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Experienced Austin, Texas drunk driving injury attorney David Todd and the Todd Law Firm are dedicated to pursuing justice for accident victims in Austin and across Texas. Review our free guides, answers to frequently asked questions and helpful videos. Discuss your situation and your options with us and learn the difference we can make in your case. Review our free guide Win Your Texas Injury Case and read the client testimonials on our web site and let us show you how we can protect your rights and help put you on the road to recovery. Learn how we can help recover damages for your injuries and learn how to avoid common mistakes that can compromise your case. If you have been injured by a negligent driver, contact us today for a free, fast case evaluation.Let Austin, Texas drunk driver injury lawyer David Todd show you how to protect your rights after an accident and get his free guide.
Cars are modern marvels that improve our lives in many ways. But as you have probably heard before, you are more likely to be seriously hurt in a car wreck than by any other activity. As if driving weren't dangerous enough, some people insist on adding alcohol to the mix. Alcohol-related accidents account for the majority of serious injuries and fatalities on Texas highways. Pursuing compensation against a drunk driver allows you to receive the medical treatment and rehabilitation that help you return to a normal life. You may also be able to pursue damages for the suffering you had to endure from the crash. In the worst case, you can pursue damages for the loss of a loved one.
The first and most important rule is to never get into a car with a drunk driver. Regrettably, many people still engage in this dangerous act and drunk driving has effects that impact tens of thousands of American lives each year.
According to The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), every day, 28 people in the United States die in an alcohol-related vehicle crash—that's one person every 51 minutes. Drunk driving fatalities have fallen by a third in the last three decades, However, the chance of being in an alcohol-impaired crash is still one in three over the course of a lifetime. These deaths and damages contribute to a cost of 52 billion dollars per year. Alcohol is a substance that reduces the function of the brain by impairing thinking, reasoning and muscle coordination, which are all essential abilities that are needed to operate a vehicle safely. Even a small amount of alcohol can contribute to a fatal accident. The legal blood-alcohol-concentration (BAC) limit is .08 in every state. However, 1,764 people died in 2014 alone with a BAC of less than .08.
Drunken driving cases can be extremely complex as there are often multiple parties injured or responsible for the accident. Laws known as “Dram Shop” allow a person who has been injured by a drunk driver to also hold the establishment that served the drunk driver accountable as well as the drunk driver.
Mothers Against Drunk Driving (MADD) share these statistics about drunk driving:
- 50-70% of convicted drunk drivers continue to drive on a suspended license
- Every 2 minutes a person is injured in a drunk driving crash
- On average 2 in 3 people will be involved in a drunk driving crash in their lifetime
- In 2013, 28.7 million people admitted to driving under the influence of alcohol - more than the population of Texas.
- Drunk Driving costs the United States $132 billion a year.
- Almost half of all drivers who were killed in crashes and tested positive for drugs also had alcohol in their system.
These are just a few statistics on drunk driving, which should indicate to drivers across the country that is it never worth the risk of getting behind the wheel after consuming alcohol. Unfortunately when it does happen there are most often catastrophic injuries and fatalities. One of the primary causes of brain injuries is trauma suffered following a motor vehicle accident involving a drunk driver, and these effects can range from mild concussions to permanent damage or death.
In order to make your case, you will have to establish the intoxication level of the defendant, proving that this level was too high for safe operation of a motor vehicle. You must also show that the defendant failed to exercise reasonable care for the public's safety. Evidence used in such a case will usually include a police report of the incident, witness reports (if available), and expert opinions.
At the Todd Law Firm, we are dedicated to pursuing justice for the victims of drunk drivers in Austin and across Texas. If you have been injured by a drunk driver, contact us today at 512-472-7799 for a free case evaluation. Review the valuable, free information from Austin drunk driving lawyer David Todd and learn how we can help recover damages for your car wreck. Learn how to avoid common mistakes that can compromise your case. Let us protect your rights and help you successfully resolve your injury claim.
Why Trust the Todd Law Firm?
The Todd Law Firm's founder David Todd is one of the most recognized attorneys in our area. He is a member of the Multi-Million Dollar Advocates Forum, has been chosen as a Top Three Rated personal injury lawyer in Austin, is Board Certified in Family Law and is a Texas Super Lawyer. But don't take our word for it. Read what the many accident victims we have helped say about us in their client testimonials.
How Do I Get Started?
To receive a free case review, learn how to protect your rights and decide if we are the best Austin personal injury attorney for your case, contact us now at (512) 472-7799 or fill out our contact form.
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Todd Law Firm: Making a Difference, One Family at a Time.
We donate a portion of every child injury recovery to charities focused on protecting children from harm and healing injured kids. We are proud supporters of Dell Children's Medical Center, The Center for Child Protection, and Hope4Minds.
We handle drunk driving accident cases all over Texas with the majority of our cases in Austin, San Antonio, Georgetown, San Marcos, Bastrop, Travis County, Bexar County, Williamson County, Hays County, Burnet County, Blanco County, Comal County, Caldwell County, Bastrop County, Lee County and Guadalupe County.
