DRUNK DRIVING VICTIM: CAR ACCIDENT ATTORNEYS

CAR ACCIDENT ATTORNEYS FIGHTING FOR VICTIMS OF DRUNK DRIVING

If you have been involved in an accident with a drunk driver, the car accident attorneys at Madalon Law are here to help.

There is nothing more dangerous than someone who has had too much to drink and is now behind the wheel. With all the bars, clubs and nightlife Florida has to offer, sharing the road with drunk drivers is a risk that we all take. Getting into an Auto Accident with a drunk driver can cause serious injuries including Spinal Cord Injury, Head Injuries or even Wrongful Death.

Counties with most DUI convictions in Florida 2010*:

Hillsborough (Tampa) – 3,256
Miami-Dade (Miami) – 2,274
Duval (Jacksonville) – 2,222
Pinellas (St Petersburg) – 1,824
Palm Beach (West Palm Beach) – 1,561
Orange (Orlando) – 1,383
Brevard (Melbourne) – 1,072
Broward (Fort Lauderdale) – 985

*As reported by Florida Department of Motor Vehicles (http://www.dmvflorida.org/florida-dui.shtml)

When a person is a victim of a drunk driver, it is common for the injury case to be looked at as simple and easy. The Injury Attorneys at Madalon Law believe in taking a much more aggressive approach to your case. We feel you deserve this amount of effort from your law firm after such an unnecessary irresponsible act has affected your life.

WHAT IF YOU WERE BOTH AT FAULT FOR THE ACCIDENT?

Comparative negligence allows you to collect in proportion to the drunk driver’s responsibility. So if it is determined that you are entitled to $100,000 and the Drunk Driver is 70% at fault, you still receive $70,000 for your injuries and damages. When one of these accidents involve comparative negligence, having the right legal team can make a huge difference.

We will work diligently in finding out every possible level of negligence by the driver including:

Was the driver’s perception abilities affected by observing traffic signs, bikers, pedestrians or cars coming from the opposite way?
How bad was their reaction time in the traffic situation?
Did the alcohol cause their perspective of space to narrow (drivers will focus more straightforward and don’t look to the right or left)?
Did the accident happen due to reaction time increasing and reflexes diminishing?
Did they have difficulty driving in a straight line?
Was the accident due to the poor judgment of speed and distance?
Were they driving at a very slow speed or did they stop without cause?
Were they driving after dark with the headlights off?
Were they overconfident and put themselves (and other drivers) in danger by taking unwise risks, i.e., trying to catch the light, making the quick left before oncoming traffic?

We may also be able to seek financial compensation from the establishment where the drunk driver was being served alcohol if it can be proven that the establishment showed negligence by continuing to serve alcohol to someone that was visibly intoxicated.

CONTACT A CAR ACCIDENT ATTORNEY

The Broward injury attorneys at Madalon Law handle injury cases throughout the State of Florida and are well-versed in negotiating with insurance companies and can greatly maximize the financial compensation you receive. We also take all the financial risk of your case for you, so you don’t owe us a dime unless we are successful in seeking you financial compensation. Contact our Injury Lawyers today for a free consultation and get answers to your drunk driving questions.

Steps to Take After An Accident With A Drunk Driver

WHAT DO YOU DO IF YOU’VE BEEN HIT BY A DRUNK DRIVER?

You find yourself sharing the road with a driver that may be driving drunk. The driver may be turning with a wide radius or straddling the center or lane marker. Maybe the driver’s car is weaving, swerving, drifting or breaking erratically. Finally, the driver hits your car or another vehicle.

There are a few dos and don’ts if you feel the other driver is intoxicated:

If the driver tries to leave the scene, DO NOT stand in front of their car, but DO take down their license plate number.
DO call 911 immediately. If the driver asks, you can say help is on the way. Telling an intoxicated person that you’ve called the police may cause the other person to panic, get defensive or even aggressive.
Keep communication between you and the driver to an absolute minimum. DO NOT ask the driver if they have been drinking.
When the police arrive, let the investigating officer know that you suspect the other driver has been drinking. They will take the steps to determine if alcohol was involved.

