It only takes an instant for an intoxicated driver to radically change your life forever. If you’re injured in a crash caused by a drunk driver, your injuries may be severe and require a long recovery period. Due to the at-fault driver’s negligence, you have a number of legal protections available, including the right to file a lawsuit against that driver.
Your Right to Pursue Compensation After a Missouri DWI Crash
Depending on the circumstances of the collision, an at-fault drunk driver could likely be ticketed by the police for driving while intoxicated (DWI). In some egregious cases involving major bodily harm or wrongful death, there may also be criminal charges brought against the drunk driver.
However, neither the DWI ticket nor the criminal charge will help in your financial recovery in any way. They won’t help you recoup losses such as a totaled vehicle or huge medical bills. That’s why you need an attorney to assist in protecting your legal rights after a drunk driving crash. After leaving the hospital, your most important next step is to contact a car accident lawyer.
Potential Damages After an MO Drunk Driving Crash
Your legal right to recover damages means you can potentially recoup costs for your losses due to the crash. Whether you’re pursuing an insurance settlement or a personal injury civil lawsuit, you could potentially receive compensation for:
- Damage to your vehicle caused by the drunk driver
- Hospital bills, medication expenses, surgical costs, and other types of expensive health care directly related to the DWI crash injury
- Lost income while recovering from your injuries
- Lost earning potential, estimated future medical costs, and non-economic damages for pain and suffering
How an Attorney Can Help After a Drunk Driving Crash in Missouri
If the police cite the at-fault party for drunk driving, that doesn’t guarantee you’ll receive compensation. While the citation can be extremely useful evidence for your attorney as you pursue financial recovery, police reports and citations are just one small part of a complete investigation into all aspects of the collision.
Your legal right to pursue compensation includes all potential defendants, which is why you need an experienced Missouri drunk driver accident lawyer to dig into the causes of the crash. The liable party could also include the commercial establishment that over-served the intoxicated driver. Determining liability is one of the primary reasons to call an attorney as soon as you can after being hurt by a drunk driver.
The chances of recovering everything you’re owed are greatly reduced if you don’t have an experienced attorney handling negotiations for you. Why? Because it’s easy to accidentally interfere with your own recovery if you don’t know about common tactics used by insurance companies to deny or reduce your claim. Sometimes, simple mistakes like releasing your full medical records to insurance companies or using social media can completely ruin your chances of a financial recovery.
Have You Been Injured in a Missouri Car Accident?
If you’ve been injured in a Missouri car accident you should speak with an experienced car accident lawyer as soon as possible. Please feel free to contact us online or call our office directly at 314.470.4928 to schedule a free consultation. We help car accident victims throughout the state of Missouri, including Columbia, Springfield, Kansas City, St. Louis, Kirksville, and Cape Girardeau.
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