Recovering from a car accident is taxing, sometimes costing tens or hundreds of thousands of dollars. The stress of this can be compounded when you consider that you are in pain and possibly out of commission to complete your daily duties or even go to work. At Towey Law PLLC, we don’t want you to manage a legal case without a reputable Buffalo car accident attorney to help. If someone else’s choice to drive drunk left you injured, you deserve to have time and space to rest and focus on your recovery.
Drunk Driving Accidents in Buffalo
Unfortunately, people decide to drive while drunk daily. The New York State Police state that impaired driving results in an injury every two minutes. While the actual injuries and outcomes of an accident with a drunk driver aren’t necessarily different, they can provide some additional factors to consider.
One of the main differences between a drunk driving accident and a typical accident where all drivers are sober is that there will likely be a criminal case as well. It is not uncommon for criminal cases to be heard before civil cases that pertain to the same event. If the liable driver is convicted, it may be used as evidence in your lawsuit to strengthen your case.
Injuries in a Buffalo Drunk Driving Accident
Drunk driving accidents cause a little over 30% of all fatal crashes in the state of New York, according to the New York State Police, and we already know that injuries in these accidents are all too common. If you have lost a loved one in a drunk driving accident, you may benefit from speaking with a Buffalo wrongful death attorney to learn about your options. Many of the injuries people sustain from drunk driving accidents may take weeks or months to recover from, and some may never fully heal. Examples of injuries more commonly seen at Towey Law PLLC are:
- Traumatic Brain Injury
- Internal Injuries
- Broken Bones
- Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD)
- Death
Buffalo Drunk Driving Accident Damages
In a Buffalo personal injury case, damages refer to the value of the overall costs of your injuries. Most frequently, you will see terms like special and general damages or economic and non-economic damages to categorize your claims. Special and economic damages refer to the cost of things that can more easily be determined based on receipts. These might be medical invoices, auto repair costs, or pay for time you missed from work because of your injuries.
General or non-economic damages refer to less tangible costs, including pain and suffering or general loss of quality of life. The amount of general damages claimed will typically correlate with the amount of special damages. For example, if you sustained $60,000 in medical costs, it is reasonable to think that your pain and suffering are more extensive than if you had a $4,000 medical bill.
Outcome of a Drunk Driving Accident Case
In just about any situation, a Buffalo drunk driving accident lawyer will be able to recover more money in damages than you would alone. These amounts will vary based on the specifics of each case. Similarly, the time each case takes is often challenging to estimate. In an accident where you have a very strong case, you may be able to quickly negotiate an appropriate settlement amount without a ton of back and forth. However, sometimes, it is necessary to take a case to trial.
Regardless of the situation, when you have a Buffalo truck accident attorney, you will come in better prepared, more in control, and more able to aggressively negotiate your settlement amount or even take your case to trial to get the maximum compensation you are entitled to.