Gaithersburg Drunk Driving Accident Attorney
One of the most dangerous things a driver can do is get behind the wheel after consuming alcohol. In Gaithersburg, Maryland, as with the rest of the county, drunk drivers continue to put other people and themselves in harm’s way. The fact that drunk driving is dangerous is not news to anyone. Long-term and aggressive education campaigns have had success over the years in informing the public about the tragic consequences of driving drunk. The people who continue to engage in such behavior are violating the law and endangering the lives of everyone around them.
If a drunk motorist hurt you, then you are likely struggling to come to terms with the fact that you suffered so much pain because of another person’s poor decisions. These crashes are entirely preventable, which makes them all the more tragic.
At Berman | Sobin | Gross LLP, we work tirelessly to help injured people seek compensation from drunk drivers. We know how important your claim is to you and your family. The law provides you the right to collect damages as a way to help you cover costs associated with your medical care, lost wages, pain, and emotional suffering. The damages available to you will depend on the facts of your case.
Call the experienced Gaithersburg drunk driving accident attorneys at Berman | Sobin | Gross LLP today at 301-670-7030 to discuss your claim.
Gaithersburg, Maryland Drunk Driving Laws
In Gaithersburg and throughout Maryland, driving under the influence is against the law. The state’s number of drunk driving deaths is on the lower end of the list compared to other states in the nation. Maryland has the eighth fewest drunk driving fatalities in the country. Of course, that fact means nothing to the families who lost loved ones in these tragic wrecks. When it comes to arrest rates, Maryland is closer to the middle of the list.
While police officers in Maryland work to prevent drunk driving and get impaired motorists off the road, statistics still indicate that drunk motorists cause around one-third of the deadly crashes in the state. Overall, drunk drivers cause one out of every ten collisions in Maryland, and these incidents also injure many people on the road.
Proving Negligence in Drunk Driving Crashes in Gaithersburg, Maryland
Juries are not often sympathetic to drunk drivers. Still, injured car crash victims in Maryland must prove that the driver who injured them was fully at fault for the crash. Maryland follows what is called “contributory negligence,” and this policy is not particularly forgiving to plaintiffs in personal injury claims. Under contributory negligence, if a person was in part responsible for his or her injuries, then he or she will be prohibited from collecting compensation from another person who was also at fault. Under this policy, even if another driver was 90 percent at fault, and the victim was only 10 percent at fault, there would still be no compensation.
Most states follow “comparative negligence,” which allows for recovery at a reduced rate for a plaintiff who was in part at fault for his or her injuries.
In the case of a drunk driver causing a crash, the plaintiff’s claim is often a little simpler. The driver who caused the wreck can be found negligent “per se,” which means that the person’s violation of the law will lead to the assumption of negligence on that person’s behalf.
If you were hurt by a drunk driver and are wondering whether you have a claim against that person, contact a Gaithersburg, Maryland car crash attorney to discuss your claim.
What Damages Can I Collect if a Drunk Driver Injured me in Gaithersburg, Maryland?
If a drunk driver caused you injuries, you could collect various forms of compensation. Damages are divided into two broad categories; economic damages and non-economic damages.
Economic damages are those that are, at least roughly, calculable. The following are examples of economic damages:
- Medical expenses
- Lost wages
- Future medical expenses
- Lost future earnings
- Damage to your property
Personal injury lawsuits also recognize that just covering the costs of a person’s medical care and earnings will not make that person “whole.” Injuries are devastating and scary, and they can negatively impact a person’s life by making them unable to do many of the things that they previously enjoyed. As such, non-economic damages are also available, such as:
- Pain and suffering
- Emotional suffering
- Loss of consortium (for spouses of those injured or killed)
- Disfigurement
Even in the case of economic damages, the total amount may be an estimate. Many injuries will require future medical care, and predicting the cost of such care ten years down the road will never be exact. Still, it is possible to come up with reasonable estimates.
In the case of non-economic damages, the calculations may be a multiple of the economic damages. It is difficult to predict non-economic damages in a case. The state also caps such damages.
Call Berman | Sobin | Gross LLP Today
If you were injured in a crash with a drunk driver, contact Berman | Sobin | Gross LLP today at 301-670-7030 to discuss your claim with an experienced Gaithersburg, Maryland car accident attorney. Our dedicated personal injury attorneys are here to get you the help you need.
