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A Washington, DC drunk driving accident lawyer can provide vital guidance and support when a drunk driver’s reckless actions turn your life upside down, leaving you to cope with devastating injuries, emotional trauma, and overwhelming medical bills. If you or a loved one has been the victim of an intoxicated driver in the District, understanding your legal rights and taking steps to protect your future is essential. The impact extends far beyond the initial trauma – victims often face lost wages, mounting rehabilitation costs, and complex insurance claims while trying to focus on their physical and emotional recovery.
Many accident victims feel overwhelmed when insurance companies pressure them to accept quick settlements that may fall far short of covering their long-term needs and future expenses. Taking prompt action by consulting with our experienced legal team at Regan Zambri Long for a free consultation can help ensure your rights are protected and you receive full compensation for all your injuries and losses.
Call today to learn how our DUI accident lawyers can help you.
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Unfortunately, according to the Washington Regional Alcohol Program, around 20% of the fatal accidents in Washington, DC, in 2021 involve drugs and/or alcohol. Worse, a DUI arrest occurs approximately every 38 minutes in the DC region.
If you suffered serious injuries in a drunk driving accident in Washington, DC, having an experienced DC car accident lawyer on your side can help you obtain the compensation you deserve.
By working with a drunk driving accident lawyer in DC, you can rest assured knowing your case is being investigated with the utmost integrity. Our lawyers will collect the evidence for your claim, establish negligence, and secure maximum compensation for your injuries.
In the past, we have helped other clients pursue highly successful claims related to drunk driving accidents, including:
Call or email the car accident injury team at Regan Zambri Long today for a free consultation.
Drunk drivers can engage in a number of dangerous behaviors, increasing the risk of an accident for others around them. In fact, even at a low level of inebriation, drivers may start to exercise poor judgment and make dangerous decisions, such as pulling across multiple lanes of traffic to speed, slamming on the brakes, and driving erratically. All of these behaviors may make it difficult for other drivers to predict their next actions or to avoid them on the road.
Drunk drivers may also suffer from slower reflexes, making reacting more difficult if they end up in a dangerous scenario. Additionally, drivers may struggle to see clearly at high levels of inebriation. They may suffer from tunnel vision or blurred vision, both of which can make it unsafe to operate a motor vehicle.
All of those factors combine to create an extremely serious crash. Driving under the influence of alcohol or drugs is reckless and negligent. When a drunk driver causes an accident and injures someone else as a result, they must be held accountable for their actions. A drunk driving accident lawyer at Regan Zambri Long can help ensure that the at-fault party pays for the harm you have suffered as a result of their recklessness.
Every day, around 37 people in the United States die in drunk driving accidents, which equates to one person every 39 minutes. Others may suffer severe injuries, including traumatic brain injury, spinal cord injuries, as well as the loss of a limb. Even if you suffered more minor injuries, including broken bones, however, you may still have a long road to recovery ahead of you. You will be facing large medical bills, lost wages, and emotional trauma. You deserve to be compensated for your injuries.
Compensation for drunk driving accident victims typically falls into two categories: economic and non-economic damages. Economic damages cover the tangible financial losses resulting from the accident. While drunk drivers themselves don’t directly pay victims’ medical bills, their insurance companies may be liable for covering these expenses. These medical costs can escalate quickly, encompassing emergency room treatment, surgical procedures, medical equipment, extended hospital or rehabilitation facility stays, and various therapy services including physical and occupational rehabilitation. It’s essential for victims to maintain detailed records of all accident-related medical expenses.
Lost wages represent another significant form of economic damages. The severe nature of drunk driving accident injuries in DC often prevents victims from returning to work immediately. Those with multiple broken bones may struggle with basic self-care, let alone managing work responsibilities. More serious injuries, such as traumatic brain injuries or amputations, can lead to extended periods away from work. These lost wages, combined with accumulating medical bills, often create substantial financial hardship for victims and their families.
Beyond these tangible losses, victims may also pursue non-economic damages through their personal injury claims. These damages acknowledge the physical pain, emotional anguish, and various other intangible losses resulting from the accident. An experienced attorney can help victims understand how these non-economic factors should be valued and included in their overall compensation claims.
Most of the time, when a drunk driver causes an accident, the drunk driver’s insurance will pay out the compensation you deserve as part of a personal injury claim. Punitive damages, however, get paid directly by the drunk driver. In DC, most drunk driving accident victims do not receive punitive damages as part of their personal injury claims.
The experienced, committed team of attorneys at Regan Zambri Long aims to help each client achieve the best possible resolution for their claim. We:
Help Our Clients Understand the Compensation They Deserve: Do you know how much compensation you deserve for your drunk driving accident? All too often, insurance companies will try to take advantage of people who do not understand their legal rights and do not know how much compensation they should expect after a drunk driving accident. They may contact you shortly after your accident to offer you what sounds like a great settlement. But if you take it, you may later discover that you should have received far more compensation for your injuries or losses.
