Seeking Compensation After a DUI Accident in Oregon
Being injured in a sudden drunk driving accident can be devastating. As medical bills pile up and lost wages create a dire financial situation for you and your family, it can be difficult to know who to trust or where to begin to seek compensation. Fortunately, certain Oregon state laws allow victims of drunk driving accidents to sue an intoxicated driver for damages resulting from their collision.
While many people understand that drunk drivers can face criminal prosecution following a drunk driving accident, this is not the only way to hold a drunk driver responsible for causing a car accident. Drunk drivers can be held responsible in civil lawsuits for the effects of their reckless conduct, including injuries, property damage, punitive damages, and wrongful death.
How Can a Drunk Driver Be Held Liable?
At its core, determining liability for a car accident is based on the concept of negligence. Driver negligence can take several forms, including driving while distracted, speeding, or falling asleep at the wheel. Driving while intoxicated is possibly the most fundamentally negligent act a driver can commit. Getting behind the wheel of a car while one is unfit to drive, causing a collision that hurts or kills another driver, pedestrian, or bicyclist is, in most cases, clear-cut negligence.
Oregon law allows personal injury victims to seek additional punitive damages in situations where the conduct that caused the injury was more than simple negligence. Driving while intoxicated is oftentimes considered reckless, which satisfies the standard for punitive damages. While compensatory damages seek to make the injured person whole again, punitive damages are meant to punish the drunk driver for their conduct and deter others from making the same mistakes.
Drunk Driving Accident Lawyer in Portland
If you or a loved one has been injured in a collision with an intoxicated driver, it is vital you retain the services of a powerful attorney to maximize your potential settlement. Having served as a Portland personal injury lawyer for more than 35 years, I, Attorney Timothy Grabe, understand how to negotiate with the involved parties and can provide the powerful legal advocacy you need during this difficult time. Find out more about how my firm can help during a free consultation today.
