subject: Hurt By A Drunk Driver: Getting Rightful Compensation [print this page] The number of people hurt by a drunk driver each year is one of our most acute national tragedies. While advocacy programs and stricter laws have done a lot of good when it comes to raising awareness and putting offenders behind bars (or at least removing them from behind the wheel), there are still far too many DUI incidents each year. When you've been injured or have a family member who has been killed by someone who has ignored all of this important awareness, it can be painful and infuriating. Unfortunately, it can also be expensive. You need a good accident lawyer to help you get your rightful compensation.
An Experienced Lawyer
Anyone who goes before the court on a DUI charge can benefit from having a good lawyer by their side. But as someone hurt by a drunk driver, you may have just as much use for an experienced attorney. While you certainly shouldn't be brought up on criminal charges for being the victim of such recklessness, you may have just as much need to protect your rights. Your rights, as it were, to rightful compensation. Insurance companies are only going to come up with so much without being pressured. They will attempt to minimize their role. It may take litigation to get the money you are owed.
Potential Avenues
When you hire a lawyer following being hurt by a drunk driver, there will be a number of potential avenues for both of you to get compensation. The first, easiest method is to negotiate directly with the insurance company. If the facts of the case are blatant enough, the insurance company will know they are taking a bigger risk by trying to fight a settlement and will try to bring the case to a quick close. Other avenues include mediation and a lawsuit. A lawsuit is a last resort, but you need a lawyer who is willing to take the case to court if necessary and has the track record to prove it.
Compensation
Many who are hurt by a drunk driver don't realize until later the kind of financial toll such an accident can take. The point of pursuing compensation isn't to get rich, as so many people seem to think. It's about minimizing that financial toll. A good lawyer will look at the mounting hospital bills, the lost wages resulting from missing work, any specialist doctor bills, surgeries, property damages, and emotional suffering caused by the accident. No monetary number can be put on your tragedy, but you can hold the offending party responsible for their actions.
