This Labor Day, thousands of people across the state of Texas will be driving to celebrate with their friends and families. Unfortunately, the high volume of traffic, as well as the nature of Labor Day festivities, makes motorists vulnerable to two types of auto accidents: drunk driving accidents and accidents where passengers are injured. The latter because many friends/families carpool to these events, and the former because many people drink once they arrive at these events and make the poor decision to drive afterward. If you are either an injured passenger in an accident or you are the victim of drunk driving, you must continue reading and reach out to our experienced Texas personal injury attorneys to learn more about how we can help you.
What should I do if I am injured by a drunk driver?
If you are injured in an auto accident by a drunk driver, the very first thing you must do is call the police, as they will send an ambulance and determine whether the other motorist is truly under the influence of alcohol by administering field sobriety tests, as well as a potential breathalyzer test. This is a critical part of winning your case. Additionally, you should take pictures of the accident, ask witnesses for their contact information, and seek immediate medical attention. You should also hire an experienced Texas personal injury attorney, as our firm can work to obtain all additional evidence needed to win your claim, and we can also determine whether you have a valid third-party lawsuit under Texas’s dram shop law. Essentially, Texas has a dram shop law in place that allows individuals who have been injured by drunk drivers to sue the establishment that served the drunk driver alcohol under certain circumstances. According to Texas’s dram shop law, if a bar or restaurant serves someone who is visibly intoxicated and that person crashes into you and causes your injuries, you may also sue that establishment, as well as the driver.
How do I recover compensation as an injured passenger in a car accident?
If you are injured as a passenger because your friend or relative crashed due to their negligence, you may not want to sue your friend/relative, however, you still require financial compensation to heal. Fortunately, in this situation, our firm can actually sue your friend/relative’s insurance company, which means that we will not sue your friend directly, thereby hopefully winning you the compensation you need without costing your friend/relative a dime.
Contact our experienced Houston firm
We understand how challenging various legal matters can be, which is why we have dedicated ourselves to helping clients in Texas through a wide array of legal matters, including personal injury law and criminal defense. If you have sustained a serious injury or are facing criminal charges, contact the Gonzalez Law Group today to learn more about how we can help you through every step of the legal process ahead.
