Get Justice with Our Gainesville Drunk Driving Accident Attorney

As home to Florida’s flagship university, we regularly see Gainesville headlines regarding students from the University of Florida (UF) causing accidents due to impaired driving. If you have been the victim of a drunk driving accident, you know that it can change your life and leave you without the ability to work or enjoy your life the way you used to before your injuries.

After an accident caused by an intoxicated driver, always get the medical attention you need, and then contact Meldon Law to discuss how a Gainesville drunk driving accident attorney can help. We offer free consultations.

Recovering Compensation for a DUI Accident

Even though Florida law strictly prohibits driving under the influence (DUI) of alcohol or drugs, many continue to get behind the wheel while impaired. An accident caused by a drunk driver often causes severe injuries. You may have several options to recover compensation for those injuries.

You Will Likely Need to Turn to Your PIP Coverage

In most cases, you’ll need to turn to your personal injury protection (PIP) coverage first after an accident. Your PIP policy will cover a portion of your medical bills and lost wages up to $10,000 (the standard policy limit).

You can easily surpass this limit with severe or even moderate injuries. If so, you may need to file a claim against the at-fault driver. Our Gainesville car accident attorneys can help you explore your options.

Drunk Drivers Are Typically Liable for the Injuries They Cause

Under Florida law, people who are injured by the negligence of others can typically recover compensation for their accident-related losses. In virtually any conceivable situation, drunk driving is negligent driving, so people who are hurt by drunk drivers can usually recover compensation for the damages they suffer.

Examples of losses that victims can often recover in drunk driving accidents include:

• Property damage
• Medical expenses, such as ambulance transportation, emergency medical care, surgeries, pain medications, physical therapy, and any ongoing care costs
• Physical and emotional pain and suffering
• Lost income
• Lost quality of life

In many cases, drunk driving accidents leave victims with injuries that will affect them for years or even decades to come. If you are in this position, any settlement that you accept should compensate you for your future losses in addition to the damages you have already incurred. In many instances, establishing these future losses requires working with medical or financial experts.

A Gainesville personal injury lawyer with experience handling drunk driving accident claims will be able to demonstrate your future losses to the insurance company or the court, ensuring that your future losses do not go uncompensated.

Uninsured Motorist Protection

If the other driver fled the scene or was uninsured, you may need to file a claim with your uninsured motorist (UM) protection coverage. Many people have UM coverage without knowing. Our Gainesville drunk driving accident lawyers can help you determine whether this coverage is available in your case.

Can I Sue if I Was in the Car With the Drunk Driver During an Accident?

Passengers in the vehicle with the drunk driver have the same right to recover compensation for their damages as any other accident victim in Florida. It was the driver’s choice to get behind the wheel when they had been drinking, and this negligent choice resulted in your injuries. If you weren’t the drunk driver, you shouldn’t be stuck with the drunk driving accident bills.

Recovering the full value of your compensation can be tricky in certain situations. For example, if you knew the driver of the car had been drinking, it could affect your settlement. The driver’s insurance company may argue that you were negligent in getting in the car with an obviously intoxicated driver. That’s why it’s best to speak to a lawyer right away after the crash – before you’ve made any statements to the drunk driver’s insurance company.

How Much You Can Get for a Drunk Driving Accident Claim in Gainesville

Driving while drunk is an act of negligence, and victims of negligent acts have the right to file a claim to recover losses in Florida. You can recover the full value of your damages like:

• Medical bills, both current and future
• Lost income
• Lost earning capacity
• Vehicle repairs
• Pain and suffering
• Emotional trauma

DUIs may also warrant punitive damages as punishment.

The money you get in a settlement after a drunk driving accident serves two important purposes: it helps to restore your life, and it sends a harsh warning – drunk drivers will pay a severe price in Florida.

Our drunk driving accident attorneys in Gainesville have obtained substantial recoveries for past DUI crash clients. Financial recovery helps heal, but accountability also sparks change. No settlement will erase trauma, but it can empower new beginnings. If a reckless, intoxicated motorist altered your life, we can provide the resources to take control back.

Do You Need an Attorney When You Are Hit By a Drunk Driver in Gainesville?

You might wonder whether it is necessary to have legal representation for your drunk driving accident claim, especially if it was obvious the driver was intoxicated. However, the process of seeking compensation is often much more complicated and stressful than you would imagine. That’s where a Gainesville personal injury lawyer from our firm can make a significant difference.

Insurance companies are notoriously difficult when it comes to offering the full settlement you deserve, and you should be focusing on your recovery from your injuries – not back-and-forth negotiations with the insurer. In addition, should your case need to go to court, the litigation process is extremely complex, and you want an experienced injury litigator on your side.

You want a Gainesville DUI accident attorney from our firm on your side. Insurers and defense attorneys know we’re a force to be reckoned with both inside and outside the courtroom. The Meldon Law team has been fighting for injured people for over 50 years, and we never back down. Let us fight for you, too.

