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Drunk Driving Accident Lawyers
in Dallas-Fort Worth
OVER 3,000
CASES WON
OVER 99%
SUCCESS RATE
30+ YEARS
EXPERIENCE
FREE CASE REVIEW
YOU WIN OR PAY NOTHING
PROVEN RESULTS
$13 MILLION
TOTAL RECOVERED
Car Accident
Fatality
$1.8 MILLION
TOTAL RECOVERED
Truck Accident
Spinal Injury
$9.5 MILLION
TOTAL RECOVERED
Defective Product
Brain Injury
$6.5 MILLION
TOTAL RECOVERED
Workplace Accident
Head Injury
$10.75 MILLION
TOTAL RECOVERED
Motorcycle Wreck
Head Injury
$864,000
TOTAL RECOVERED
Truck Accident
Spinal Injury
Dallas Drunk Driving Accident Lawyer
Accidents caused by drunk drivers in Dallas can carry devastating consequences for victims. These crashes can occur at high speeds and often involve head-on collisions. While the drunk driver may walk away unharmed, his or her victims may be killed or left with serious, life-changing injuries.
At Tate Law Offices, P.C., our lawyers believe that drunk drivers should be held fully responsible for the harm they cause through our Texas criminal justice system. We also believe that drunk driving accident victims and their families should seek the compensation they are due through our state’s civil justice system. In fact, victims have the right to seek just compensation regardless of how the criminal charges against the drunk driver are resolved.
Our law firm’s goal is to seek a maximum financial recovery for victims and their loved ones in the most time-efficient manner as possible. If you have been injured in a Dallas drunk driving accident, or if you have lost a loved one in such a crash, contact us today to discuss your case. We can provide a free and confidential consultation.
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Contact Your Dallas Drunk
Driving Accident Lawyer
Call your local office or reach us online today to speak with an experienced Dallas drunk driving accident attorney.
You will get a Free Case Evaluation. And there’s never any fees unless we win your settlement.
Contact Your Dallas Drunk
Driving Accident Lawyer
Call your local office or reach us online today to speak with an experienced Dallas drunk driving accident attorney.
You will get a Free Case Evaluation. And there’s never any fees unless we win your settlement.
How Can A Dallas Drunk Driving Accident Lawyer Help You?
Pursuing a civil claim against a drunk driver who has harmed you or killed a loved one is different than pursuing criminal charges against the driver.
In a criminal case, the State of Texas seeks to punish a drunk driver for his or her conduct. A prosecutor pursues the case against the drunk driver on behalf of the state – not necessarily on behalf of the driver’s victims. A drunk driver who is found guilty of the offense may be ordered to serve a sentence and pay fines to the State of Texas. However, the drunk driver will not necessarily be ordered to compensate his or her victims.
Pursuing a civil claim against the drunk driver is different. Your attorney prosecutes the case on behalf of you, the victim. Your lawyer’s goal is not to seek a conviction but rather to secure compensation for all of your physical, emotional and financial damages. However, additional compensation can (and usually is) sought to punish the drunk driver. These are called punitive damages.
In other words, criminal and civil actions against a drunk driver are closely related, but they remain separate and distinct from each other. A driver who is not convicted of a drunk driving offense in Texas can still be held liable for damages.
Attorney Chris Rehmet of Tate Law Offices, P.C., has experience both as a criminal prosecutor who has sought drunk driving convictions on behalf of the state and as a civil plaintiff’s lawyer who has sought civil drunk driving monetary settlements on behalf of victims. He understands what goes into proving drunk driving accident cases and seeking maximum compensation for victims and their families.
Chris and the rest of our legal team can bring their skills and experience to bear on your case and aggressively pursue the financial recovery you deserve. In many drunk driving accident cases, where a driver’s liability is clearly established, a case may be resolved without the need to go to court or even to file a lawsuit.
What You Should Know About Dallas Drunk Driving Laws?
Texas, like every other state, defines driving while intoxicated (DWI) as operating a motor vehicle on a public highway with a blood alcohol concentration (BAC) of 0.08 or greater. A driver’s BAC usually is identified through breath, blood or urine tests conducted by police officers immediately after an arrest and/or crash.
However, even if a driver’s BAC is lower than 0.08, the driver may still be convicted of a DWI. A DWI conviction can be based on the consumption of any amount of alcohol, drugs – or both – which causes a person to lose normal use of his or her mental or physical faculties.
Signs of a driver’s impairment could include:
- Red, glassy eyes
- Slurred speech
- A strong smell of alcohol on his or her breath
- Careless or reckless driving such as speeding, driving too slowly, drifting across lanes, driving on the wrong side of the road or failing to stop at a stop sign or red light.
Additionally, if a person under the age of 21 drives a motor vehicle on a public highway after consuming any amount of alcohol, he or she could be charged with driving under the influence, or DUI.
You need to know about these Texas DWI/DUI laws because they can impact your civil case against a suspected drunk driver who has harmed you or a loved one.
For instance, if a driver who caused your accident is convicted of drunk driving, the driver may be considered negligent per se. This means that the driver’s negligence is established as a matter of law. Your case would then focus entirely on the losses you have suffered.
In most cases, it is advisable to hire a drunk driving accident attorney to protect your rights immediately after you are injured by a drunk driver. An auto accident attorney from Tate Law Offices, P.C., for instance, can serve as a liaison between you and the police and/or district attorney’s office while the driver’s criminal case is prosecuted.
Who Can You Sue If Hurt in a Dallas Drunk Driving Accident?
If you have been hurt by a drunk driver as a motorist, motorcyclist, pedestrian, bicyclist or even as a passenger in a car driven by the intoxicated driver, you should seek to hold that driver fully responsible for all harm you have suffered.
