Hartford Drunk Driving Accident Lawyers

Higher numbers of drunk driving fatalities tend to be found in more populous states like California, Texas, and Florida. Nationwide, Connecticut is on the lower end when it comes to DUI fatalities—however, a 2018 study found that 45% of fatal accidents that year in Connecticut involved alcohol. That means that nearly half of all traffic deaths statewide can be tied to someone getting behind the wheel while intoxicated. Even more tragic is that these accidents are entirely preventable.

The most dangerous times to be on the road with a drunk driver are:

• Between 2:00 a.m. and 3:00 a.m. when bars start to close for the night,
• Around 7:00 p.m., possibly because this around the time when reduced-price "happy hour" drinks strop being served, and
• Around 3:00 p.m., suggesting that drinking during lunch and brunch is rising in popularity.

If you were injured in a hit and run accident by a drunk driver, this will likely complicate your personal injury claim—even if the driver is later identified. For example, if the intoxicated motorist who hit you escaped the scene of the accident only to be apprehended days later, there may be no proof that they were drunk at the time of the crash.

Fortunately, unlike criminal charges, it is not necessary to prove a case beyond a reasonable doubt in a civil claim like a personal injury case. Thanks to the legal standard of proof being lower in such cases, a jury may find that a motorist was intoxicated based on evidence such as eyewitness accounts of the driver’s actions and appearance prior to the collision or at the accident scene, evidence of them having consumed alcohol prior to driving, and the fact that the driver chose to flee rather than wait for law enforcement to arrive.

The compensation you may be eligible for following an accident with a drunk driver includes:

• Medical expenses (hospitalization, surgeries, physical therapy, medications, etc.)
• Lost income or loss of earning capacity
• Physical and mental pain and suffering
• Punitive damages (in rare cases)
• Other economic and non-economic losses related to the accident and your recovery