Now that the authorities are present, you can follow the steps we strongly suggest you take to achieve a maximum recovery in the case of an accident:

Take Notes – What happened? What time did it happen? How was the weather? What were the road conditions where the accident happened? Who was there? Better to make note of it all now before you forget.
Document injuries and damage (on paper and photo) – Do not leave out any detail. The feeling of pain caused by car accidents may be delayed, so it is also good to keep daily records of your injuries and how they are limiting you.
Take photos – Take pictures of the accident scene, the driving conditions, any skid marks, and damage.
Witness Information – Take the contact information of anyone who saw the accident. Also, take note of their side of the story while it’s still fresh in their mind.
Go to the ER – You may not feel that bad right now, but that could just be the adrenaline. You feel it tomorrow and if you didn’t go to the hospital, it is going to seem like your injuries were not that bad.

CONTACT A CAR ACCIDENT ATTORNEY

In 2006, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration reported that almost 18,000 people in the United States were killed in an alcohol-related collision. When an insurance company has one of its customers involved in a car accident while intoxicated, the insurance company will be very attentive to you and try to convince you that you do not need a personal injury attorney because they will take care of you. This is because victims of drunk drivers may be entitled to huge financial recovery if they are represented by a personal injury lawyer.

The drunk driving injury attorneys at Madalon Law are ready to fight for you. Contact us for your free consultation and get answers today.

Impaired Driving Accidents

CONSUMING ALCOHOL AND DRIVING IS A DEADLY COMBINATION FOR MOTORCYCLISTS

Throughout the year in Florida, there are festivities which bring great joy to residents and tourists of this great state. Along with those festivities generally come campaigns to try and remind us as drivers that we share the roadways with everyone. These campaigns promote responsible driving, and make us aware of the fact that there are increases in pedestrian activity, more motorists on the roads, and a significantly higher amount of people who drink and drive. The problem remains that drinking and driving is a year round issue, and especially so when a motorcycle is involved.

When people drink, drive and ride a motorcycle, they are placing a severe amount of danger on the lives of everyone on the road. If a person drinks and drives/rides, there are many things that can be affected including:

Person’s ability to make sound judgment calls
Increase in speeding
Forcing their way in and out of the flow of traffic
Failure to follow posted traffic signs / Street Lights
Not using normal safety precautions while handling the vehicle

Drinking and driving has a significant effect on the basic mechanics of handling a car, truck or motorcycle. Reaction times for maneuvering, braking, or shifting lanes can be dramatically reduced when alcohol is involved. Contacting a skilled DUI accident attorney if you or a loved one has been in a motorcycle accident with the presence of alcohol can be the best decision you can make.

MOTORCYCLE ACCIDENTS INVOLVING ALCOHOL

Florida currently has a Blood Alcohol Content (BAC) level of .08. Though the state legislative powers are in the process of making this level even more stringent, as of now, any person who provides a field sobriety test to a law enforcement officer of anything higher than that level will be arrested for driving under the influence. The fact is that many people think that they are more sober than they really are and decide to drive after having consumed alcohol.

Many studies have demonstrated that alcohol contributes to death-related motorcycle accidents whether it was the biker or motorist who was intoxicated. Nearly fifty percent of motorcyclists who were killed in an accident had some level of alcohol in their system.

Not only motorcyclists are responsible for DUI accidents. Drivers who drink and drive also contribute to the horrible statistics as well. The unfortunate reality is that motorcyclists take the brunt of the impact because they are exposed, unlike drivers of passenger vehicles.

MOTORCYCLE ACCIDENT VICTIMS NEED TO HIRE AN ATTORNEY

If you or someone you love has been injured or killed in a motorcycle accident involving alcohol, contact Madalon Law and discover how they can help you. Understanding all that is involved with a motorcycle accident where someone was intoxicated can be tricky to say the least. Our motorcycle accident attorneys know these types of accidents, because they have successfully handled these cases for years. Contact us for a free consultation so we can answer your questions about motorcycles accidents involving alcohol.