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Lynchburg Drunk Driver Accidents

When a Drunk Driver Causes a Car Accident

For anyone involved in a drunk driver accident Lynchburg, the experience can be a life-altering event. As an innocent victim, and through no fault of their own, they may be injured or killed by the negligent behavior of an impaired driver. At Randall J. Trost, P.C., our accident and personal injury attorneys have helped drunk driving accident victims throughout the state of Virginia since 1982. We understand the serious ramifications these types of accidents can create, and the uncertainty and questions many victims are faced with. We believe that drivers who cause injuries to others by drinking and driving must be held accountable for their actions. Fortunately, victims of drunk drivers have legal options they can pursue.

In the state of Virginia, the legal limit for DUI/DWI is a BAC of .08, although one can still be convicted with a BAC of less than .08. Like most states, drunk driving is considered a straightforward case of personal liability. If you are injured by a drunk driver, that party is then responsible to pay the victim medical bills and other related damages. However, Virginia also allows victims of drunk drivers to collect punitive damages if certain criteria are met. Because Virginia’s personal injury laws don’t always favor injury victims, and it is one of several states with pure contributory negligence laws, it is important to contact us immediately after any type of injury accident.

 

Erratic Driving Behaviors Common Among Drunk Drivers:

  • Swaying or swerving out of designated lanes
  • Sudden and unnecessary braking
  • Exceeding or driving less than the speed limit
  • Driving the wrong way on one-way roads or highways
  • Failing to react to slowing traffic or obstacles
  • Ignoring traffic signals or stop signs

Virginia Drunk Driving Statistics

In 2017, there were 127,375 total crashes in the state of Virginia, with 65,306 injuries and 843 fatalities. Of these crashes, 7,285 were alcohol related and resulted in 4,430 injuries and 248 fatalities. While drunk driving crashes contributed to less than 1% of the total accidents and injuries statewide for the year, they resulted in an astounding 30% of the fatalities.

On average, there is a crash every 4.1 minutes in the state of Virginia, with 179 persons injured per day and 2.3 lives lost per day because of traffic crashes.

 

Total Crashes in 2017

Alcohol Related Injuries

Alcohol Related Crashes

Alcohol Related Fatalities

Types of Crashes Caused by Impaired Drivers 

Drunk Driver Accident Lynchburg,VA

Every year drunk driving puts innocent people at risk. Victims have their lives impacted because of the irresponsible actions of another party. The personal injury attorneys at Randall J. Trost, P.C. are dedicated and passionate about helping drunk driving accident victims and their families. We have fought for and aggressively pursued compensation for our client’s injuries in Virginia since 1982. Listed below are some of the most common causes of drunk driving accidents.

Head-on collisions

If a drunk driver is going the wrong way down a road, head-on collisions commonly result. In addition, a drunk driver who departs from a lane and veers left over a double-yellow line has a high risk of crashing head-on into an oncoming car.

Rear-end collisions

Because impaired drivers are often unable to pay close attention to the road, they can often miss traffic slowing or stopping in front of them. This can cause them to crash into the backs of other cars. While some people discount rear-end crashes as “fender-benders,” they actually have the potential to cause severe injuries.

Rollover crashes

Drunk drivers often misjudge their speeds on turns, make dangerous lane changes, or overcorrect driving mistakes. All of these can cause drunk drivers to lose control and their cars to flip or roll over. While rollover accidents can involve one vehicle, the drunk driver’s vehicle can easily crash into others or cause chain-reaction crashes that harm other drivers.

Can I Seek Statutory Punitive Damages ?

Virginia code §8.01-44.5 allows victims of drunk drivers to seek punitive damages if they prove three elements. 1) The drivers BAC was .150%  2) At the time of drinking alcohol, the driver knew, or should have known, their ability to drive a motor vehicle was impaired, 3) The driver’s intoxication was a legal cause of the personal injury to the victim.

Why Choose Us?

The Trost Law Difference

Each year thousands of accident and injury victims in Virginia search for the right firm to help them. Hiring an attorney to represent you with your injury claim is one of the first and most important decisions you can make, and one that you have full control over.

At Trost Law Group, our experienced and dedicated Injury Lawyers have used their unrivaled skill and experienced to help thousands of injured clients throughout the state of Virginia for the past 35 years. All of our clients are assigned to a dedicated case manager, and are treated like part of the family. Contact us today to begin the defense of your case with our free, no obligation case review and experience the Trost difference.

Decades of Skill & Experience

Our team has had decades of first hand litigation and trial experience that we put to use for the benefit of our clients.

No Upfront Fees

Because we accept personal injury cases on a contingency fee basis, you won’t pay any legal fees unless we win your case. A percentage of the final recovery will be used to pay for our services.

Time Tested & Proven Results

We have developed time tested and proven methods over the past 35 years that have resulted in maximum compensation for our clients.

Free Case Review

There is no cost for us to get started on your case. At anytime you can request a no-obligation, free case review by filling out our online form or calling our office today.

You Pay Nothing Unless We Recover For You!

Fill out the following form or call (434) 528-4222 to request your Free Case Review.

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(434) 528-4222

Randall J. Trost, P.C

Main Office
801 Main Street, 10th Floor
Lynchburg, VA 24504

Secondary Office
122 S Market St.
#B, Danville, VA 24541