The average settlement for a car accident with a drunk driver does not exist. Your settlement will be impacted by the damages you suffer. The worse your injuries and losses, the more you can prove you are owed, the more you can recover in damages with the help of your personal injury lawyer.
Recoverable Damages and How They Affect Your Settlement
You can recover two types of compensatory damages through a personal injury or wrongful death lawsuit: economic damages and non-economic damages.
Economic Damages in Car Accident Cases
Economic damages include compensation for your financial losses after a drunk driver leaves you or a loved one injured. This includes both past and future expenses you can expect due to the accident.
Common economic damages in drunk driver car accident cases include the following:
- Doctors’ bills
- Hospital bills
- Medication costs
- Medical device and equipment out-of-pocket expenses
- Physical therapy and rehabilitation
- Lost wages
- Lost earning potential
If you lost your loved one to a drunk driver, you could recover economic damages for:
- Your loved one’s medical bills
- Lost wages between the time of the accident and your family member’s passing
- Burial and funeral expenses
- Their lost future earnings now that they are not here to help support your family
Non-Economic Damages in Car Accident Cases
Non-economic damages are for your physical pain, mental suffering, and emotional distress due to your accident and injuries. These intangible losses are just as real as the bills you receive after your accident. You deserve an attorney who understands this and will fight for everything you are owed.
If you lost a loved one to a drunk driver, you could recover non-economic damages for your own distress—as well as that of your late loved one.
For a free legal consultation, call (404) 888-8888
Car Accidents FAQs
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Additionally, the amount you are owed may be impacted by the balance of negligence in your case. A drunk driver is negligent when they get behind the wheel after drinking alcohol. They may suffer from limited judgment skills, senses, and reflexes. They put everyone else on the road at risk. This usually leaves them liable for the injuries they cause.
However, the amount of damages you can recover might be impacted based on:
- The severity of the negligence you suffered
- If other negligent parties share blame
- If you contributed to the accident
Proving Negligence
Your lawyer will investigate the accident to prove that the driver who struck you was drunk at the time. This proof can include police and medical records, video footage, bar tabs and other receipts, and witness statements.
If the driver you are suing was enabled in their negligence by a third party, more than one person could be at fault for your injuries. For example, the bar that served the driver to intoxication could hold some blame for the accident. Alternatively, if the driver was a government employee on the clock, their agency may be responsible for their conduct.
How Negligence Impacts Your Settlement
These specifics may impact the path you take to pursue compensation. Either way, your personal injury lawyer will get to the bottom of what happened through a thorough investigation. Once we have the facts, we will advise you of your options for suing for damages. Then, we can give you a better idea of how these circumstances may impact your settlement.
Additionally, your settlement may be affected by your own behavior. If you were also intoxicated or were otherwise negligent at the time of the accident, that does not mean you are stripped of your rights.
You still have options. With the help of your lawyer, you may still be able to recover compensation for your losses as long as the other party was more at fault for the accident than you were (O.C.G.A. § 51-12-33). However, your portion of fault may adjust the amount of your settlement.
We Are Ready to Fight for You
Contact Bader Scott Injury Lawyers today at (404) 888-8888 to learn more about how we will fight for your rights after your car accident with a drunk driver. We can discuss the average settlement in cases like yours and offer to advise you on how to go forward with your case.
Your time to file a personal injury lawsuit is limited (O.C.G.A. § 9-3-33). To receive your free consultation and get started today, call Bader Scott Injury Lawyers now.
Call or text (404) 888-8888 or complete a Free Case Evaluation form
