30 years, our law firm has fought against insurance companies and negligent motorists and for the victims of drunk driving.
If you’ve been injured due to the negligence of others, contact one of our DUI motorcycle accident lawyers and let us fight for you.