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Injured By A Drunk Driver?

In Florida, 43,783 Florida drivers were found to be alcohol-impaired drivers, have a blood alcohol concentration (BAC) above 0.08%, higher than the legal limit in the state. (source)

Florida maintains an active crash-dashboard noting the total number of impaired driving crashes, impaired by alcohol. In 2022 alone, the number of drunk driving crashes are staggering:

  • Total DUI Crashes: 5,018
  • Total DUI Fatalities: 290
  • Injuries From DUI Crashes: 2,874

(source)

Drivers with alcohol or drugs, can experience:

  • A slowed reaction time.
  • Limited short-term memory functions.
  • Decreased hand-eye coordination.
  • Difficulty perceiving time and distance.

(source)

Demographics To Know About Florida DUI Drivers:

  • Twice the number alcohol impaired fatal crashes occur on weekends as compared to other days of the week.
  • Midnight to 3 a.m. is the time for the highest percentage of alcohol-impaired drivers in fatal crashes.
  • Drivers between the age of 21 to 24 are the highest of all age groups involved in alcohol impaired fatal crashes.
  • Across all age groups, male alcohol-impaired drivers rank the highest as compared to females.
  • Motorcycle riders have the highest rate of alcohol impairment, pickup drivers have the second highest rate of alcohol impairment, automobile drivers have the third highest rate of alcohol impairment, van drivers have the fourth highest rate of alcohol impairment and large truck drivers had the lowest rate of alcohol impairment.

Source: Traffic Safety Facts (National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (August 2022).

Florida’s Most Dangerous Counties For Drunk Driving Crashes:

  • Bay County: 124 alcohol confirmed crashes.
  • Broward County: 184 alcohol confirmed crashes.
  • Duval County: 317 alcohol confirmed crashes.
  • Escambia County: 138 alcohol confirmed crashes.
  • Hillsborough County: 416 alcohol confirmed crashes.
  • Lee County: 321 alcohol confirmed crashes.
  • Manatee County: 133 alcohol confirmed crashes.
  • Miami-Dade: 268 alcohol confirmed crashes.
  • Orange County: 276 alcohol confirmed crashes.
  • Pasco County: 155 alcohol confirmed crashes.
  • Pinellas County: 411 alcohol confirmed crashes.
  • Polk County: 210 alcohol confirmed crashes.
  • Sarasota County: 138 alcohol confirmed crashes.
  • Volusia County: 143 alcohol confirmed crashes.

Source: Florida Traffic Facts Annual Report 2021, Florida Highway Safety And Motor Vehicles

Consequences of Alcohol-Impaired Driving

The "economic cost" of all motor vehicle traffic crashes in the United States (2010)(Most recent data) was $242 billion, of which $44 billion resulted from alcohol-impaired crashes. Included in such costs were the following:

  • Lost Productivity.
  • Workplace Losses.
  • Legal & Court Expenses.
  • Medical Costs.
  • Emergency Medical Services.
  • Insurance Administration.
  • Congestion, and
  • Property Damage.

In cases of serious injury or death, the above costs fail to capture the intangible value of lost quality of life resulting from such injuries. The overall value of societal harm from motor vehicle crashes (nationally)(since the above date) was an estimated $836 billion.

Source: Traffic Safety Facts, Alcohol-Impaired Driving, National Highway Safety And Motor Vehicles (April 2022)

Injuries Caused by Drunk Drivers:

  • Death or Fatalities
  • Head Injuries
  • Traumatic Brain Injuries/Closed Head Injuries
  • Concussions/Headaches
  • Facial Injuries & Scarring
  • Neck Injuries
  • Collapsed Lungs & Other Internal Injuries
  • Upper Back Injuries
  • Lower Back Injuries
  • Disc Herniations
  • Fractured bones, often times requiring surgery
  • Disfigurement & Scarring
  • Emergency Room Billing
  • Other Medical Bills, on-going and into the future
  • Disability or Lost Wages
  • Long Term Disability or Future Lost Wages
  • Pain & Suffering damages
  • Mental Anguish, Inconvenience & Loss of Enjoyment of Life
  • Punitive Damages
  • Spousal Derivative Claims for Loss of Companionship, Loss of Services
  • And Other Damages

If you or a loved one have been injured by a drunk driver in Florida, you are likely to have the following TOP 10 questions:

  1. What are my rights against the driver who caused the accident?
  2. What should I do about the medical bills received including the ambulance billing, fire rescue billing, emergency room billing and for other medical bills following the crash?
  3. What should I do about lost time from work, lost wages incurred and for on-going lost wages?
  4. What should I do in terms of evidence preservation, to proving how the accident happened and how badly I was injured by the reckless driver?
  5. What steps should I take now to protect myself to obtain the best medical care and best financial recovery?
  6. How soon should I see a doctor for follow-up or on-going injuries and what is the best type of doctor to see?
  7. What should I do if I receive a call from the driver’s insurance company? Should I agree to provide a recorded statement?
  8. What is the value of my case?
  9. What insurance did the at fault driver have, what are the insurance limits and how does my own insurance come into play towards paying my medical bills and lost wages?
  10. What about compensation for my other damages, future lost wages, future medical bills, inconvenience, mental anguish and my pain and suffering, punitive damages and other expenses or losses?

In handling such cases, we immediately notify the other driver and their insurance company to “preserve” the drunk driver’s vehicle for immediate inspection and preservation of evidence. Often, our expert(s) perform a data download of the drunk driver’s vehicle to see the data of the vehicle in the seconds leading up to the crash, including speed, application of brakes (if any) and several other factors. We also obtain copy of the state’s file, obtaining copy of the 911 audio transcripts, arresting officer’s dash cam, body cam footage, and other videos during transport, booking and sobriety testing, with related affidavits, statements and records, including copy of the Criminal Report Affidavit. Additional evidence gathered after such a crash may include an accident reconstruction, where an accident reconstructionist examines both vehicles, the scene, photographs each vehicle (interior & exterior)(with related measurements), visits the crash scene for related measurements and photographs, and we may obtain additional witness statements, camera footage from witnesses and nearby businesses, and more, to obtain everything possible.

Call Tampa Based attorney Brad Souders at 1-800-254-5155 to schedule a FREE immediate consultation to answer all of your questions. Let us do all the work for you to hold all parties fully accountable for all injuries and losses sustained.

There are no charges for attorney’s fees or costs unless we win! We have a principal office in Tampa, representing accident victims and their families throughout the state of Florida with over 30 years of experience.

Home, Hospital, Evening, Virtual & Weekend appointments upon request. We also pride ourselves on delivering friendly, personal, prompt and professional service, with the goals of helping YOU obtain the best medical care and best financial recovery possible!