Drunk drivers can cause serious accidents that may result in devastating injuries to others. If you were involved in a collision with a drunk driver, you may have been treated for head trauma, back or neck injuries, cuts, broken bones, internal bleeding, organ damage, lost limbs, or paralysis.
The injuries you suffered in the crash may have turned your life upside down in a matter of seconds. You may have had to spend days or weeks in the hospital, and now you may be in the midst of months of physical therapy or chiropractic treatments. It may be a long struggle to relearn basic skills, such as how to walk. Doctors and therapists may have told you that even if you receive the best treatment available and do everything recommended, you may never be able to make a full recovery.
You may be unable to work because of your injuries. You may eventually recover enough to go back to work, although it may only be on a part-time or light-duty basis. If you will no longer be able to perform the job you used to do because of your injuries, your employer may be able to find another position for you elsewhere in the company, but it may pay less than your old one. If you can no longer work for the same business, you may have to find another job elsewhere, perhaps in a completely new field.
The medical bills may be piling up, along with bills for regular living expenses, such as your rent or mortgage, utilities, and auto loans. You and your family may be struggling to get by and trying to figure out what to do.
An Aurora drunk driving accident lawyer may be able to help you seek compensation for your losses. Pintas & Mullins Law Firm has represented clients in Illinois and across the United States who were harmed by drunk drivers. We may be able to file a personal injury lawsuit on your behalf and pursue a financial award to cover your losses.
Who May Be Held Liable in a Drunk Driving Accident
Driving while intoxicated is dangerous and illegal. The drunk driver who hit you and caused your injuries may be held liable, but one or more other parties may also share responsibility and may be held accountable.
Under Illinois Compiled Statutes 235 ILCS 5/6-21, a person who is injured by an intoxicated individual may sue a person who is licensed to sell alcohol and who sold or gave the person the alcohol that caused him or her to become intoxicated, whether that occurred in Illinois or in another state.
If an individual who is 21 or older pays for a hotel or motel room or facility knowing that it will be used for a person under the age of 21 to consume alcohol, the person who paid for the room or facility may be held liable if a person under 21 becomes intoxicated and injures a third party.
A person who owns, rents, leases, or permits the occupation of a building or premises knowing that alcohol will be sold there may be held liable, along with the individual who sold or provided alcohol. If the premises belong to a minor or a person under guardianship, the individual’s guardian may be held liable instead of the ward.
How an Aurora Drunk Driving Accident Lawyer Can Help You
The team at Pintas & Mullins Law Firm can investigate the circumstances that led to the collision. After reviewing the police report, we can interview people who know the driver who hit you to find out where and how the individual became intoxicated and to determine whether anyone else shares liability for the crash. For instance, we may uncover evidence that another party sold alcohol to the individual or secured a place where a minor was able to become intoxicated.
Once we have determined who was liable for the collision, we may file a personal injury lawsuit against one or more individuals on your behalf. We may seek a financial award to cover medical bills you have already incurred, plus costs for care that you are likely to need in the future, lost income, lost or reduced earning capacity, and pain and suffering.
Taking a case to trial can be a long and expensive ordeal, and parties on both sides typically want to avoid that, if possible. In personal injury cases, we can often negotiate a settlement with an attorney representing the other party. If that is not possible, however, we will take a case to trial to pursue a financial award that we believe will fairly compensate an injured client.
For a free legal consultation with a Drunk Driving Accidents Lawyer serving Aurora, call (800) 794-0444
Work with an Aurora Drunk Driving Accident Lawyer
People who have been hurt in car crashes have the option to hire an attorney and file a lawsuit but hesitate to do so because they worry that they could not afford legal fees. That should not concern you because Pintas & Mullins Law Firm operates on a contingency basis. If you ask our firm to represent you, we will not charge you any upfront fees. We will cover costs ourselves and will only get paid if we obtain a financial award for you, either by negotiating an out-of-court settlement or by winning at trial.
The law limits the amount of time you have to take legal action. According to 735 ILCS 5/13-202, the statute of limitations to file a personal injury lawsuit is two years. If you do not sue within that period of time, you may be unable to seek compensation, even if you were seriously injured and have a legitimate claim.
It may be difficult to figure out who was liable for the accident, especially if multiple parties were involved or if people give differing accounts or deny responsibility. Our team may need several months to conduct a thorough investigation and uncover all the relevant facts. Then we will need time to file a lawsuit.
Once we have done that, it may take several months, or even years, for the matter to be resolved. In the interim, you may continue to accumulate medical bills and fall farther behind on your other obligations. The sooner you contact Pintas & Mullins Law Firm, the sooner we will be able to get to work for you. Call us today at (800) 223-5115.
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