However, the drunk driver may not be the only party responsible for your damages. At Tate Law Offices, P.C., our drunk driving accident lawyers will examine your case closely and explore whether other parties should be held liable as well. These parties can include:
- The drunk driver’s employer – Under Texas law, employers can be sued for any harm their employees cause while acting within the scope and course of their employment. So, if you are injured by a driver who was drunk while making a delivery, the employer may be held liable.
- The store, bar or restaurant who sold alcohol to the drunk driver – The Texas Dram Shop Act gives you the right to sue any business that provided alcohol to a visibly intoxicated customer or a minor who, in turn, caused an accident that injured you or killed your loved one.
- Social host that provided alcohol to a non-related minor – If a person threw a party and served alcohol to a non-related minor who, in turn, caused an accident that harmed you or a loved one, the social host may be held liable in Texas.
What Can You Recover in a Dallas Drunk Driving Accident Claim?
The lawyers of Tate Law Offices, P.C., will be committed to seeking a maximum recovery for you and your loved ones in a Dallas drunk driving accident claim.
We will thoroughly investigate your case and consult with experts to arrive at a just amount that should be sought in your case. We can often recover for our clients in a drunk driving accident case by obtaining a settlement without the need to file a lawsuit or go to court.
While the amount that can be recovered in a case will depend on the facts and issues involved, a claim typically would seek recovery of:
- Past and future medical expenses
- Lost wages and diminished future income
- Scarring and disfigurement
- Emotional distress
- Physical Impairment
- Pain and suffering
- All other related expenses.
These damages are known as “compensatory” damages. They are aimed at making you “whole” after an accident caused by another. In a drunk driving accident case, “punitive” or “exemplary” damages be sought as well. These damages are aimed at punishing the driver for gross negligence and deterring future misconduct by the driver and others.
In fact, the lawyers of Tate Law Offices, P.C., firmly believe that punitive damages can play an important role in combating drunk driving within Dallas.
Contact A Dallas Drunk Driving
Accident Attorney
If a drunk driver has caused the loss of your loved one or devastating, life-changing injuries, you have the right to take legal action that is separate and apart from any criminal actions against the drunk driver. You can seek a full and fair financial recovery for all of the harm you have suffered.
Contact a drunk driving accident lawyer at Tate Law Offices, P.C., today to learn more about your rights and your legal options. Our lawyers are committed to seeking a maximum recovery for drunk driving accident victims and their families in Dallas.
We will not charge any attorney fees or cases costs unless we obtain a financial recovery for you. We will work tirelessly to seek the justice you deserve.
Call or reach us online today to get started with a free and confidential consultation about your case.
Sources/More Information:
- Intoxication and Alcoholic Beverage Offenses, Texas Penal Code
- Alcohol-Impaired Driving, National Highway Traffic Safety Administration
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Let one of our personal injury lawyers review your case, explain your legal options, and answer all your questions in a free case evaluation.
Featured FAQ
WHAT IF I’M THE VICTIM OF A HIT AND RUN CAR ACCIDENT?
If you are hit by a car and the driver leaves the accident scene you should try to get the driver’s license plate and call it in to the police immediately, if you are able. Even if you cannot get the license plate you should call the wreck in to the police and call your lawyer. If you or the car you were riding in has uninsured motorist coverage you may be able to assert a claim under that coverage if the other driver cannot be located. Your own insurance company will take an adversarial position to your claim so do not file the claim or give them a recorded statement without your attorney.
SHOULD I USE MY PERSONAL HEALTH INSURANCE TO COVER MEDICAL COSTS?
This is certainly one option, but it may not be the best, depending on what coverage exists in other policies. The personal injury attorneys at Tate Law Offices, P.C., will help you make the best decision in regard to where to file your claims and seek coverage.
HOW LONG WILL IT TAKE UNTIL MY PERSONAL INJURY CASE IS FINISHED?
This depends on how long it takes for you to recover from your injury. You need to heal from your injury or at least be in a position where the doctors can render a good opinion regarding your injury. The harm you incurred must be able to be measured. After you have recovered we can many times have your case settled within 60 days if a lawsuit is not required or 12 months if a lawsuit is required. We typically only recommend a lawsuit if the insurance company is not offering to pay a fair value and we believe that litigation will add additional money to your settlement.
MAY I TALK TO TATE LAW OFFICES ABOUT MY CASE FREE OF CHARGE?
Yes. We will evaluate your injury case for free and give you our best advice regarding how we believe your case should be handled.
HOW MUCH DOES IT COST FOR TATE LAW OFFICES TO EVALUATE MY PERSONAL INJURY CASE?
We have a free consultation where we evaluate injury cases at no charge to accident victim.
WHAT IS THE BEST WAY TO CONTACT TATE LAW OFFICES REGARDING A PERSONAL INJURY CASE?
If you wish to speak to someone immediately regarding a personal injury case, it is best to give us a phone call at 888-769-1092. Other options include using our online chat or email form on our website at tatelawoffices.com. We are available 24/7 by phone, email or chat. Our offices hour are Monday – Friday from 9:00 am to 5:00 pm Central Standard Time.
Legally Reviewed By
Tim Tate, of Tate Law Offices, PC, has represented victims of injuries day-in and day-out throughout the state of Texas as well as in numerous other states throughout America over the last two decades. In addition to being licensed as an Attorney at Law by the Supreme Court of Texas, Tim is a member of the Texas Trial Lawyers Association and the American Association for Justice, both of which advocate and advance the rights of injured victims against insurance companies.
