Injured in a Drunk Driving Car Accident in Colorado?
Denver DUI lawyer gets tough on intoxicated drivers, helps victims
Any car accident is a serious matter, but we see every day the devastation drunk driving accidents can cause in the lives of Colorado victims and their families.
Your drunk driver accident attorney at The Babcock Law Firm is committed to aggressive representation to secure fair and equitable retribution for victims enduring the pain and suffering caused by drunk driving accidents in Colorado.If you have lost a loved one to a drunk driver, see our page on wrongful death
- What’s considered drunk driving under Colorado law?
- What damages can I recover if I file a DUI injury claim?
- What should I do if I am injured in a drunk driving accident?
- How can a lawyer help me with my drunk driving accident?
Drunk Driving Statistics: An Epidemic in Colorado & Across the United States
Drunk driving arrests and accidents are all too common in both urban and rural areas of Colorado, as well as all across this great country.
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration reports over 10,000 deaths nationally each year are caused by drunk drivers with blood alcohol levels of .08 or higher, and hundreds of those deaths resulted from drunk driving accidents in Colorado alone.
Every day, almost 29 people in the United States die in alcohol-impaired vehicle crashes—that’s one person every 50 minutes in 2016. (NHTSA)
According to figures from the Colorado Bureau of Investigation, there was an average of just over 31,000 arrests for driving under the influence each year from 2005 to 2007. Incredibly, over a third of these arrests were for second time offenders.
Colorado is in fact one of only four states where multiple DUI charges doesn’t necessarily translate into a felony. To compare, other states impose a felony conviction and prison term after the third DUI conviction. Unfortunately, many DUI-related accidents that occur are caused by drivers with a prior record for drunk driving.
Regardless of how many arrests a driver has though, you do have rights as a victim of another driver’s carelessness.
“I had a wonderful experience with Babcock law firm. Everyone was super helpful and made sure that I walked away with at least something instead of nothing. I was kept up to date on everything in a timely manner and I really appreciated that. Stephanie was really understandin of my situation and always made sure I felt welcome which is really important to me. Thank you Babcock for everything you did for me.”
Tips for Spotting a Drunk Driver
In the United States, a person gets in a drunk driving accident about every 53 minutes. In fact, drunk driving is the cause of almost one out of every three traffic deaths. Americans take an estimated 233 billion vehicle excursions and trips each year, and one in every 2,000 of these trips is being taken by a person under the influence of alcohol or drugs according to MADD.
If you find yourself in a position where you or your driver is intoxicated, make other arrangements to get home. Doing so may turn what could have been one of the worst decisions of your life into one of the best choices you’ve ever made.
While you can choose to be responsible, there’s nothing you can do about another person other than try to stay out of their way and report a drunk driver to the local authorities.
Below are 9 tips to help you identify a possible drunk driver:
- Zig sagging and weaving in the road; inability to stay in their lane
- Driving on the wrong side of the road
- Driving at night without lights on
- Turning without using signals and doing so abruptly and even possibly illegally
- Driving at a “snail’s pace”
- Tailgating
- Putting brakes on often and erratically
- Stopping at green lights and other actions that do not make sense
- Driving at an excessive and dangerous speed
What to do (and what not to do) if you spot a drunk driver?
- Call 911 immediately and give the exact information about your location, type of car the person is driving and their tag number (if you can get it).
- Do not try to pass a suspected drunk driver.
- Pull over or stay far enough away from the driver.
- Do not approach the driver or try to talk to him/her – let the police handle that part.
- If there is any way to wave down other drivers and warn them about the danger ahead, do it. However, do not put yourself in harm’s way.
What if an accident occurs? Read these 5 tips on what to do if the drunk driver crashes into you or someone else.
Startling Drunk Driving Statistics (MADD)
- The rate of drunk drivers who continue to drive on a suspended license is 50 to 75 percent.
- On average, a drunk driver has driven while intoxicated 80 times before he or she is arrested.