Learn How a Gainesville Drunk Driving Accident Attorney Can Help

Suffered harm by a negligent drunk driver in Gainesville? One call to our firm gets the ball rolling toward rightful recovery. We passionately assist injury victims while fighting to improve community safety. Here’s what we offer:

• Thorough investigation– We dig into police reports from the Gainesville Police Department, chemical tests, eyewitness accounts, and all evidence.
• Expert analysis– We collaborate with specialists in accident reconstruction, law enforcement, medicine, and more to build an ironclad case.
• Tough negotiation– We fight back against insurers’ typical denial tactics to maximize compensation for you.
• Courtroom advocacy– If a satisfactory settlement can’t be reached, we’re fully prepared to argue your case to a jury.

With five decades of in-depth experience holding drunk drivers fully accountable, we’re eager to discuss your potential claim. The sooner you reach out to us, the sooner we can begin building a strong case for compensation. In Florida, you have two years to file a car accident lawsuit.

What to Do After an Accident Caused By a Drunk Driver

There are several things you can do after an accident with a drunk driver to ensure you get the evidence and care you need.

• Call 9-1-1. Ask the dispatcher to send both law enforcement and emergency medical services to the scene. Members of the Gainesville Police Department will analyze the scene, draft a police report, and arrest the driver if there is proof of intoxication.
• Get medical care. If you did not receive medical attention at the scene, you should head to the ER or urgent care or make an appointment with your doctor. Getting medical care soon after the accident ensures your injuries are diagnosed and treated while creating a link between the accident and those injuries. You must also continue with your medical care. Any deviation from your care plan gives the insurance company ammunition to deny or reduce your settlement.
• Avoid giving a recorded statement. The other driver’s insurance company will likely call you soon after the accident to get your side of the story. However, this is a trap. The insurance adjuster is hoping that you will say something they can use against you. It’s important that you don’t apologize for the accident and you don’t say you are okay or uninjured. We recommend that you only tell the adjuster when and where the accident happened and direct any other questions to our team. We’ll protect your rights.
• Call our firm. Our Gainesville drunk driving accident lawyers are ready to seek justice on your behalf. We work on a contingency fee basis, which means you don’t pay a thing to get started.

How Drunk Driving Leads to Serious Crashes in Gainesville

Alcohol is an intoxicating substance and depressant that causes drunkenness. Many people enjoy having some drinks with friends, for sporting events and other celebrations, or to simply relax. While drinking alcohol is perfectly legal for adults over age 21, driving after drinking too much is strictly against the law for important reasons.

Alcohol can have the following effects on a driver, among others:

• Blurred vision
• Lack of focus and awareness
• Impaired judgment
• Impaired spatial awareness
• Confusion
• Slowed reaction times
• Falling asleep

Drunk drivers are often much less aware of their surroundings, and they have delayed reaction times. Drunk drivers often do not know where they are going, which can result in highly dangerous wrong-way driving and head-on collisions. They also might drive dangerously slow, or they might decide to engage in reckless behavior like excessive speeding or drag racing.

No matter the exact behavior that led a drunk driver to crash might be, the results can be devastating. Victims who suffer injuries due to drunk drivers deserve to fully recover for all of their losses from the driver who violated the law. Our Gainesville drunk driving accident lawyers can help you get justice.

Civil Claims vs. Criminal DUI Charges in Florida Drunk Driving Accidents

After a drunk driving accident, police who arrive on the scene might identify that the other driver is intoxicated. They might perform roadside sobriety tests, and if officers see probable cause for drunk driving, they can arrest the driver on the spot. The driver may face criminal DUI charges, and a conviction can mean time in jail, fines, and the suspension of their driver’s license. The penalties can be significantly greater if the driver caused injuries in a crash.

You might assume that the criminal process is in place to help victims of drunk drivers. While Florida does have services for the victims of crimes, and the judge might order a drunk driver to pay restitution, this is often not adequate assistance for victims with serious injuries. Instead, you likely need to turn to the civil court system for sufficient help.

You Must File a Claim for Justice

A civil injury case generally begins with an insurance claim against the drunk driver. If the insurance process is not successful in obtaining a fair settlement, your attorney can file a personal injury lawsuit in civil court. The good news is that, if a drunk driver received a DUI conviction, the conviction can serve as proof of liability.

However, even if there was no DUI conviction, you might still prevail in an injury claim, as the civil process differs significantly from the criminal process. Your Gainesville drunk driving accident attorney can identify how you can best prove a drunk driver’s liability.

Talk to a Gainesville Drunk Driving Accident Lawyer Today

At Meldon Law, we understand how devastating the aftermath of an accident caused by a drunk driver can be, and our experienced team is committed to helping you get the compensation you deserve.

Our law firm will review the facts of your case at no cost to you and will never charge legal fees unless we recover compensation on your behalf. To schedule your consultation with a Gainesville drunk driving accident attorney in Gainesville, call our office today or contact us online.