Turlock Drunk Driving Accident Lawyers

Can I Bring a Drunk Driving Lawsuit to Recover My Damages?

In some cases, a drunk driver might face criminal charges. This is completely separate from a civil claim seeking monetary compensation as a drunk driving accident victim. To recover your damages in a drunk driving lawsuit, you need to demonstrate that the other driver’s negligent driving caused the crash. Proving negligence requires proving three separate elements.

1. First, you must prove that the other driver owed you a duty to operate their vehicle in a reasonably prudent manner—but this is not difficult since all drivers on public roads owe all other drivers this duty of care. This means that the driver must have acted as a reasonable driver would under the same or similar circumstances.
2. Next, you must show that the other driver breached that duty. If you have proof that the other driver engaged in intoxicated driving, it should be fairly easy to show they breached their duty of care.
3. Last, you must prove that the other driver’s breach caused the car accident and that the accident resulted in your injuries and resultant damages.

Like other states, California prohibits driving a vehicle while under the influence of alcohol. Thus, a driver who is driving intoxicated automatically breaches their duty to other drivers to drive in a reasonably safe manner. If you want to know if you can bring one of these claims, contact one of our Turlock drunk driving accident lawyers today. 

Damages Recoverable in a Drunk Driving Lawsuit

A drunk driving accident victim can typically recover both economic and non-economic damages. Economic damages include quantifiable monetary losses you incurred as a result of the accident. Economic damages often include:

• Medical bills;
• Rehabilitation expenses;
• Lost wages;
• Loss of future earning capacity;
• Repair costs; and
• Prescription costs.

Economic damage awards compensate the victim for the direct monetary losses they suffered due to the accident. In most cases, receipts and invoices are straightforward documents that help calculate the economic damages a defendant owes to a victim.

Non-economic damages present more of a challenge to calculate. That is because non-economic losses refer to non-quantifiable losses that a victim suffered due to the accident. In other words, there will be no invoices or receipts to look at when attempting to determine a value for less tangible non-economic losses. For example, the following are considered forms of non-economic damages:

• Pain and suffering;
• Emotional distress;
• Loss of companionship; and
• Mental anguish. 

One of Silva Injury Law’s Turlock drunk driving accident attorneys can help with the process of calculating the amount of non-economic damages you deserve.

Turlock Drunk Driving Accident Attorney, Michael Silva

In rare cases, a court might award punitive damages to drunk driving accident victims. Punitive damages aim to punish the responsible party for their conduct, rather than compensate the victim for their losses. To warrant punitive damages, you must prove that the defendant willfully and consciously disregarded the rights and safety of others. If the at-fault driver has multiple prior drunk driving conditions, it is more likely that a court will award punitive damages.

The Turlock personal injury lawyers at Silva Injury Law serve a variety of personal injury matters, including:

• Car Accident
• Dog Bite
• Slip and Fall
• Sexual Assault
• Truck Accident
• Motorcycle Accident
• Wrongful Death
• Pedestrian Accident
• Distracted Driving Accident
• Bicycle Accident
• Nursing Home Abuse

If you are in need of a Turlock personal injury lawyer, contact us today. You can also read about our philosophy here.

How Can Turlock Drunk Driving Accident Attorneys at Silva Injury Law Help with My Case?

When a drunk driving accident turns your world upside down, contact the Turlock drunk driving accident lawyers at Silva Injury Law. 

Our team of personal injury attorneys has years of experience helping accident victims. Thus, we know what it takes to bring a successful case and have helped countless clients obtain the compensation they need to recover from their injuries. 

But more than that, we will always treat you like family and fight zealously for your rights, no matter what it takes. Contact Silva Injury Law today for your free consultation and see how our team can help you.

Our experienced legal team also handles other types of personal injury cases, including:

• Car Accident
• Dog Bite
• Slip and Fall
• Sexual Assault
• Truck Accident
• Motorcycle Accident
• Wrongful Death
• Pedestrian Accident
• Distracted Driving Accident
• Bicycle Accident

Silva Injury Law – Turlock Office

2130 Geer Road A
Turlock, CA 95382
P: (209) 600-4389