Drunk Driver Injury Attorneys Know That These Accidents Are Different.

Drunk driving is one of the leading causes of auto accidents in the United States. But, unlike other automobile accidents, drunk driving accidents are much more devastating. Not only are the injuries usually much more severe, but this type of automobile causes an incalculable amount of pain and suffering each year. Drunk drivers take lives and destroy families. The physical and emotional injuries that these driver cause never fully heal.

Despite public and government efforts to reduce drunk driving and the accidents that it cause, your drunk driving accident injury attorney at The Spitz Law Firm knows that this problem remains a serious threat to our safety and the safety of our families.

Reports from the U.S. Department of Transportation, Federal Highway Administration and National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, and the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s Uniform Crime Reporting Program demonstrate the extent of the problem that drunk driving causes in our communities:

An estimated 254,000 persons are injured per year in crashes where police reported that alcohol was present — an average of one person injured approximately every 2 minutes.

There will be an average of one alcohol-related fatality every 31 minutes.

There were 16,885 alcohol-related fatalities in 2005, which was 39 percent of the total traffic accident fatalities for the year.

Call An Ohio Drunk Driving Injury Lawyer 24/7 At: 1-888-70-RIGHTor (216) 291-4744

Of the 16,885 people who died in alcohol-related crashes in 2005, 14,539 (86%) were killed in crashes where at least one driver or non-occupant had a BAC of .08 or higher.

For fatal crashes occurring from midnight to 3 a.m., 76 percent involved alcohol.

In 2005, a total of 414 (21%) of the fatalities among children age 14 and younger occurred in crashes involving alcohol. Of those 414 fatalities, more than half (224) of those killed were passengers in vehicles with drivers with BAC levels of .01 or higher. Alcohol was involved in 40 percent of the fatal pedestrian accidents.

There are on average 3,000 bicyclists injured and 281 bicyclists killed in alcohol-related crashes every year, which is up 10 percent from just two years ago.

In 2004, over 1.4 million drivers were arrested for driving under the influence of alcohol or narcotics. This is an arrest rate of 1 for every 139 licensed drivers in the United States.

Unfortunately, Ohio remains in the top ten states for alcohol related crashes and drunk driving wrongful deaths. Indeed, despite an decline of alcohol related deaths in motor vehicle accidents between 2001 and 2003, the number of victims killed in traffic accidents involving drunk drivers has continued to go since then. In fact, since 2004, each year approximately 38 percent of total traffic deaths are deemed to be alcohol related.

At The Spitz Law Firm, your drunk driving injury attorney will aggressively pursue claims against the drunk drivers responsible for your serious injuries and/or the deaths of your loved ones. Under Ohio law, drunk driving victims are not limited to just pursuing claims for negligence against the liable drunk drivers. Drunk driver injury victims and surviving family members also have a right to sue for punitive damages designed to punish the drunk driver for willful, wanton, and reckless conduct.

Additionally, your drunk driving accident attorney may also be able to hold the people or businesses who served alcoholic beverages to a drunk driver legally liable for the damages caused by the drunk driver, particularly if alcohol was sold to an underage person or to a person who was obviously intoxicated at the time of sale. Ohio law allows drunk driving accident attorneys to file suit against those parties responsible for contributing to drunk driving accidents. Drunk driving injury lawyers refer to this type of action as a “dram shop” claim. As soon as you call, your drunk driving injury attorney at The Spitz Law Firm will vigorously pursue maximum amount of recovery possible from every potential defendant and liable party.

If you or your loved one has been injured in a drunk driving accident, do not wait to call the right drunk driving accident injury attorney to help you. Call The Spitz Law Firm now.

Call The Right Cleveland Drunk Driving Accident Attorney 24/7 At: 1-888-70-RIGHT or (216) 291-4744