What are the possible lawsuits against drunk drivers who cause car accidents?

Motorists that cause accidents while driving under the influence will be legally pursued by state prosecutors and can also be held liable for damages by their victims in a civil lawsuit. Thousands of people are injured by drunk drivers every year in the state of Utah. Between 2004 and 2013, as many as 331 people were killed in drunk driving accidents in the state. 

These injuries cost money and also inflict non-economic damages upon the injured such as mental anguish and trauma. To receive compensation for these damages, injured victims may go ahead and file a personal injury lawsuit against the drunk driver in a civil court with the help of a Salt Lake City, UT drunk driving accident lawyer.

One of the best DUI law firms in the entire Salt Lake area is Siegfried & Jensen who can be reached right here. They know how to win cases and they know how to poke holes in the charges. Do not quit on yourself until you give them a call.

First time and repeat offenders

For the most part, state prosecutors go ahead and file criminal charges against drunk drivers. If prosecutors are able to successfully convict the suspect then, he or she will face serious consequences depending on the severity of the circumstances surrounding the arrest and also depending on the convicts past criminal records. According to Utah drunk driving accident lawyers, first time offenders are liable to be sentenced to jail for up to a period of one year while repeat DUI offenders can be sentenced to decades in prison.

Other consequences include hefty fines in the order of thousands of dollars, mandatory installation of ignition interlock devices on all of the suspect’s vehicles, completion of an alcohol or drug counselling course as instructed at the expense of the convict, community service and probation, to name a few.

If you believe you have bills to pay now just wait until you lose this drunk driving lawsuit. You clearly need a Salt Lake City, UT drunk driving accident lawyer and there is none better in this area than Siegfried and Jensen. You should only pay what you have to in a lawsuit and not have to hand out lottery type winnings just because you made a one time only mistake.

Civil lawsuits vs Criminal proceedings against a drunk driver that caused an accident

It is important to understand that these are two separate legal proceedings that are not intertwined. The objective of a criminal proceeding is to protect the general public from drunk drivers and to prevent or restrict such harm from occurring in the future. It is also meant to punish the negligent driver who was a risk to himself and to other innocent motorists.

Punishing offenders to the fullest extent of the law is a way to deter people from driving drunk. In fact, a drunk driver that was pulled over and arrested for drunk driving will face criminal charges even though he or she was not involved in or caused an accident.

On the other hand, a civil lawsuit is meant exclusively to allow victims of drunk driving accidents to receive compensation for damages inflicted upon them. Obviously, for such injuries or property damage to have occurred there must have been a drunk driving accident. According to Salt Lake City, Utah drunk driving accident attorneys, a civil lawsuit allows victims to receive payments to make up for economic damage such as loss of wages, medical expenses, repair costs, legal fees, and so on and non-economic damages such as mental anguish, loss of consortium, etc.

The link between criminal proceedings and a civil lawsuit against a drunk driver that caused an accident

From the spoken words by Utah drunk driving accident lawyers who can be found right here, these proceedings are separate and independent of each other. However, if the suspect is convicted criminally then the plaintiff may use this fact as evidence in his or her civil lawsuit.

You are going to pay something for the damage that you caused. This does not mean that you should toss up your hands and take the ultimate punishment. The other driver could have been slightly wrong too. The other driver could be saying things that are not true and should not stick to you. This is when your legal help comes into the picture and Siegfried & Jensen should be that legal help.