- Nearly a fourth (23.4%) of all drunk drivers are between the ages of 21 to 25.
- Men are almost twice as likely to drive drunk compared to women (15.1% vs.7.9%).
- In the year 2012, 29.1 million people admitted to driving under the influence of alcohol. This number is more than the amount of people that live in the state of Texas!
- On nights and weekends the roads are crowded with more drunk drivers than during the week. (However, this doesn’t mean roads are 100 percent safe – even at 8 o’clock on a Monday morning!)
A fatal drunk driving accident is tragic because the death could have been avoided had the driver made a better decision. Never let a friend convince you that they are okay to drive because they drank a lot of coffee or took a cold shower. Only time can help a person sober up.
In 2010, Colorado lost 110 people due to senseless drunk driving accidents. In 2011, this number rose to 161. No one is exempt from possibly becoming a victim of an intoxicated driver. Drive defensively and be aware at all times, especially when commuting late at night. And remember, reporting a drunk driver could possibly save someone’s life!
Why Hire a Colorado DUI Accident Lawyer?
Colorado drunk driving accident attorneys at The Babcock Law Firm are knowledgeable and experienced in the complex intricacies of DUI/drunk driving cases. In addition to medical costs, there are usually issues of punitive and exemplary damages that you need to be aware of.
Many drunk drivers are uninsured or carry only minimal insurance coverage. Your Colorado drunk driving accident attorney can navigate the complex waters of insurance as they relate to your DUI/drunk driver case, working to find the additional proof that may be needed to win your case.
Consulting with a DUI accident attorney as early as possible in the process also helps ensure you receive the settlement you truly need.
In many cases, the insurance company will try and settle a case early in the process in an attempt to avoid future expenses that are likely to come up.
It’s certainly possible, and quite common in fact, that symptoms caused by the accident can take years to appear. It’s also common for physical therapy, rehabilitation and lost wage costs to persist for years after a DUI accident as well.
Besides recouping these costs through a settlement though, Colorado courts, by default, can award punitive damages for pain and suffering in DUI accident cases. Punitive damages are imposed separately and are intended to deter future drunk driving on the part of the defendant.
In addition to these civil proceedings, the offending driver will most likely need to answer for criminal charges as well, especially if their actions led to a fatality. In the civil proceedings, the case becomes a wrongful death suit if there is a fatality.
How to Choose the Best Colorado DUI Attorney
For almost every drunk driving accident, there’s a criminal and a civil case. It’s important to work with an accident attorney who’s familiar with the interplay between the criminal case and the civil case of a drunk driving accident. The Babcock Law Firm will make sure the issues of the criminal case work to your advantage in your civil trial.
Our Colorado drunk driver accident lawyers are aggressive in claims against drunk drivers. We pursue claims based on both the negligence of drunk drivers and also punitive damages, which are designed to punish the drunk driver for their willful, wanton, and reckless conduct. You need a Colorado accident lawyer with the specialized knowledge to handle complicated drunk driving accidents, to protect your rights and to make sure you receive the benefits you’re entitled to.
The Babcock Law Firm is in your corner.
Discuss Your Case with a Colorado Drunk Driver/DUI Accident Attorney Today – a Free, No-Risk Consultation
We invite you to discuss the details of your Colorado drunk driver accident with an experienced DUI accident lawyer at The Babcock Firm. We proudly serve Denver, Boulder, Aurora, Broomfield, Louisville, Lafayette, Golden, Thornton, Westminster and other Colorado communities. If your case falls within our practice area and we feel our representation can benefit you, a drunk driving accident lawyer will meet with you for an in-depth consultation, at no charge.
We’re here to help you win your drunk driving accident case.
If you notice another driver behaving erratically and who appears to be intoxicated, contact the local police or the Colorado State Patrol immediately. You could very well be saving a life, including the offending driver’s. Read more tips for spotting a drunk driver.
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