What Happens When a Pedestrian is Hit by a Drunk Driver?

Pedestrian Accident Lawyer Salt Lake City, UT

A car accident is a terrifying experience. When two vehicles collide it is scary, however, when a car collides with a pedestrian, the damage is disastrous. There are no doors or walls to protect you from a multi-thousand pound car hitting you at a high speed. If the driver of the car turns out to be drinking, the typical confusion and chaos that ensues after a normal car accident turns into betrayal and rage. If you have been hit by a car as a pedestrian, you deserve to be compensated for your injuries. In order to receive fair compensation, the drunk driver needs to be held responsible. It is important to know what your different options are if you were to be hit by a drunk driver and when you should contact a personal injury lawyer to help you receive compensation. 

Proving Fault

More than one million people are arrest for driving while under the influence of drugs or alcohol each year and more than 30% of deaths from car accidents involve drunk driving. Drunk driving is a serious issue on the roads. In order for you to receive compensation for getting injured means that you need to prove the drunk driver was acting negligently. It may sound easy to prove someone driving drunk was acting with negligence, however, it can still be difficult in some situations. 

The first step is that you will need to to show that the driver was acting in a way that was different than any other reasonable person would, which means they were violating their responsibility of driving the car safely. Driving while intoxicated qualifies as violating their responsibility, as it is the definition of violating a duty of care and acting irresponsibly. 

Once that has been proven, you will need to show that the driver’s irresponsible actions caused the accident which caused your injury. This can be more difficult to do and often requires an experienced personal injury lawyer. 

Types of Charges

A drunk driving case becomes more difficult because there are usually criminal charges associated with the case. Anyone driving under the influence can receive jail time, lose their license, and be fined thousands of dollars. However, none of this is related to your injuries. In addition to their criminal charges, you will also need to file a civil suit to try and receive compensation for the accident. 

Receiving Compensation

You are able to collect damages for your medical bills, any lost wages or potential future earnings, loss of quality of life, pain and suffering, and even punitive damages against the drunk driver. 

Why Contact a Personal Injury Lawyer

If you have been in a car accident, it is unlikely the at-fault driver’s insurance company will just pay out your claim. More likely they will try and fight to show that their client was not responsible or even saying that you are not as injured as you claim. By working with a personal injury lawyer, we will defend your rights and show that you are in the victim in the accident. Working with a pedestrian accident lawyer in Salt Lake City, UT from Rasmussen & Miner has a higher chance of allowing you to recoup significant compensation after your accident.