Estimate the Value of an Accident Claim: The value of your DC drunk driving accident claim can depend on several factors, including the severity of your injuries, the amount of property damage, lost wages, medical expenses, and wrongful death. Because the long-term health implications may not be immediately known, working with an attorney gives you the best chance to estimate your needs now and in the future.
Investigate Our Clients’ Claims: At Regan Zambri Long, we carefully investigate our clients’ claims to determine all factors that may have contributed to the accident and how much compensation you really deserve. We will help uncover the real cause of your accident and help our clients maximize the compensation they can seek through the other driver’s insurance company. In addition, we will investigate as well as help document the full extent of your injuries and the limitations stemming from your accident and making it easier to determine the compensation you should expect as a result of those injuries.
Negotiate With the Insurance Company: Dealing with an insurance company over a drunk driving accident settlement can leave anyone feeling stressed, out of sorts, and ready to give up. Fortunately, you do not have to handle those negotiations on your own. At Regan Zambri Long, we can take over negotiations with the insurance company on behalf of our clients. This can free you up to focus on your recovery instead of worrying about unnecessary pressure from the insurance company.
Represent Our Clients in Court: Most drunk driving accident claims settle out of court. Insurance companies know that going to court can substantially increase their legal fees and the time their team has to spend dealing with a drunk driving accident claim. So they try to settle out of court whenever possible. In some cases, however, you may need to go to court, especially if you need to prove that you did not cause your accident or that your injuries impose much more severe limitations than the other driver’s insurance company claims.
The car accident lawyers at Regan Zambri Long are ready to represent our clients in court if necessary, from delivering a clear case that will establish the compensation our clients deserve to pursue the compensation our clients deserve determinedly.
According to Washington, DC law, if you are driving with a blood alcohol content that is .08 percent or higher, you will be charged for driving while under the influence. In other words, a BAC of .08 is approximately four to five drinks, depending on the size of the individual and how their body can process alcohol.
Additionally, if you are under 21 and any measurable amount of alcohol in your system or a commercial driver with a BAC of .04 percent or above, you will be arrested for DUI.
Washington, DC, has clear dram shop laws under the Restaurant Revitalization and Dram Shop Clarification Amendment Act of 2024. These laws allow injured people to sue businesses that serve alcohol irresponsibly when that service causes them injuries.
Under DC law, a bar or restaurant can be held liable when they:
For example, if a bar continues serving someone who is slurring their words or stumbling, and that person later causes a drunk driving accident, both the driver and the establishment can be held responsible for the resulting injuries.
This law protects the public by holding businesses accountable when they put profits ahead of safety by overserving alcohol. However, you must file your claim within specific time limits – three years for personal injury cases and two years for wrongful death claims.
To learn how you can file a claim against an establishment, call Regan Zambri Long.
Because of contributory negligence laws, if the injured party were also the drunk driver, they would not be able to recover any compensation, no matter how severe their injuries may be.
In normal circumstances, if you are a passenger involved in a car accident, you can file a claim for your injuries with the at-fault driver’s insurance company. Yet, it may be a little more complicated in a drunk driving crash.
If the passenger knew that the driver was drunk at the time of the accident, they may be found partially at fault, and their claim could be dismissed. However, there are factors that could affect the outcome, such as:
If you were a passenger in a drunk driving accident, your first step is to speak with a qualified drunk driving accident attorney from Regan Zambri Long to learn what options are available to you.
Your first step is to ensure everyone in your vehicle is okay. If you can, try to move to safety and call 911 to inform them about the accident and injuries sustained.
Next, try to gather as much information as possible from the scene. Get photos of the scene and of the damage to the vehicles. Get the contact information from the other drivers and any passengers involved. And finally, speak with any witnesses and get their contact information.
When emergency services arrive, give a brief statement, then go to the hospital. Even if you don’t think you were injured in the accident, it’s best to get checked out.
Finally, call Regan Zambri Long for help with the claim process. Our attorneys can explain what your legal options are and speak with the insurance company on your behalf.
If you suffered serious injury as a result of a drunk driver’s dangerous actions, you deserve compensation for your injuries. The experienced attorneys at Regan Zambri Long can help you better understand your legal rights, including your right to compensation.
Our attorneys have years of experience handling a wide range of personal injury claims, including drunk driving car accident claims. Your rights after a drunk driving accident are very similar to your rights after any type of car accident. The leading DC accident attorneys at Regan Zambri Long can help you examine those rights.
Contact Regan Zambri Long today to learn more about your right to compensation after a drunk driving accident.
