If you are attending a New Year’s Eve celebration tonight, we ask that you please plan responsibly. This means coordinating a ride with a sober driver or checking public transportation schedules in advance. Even better, you may sleep over someplace and return home in the morning or early afternoon. This is because, sadly, there is an undeniable spike in drunk driving in the late-night hours of New Year’s Eve. With that being said, please follow along to find out what injuries and damages may result from a drunk driving accident this New Year’s Eve and how a proficient New York City auto accident attorney at Mark L. Bodner, P.C. can help you establish fault in your legal claim.
What injuries and damages may result from a drunk driving accident this New Year’s Eve?
It is an unfortunate truth that a drunk driver may increase the risk of fatal injuries and catastrophic damages for all those involved in an accident (i.e., other drivers, pedestrians, passengers of other vehicles, etc). This is because alcohol impairs a driver’s reaction time and coordination, so it is unlikely that they will maneuver in a way that prevents a collision from going from minor to major. Without further ado, such injuries and damages read as follows:
- Traumatic brain injuries.
- Neck and spinal cord injuries.
- Organ damage and internal injuries.
- Facial disfigurements and amputations.
- Post-traumatic stress disorder and mental health issues.
- Totaled vehicles and irreparable damages to personal items.
What determines fault in a drunk driving accident this New Year’s Eve?
Of note, New York is one of 13 states that follows pure comparative negligence law. With this, you may be eligible for financial compensation via an auto accident claim regardless of the amount of fault attributed to you. For example, if you were found to be 10 percent responsible for your accident event, you may still be entitled to 90 percent of recovery for your claimed economic and non-economic damages, and vice versa. So if you can successfully prove that the other involved driver was under the influence of drugs or alcohol, you may achieve a majority or full financial recovery. This is because, with the driver’s impaired driving, they may have majorly contributed to the accident in the following ways:
- Their impairment may have caused them to disobey traffic signs and signals.
- Their impairment may have caused them to speed well above the enforced limit.
- Their impairment may have caused them to have road rage and drive erratically.
- Their impairment may have caused them to drive on the wrong side of the road, between lanes, etc.
- Their impairment may have caused them to disregard neighboring drivers, improperly pass, excessively change lanes, etc.
There is a lot to consider before pursuing a drunk driving accident case against someone. To help you make the right considerations, please consult with a talented New York City personal injury attorney. Our team at Mark L. Bodner, P.C. will guide you toward the best decision.