If a drunk driver hurt you or killed someone you love, a NYC drunk driver accident lawyer can help you hold that driver, and anyone who enabled them, accountable and recover for what the crash took from you. A driver who chooses to get behind the wheel drunk makes a decision that puts everyone on the road in danger, and when that choice causes a crash, the law is on your side.
A drunk driving crash often runs alongside a criminal case, and the evidence needs to be preserved for your own claim. Korman Lynch Lustig & Sassower handles these cases and moves quickly. Below are straight answers to the questions injured people and grieving families ask our NYC drunk driving accident lawyers most.
Call us at (212) 732-4992 24/7 to arrange to speak with a personal injury lawyer about your case, or contact us through our website today.
You likely have a case if a drunk driver caused your crash and you were hurt, or if a drunk driver killed a member of your family. You do not need to wait for the criminal case to finish to bring your own claim. Our NYC drunk driver accident lawyers review what happened at no cost and tell you plainly where you stand.
You sue the drunk driver whose choice caused the crash, and sometimes others share the blame. When the driver was working, an employer can be responsible for the vehicle. And in New York, a business that served alcohol to an already-drunk person who then caused the crash can be held responsible too, which is a claim many injured people do not know they have.
Often, yes. New York has a law, commonly called the dram shop law, that can hold a bar, restaurant, or other establishment responsible when it serves alcohol to someone who is already visibly drunk and that person then causes a crash. Proving it takes fast work to gather the receipts, the server accounts, and any video before they are gone. When it applies, it can add a source of accountability and compensation beyond the driver alone.
Take care of your health first, then protect the case before the evidence is gone.
Intoxication is usually documented by the police at the scene and in the criminal case, through field testing, breath or blood results, and the officer's observations. For your civil case, that evidence is gathered along with the accounts of witnesses, any video, and records of where the driver had been drinking. Because some of that evidence fades quickly, the early work of preserving it protects your claim. Our attorneys build the file as if it will be tried.
They are separate, and your civil claim does not depend on the criminal case. The criminal case can punish the driver, but it does not pay for your injuries. Your civil claim is how you recover your losses, and it can move forward on its own timeline. A criminal conviction can help your case, but you do not have to wait for one or rely on it.
In most cases you have three years from the date of the crash to file an injury lawsuit, and a wrongful death claim runs on a shorter clock from the date of death. Some evidence, like a bar's video and records, can be gone in days. Because the deadline depends on the type of claim and the parties involved, it is safest to have yours reviewed early.
Sometimes. Because drunk driving is a reckless choice rather than an ordinary mistake, these cases can support punitive damages, which are extra damages meant to punish the driver and deter others, on top of the compensation for your losses. Whether they apply depends on the facts, and it is one of the things a review looks at.
When a drunk driver causes a crash, the compensation is meant to cover what it took from you. No personal injury lawyer can promise a number, but a claim can pursue:
Nothing upfront. Our NYC drunk driving accident lawyers handle these cases on a contingency fee basis, which means you pay no attorney's fee unless there is a recovery for you. The first consultation is free.
Korman Lynch Lustig & Sassower carries the case so you can focus on your recovery or your family. Our NYC drunk driver accident lawyers:
Our drunk driving accident lawyers prepare every case as if it will be tried, because that is what makes an insurer take the claim seriously. A settlement on the right number is welcome. A settlement that shortchanges what the crash cost you is not one our lawyers accept just because it comes early.
A drunk driver took something from you that you did not choose to give. The evidence that proves the case, including a bar's records, will not wait. Contact Korman Lynch Lustig & Sassower for a free consultation about your drunk driving accident.
Call us at (212) 732-4992 24/7 to arrange to speak with a personal injury lawyer about your case, or contact us through our website today.
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