Some several individuals and entities may potentially be responsible for the injuries that you suffered in a drunk driving accident. The most obvious responsible individual for your accident is the intoxicated driver of the at-fault vehicle. Assuming you can satisfy all of the legal elements, you may file a claim or lawsuit directly against the intoxicated driver.
In addition to the intoxicated driver who operated the vehicle, you may file a claim or lawsuit against the drunk driver’s employer, if the motor vehicle operator was on the job and within the scope of their employment at the time of the accident. In this instance, you would make your claim under an agency theory of recovery. This legal theory holds that employers are responsible for entrusting their vehicles to good drivers who will operate the vehicles safely and carefully at all times. Employers are also responsible for hiring, supervising, and retaining competent and careful employees at all times.
Finally, in some cases, you may have a legal claim against a restaurant or bar owner under the current dram shop laws. These laws state that bars and restaurants cannot serve a customer more alcohol if that individual already appears to be intoxicated. If the bar or restaurant does serve the customer more alcohol, and the customer then gets behind the wheel of a car and causes an accident, then the retail establishment can be subject to liability.
If you have sustained injuries in a motor vehicle collision that was caused by a drunk or drugged driver, you may have a cause of action against any of the individuals or entities named above. The experienced Gwinnett County drunk driving accident attorneys at Brauns Law Accident Injury Lawyers, PC will explain your legal rights to you and assist you with filing a claim or lawsuit against all potentially responsible individuals or entities in your case.
