Florida Drunk Driving Accidents
Despite the criminalization of driving while under the influence of drugs or alcohol, people still continue to drink and drive, a practice that leads to an estimated 30 deaths a day in the U.S. These types of accidents can forever change the lives of those who are involved, causing serious injuries that require weeks or months of intensive and expensive treatment, so if you or a loved one were seriously injured by a drunk driver, you should speak with a Fort Lauderdale auto accident attorney about your legal options as soon as possible.
How Common are Drunk Driving Accidents?
According to the Florida Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles, more than 5,000 alcohol-related car accidents took place in Florida in a single recent year. Sadly, more than 3,000 of those collisions resulted in a serious injury to at least one person, while more than 300 resulted in a fatality. Unfortunately, these types of accidents tend to have particularly serious repercussions, making it especially important for injured parties to seek compensation for their losses from the at-fault parties who caused their crash.
Florida Law
Drinking alcohol impairs thinking and reasoning, reduces brain function, and limits muscle coordination, which makes it particularly dangerous for motorists to drink and drive. Recognizing this, the Florida Legislature enacted a series of strict laws related to driving and driving. For instance, under Florida law, any motorist who drives with a blood alcohol concentration (BAC) of .08 percent or more is considered legally impaired.
However, there are a few exceptions to this rule. Commercial truck drivers, for example, have a lower legal threshold of .04 percent, while drivers under the age of 21 years old will be considered legally impaired if they drive with a BAC of .02 percent or higher. Driving while intoxicated can have grave repercussions for others on the road, regardless of the motorist’s age, leading to serious and even catastrophic injuries.
Common Injuries
Accidents that involve an intoxicated driver often occur at high speeds and so are typically characterized by violent impacts. For this reason, collisions resulting from drunk driving often result in catastrophic injuries, such as a traumatic brain injury (TBI), which are characterized by memory, speech, vision, or hearing loss, as well as unexplained mood swings and insomnia. Other common injuries include:
- Internal bleeding, which is most prevalent in the head, lungs, abdomen, and chest cavity;
- Serious fractures, which come with a high risk of infection and damage to blood vessels and nerves; and
- Spinal cord injuries, which in serious cases, can lead to permanent and total paralysis.
These are not the only types of injuries from which a car accident victim can suffer, so if you were injured in a crash caused by a drunk driver, it is important to speak with an experienced attorney about the legal options in your specific case.
Contact Our Legal Team for Assistance
Please call 954-566-9919 today to speak with one of the dedicated auto accident attorneys at Boone & Davis about your own eligibility for accident-related compensation. You can also reach a member of our legal team via online message.
Resource:
nhtsa.gov/risky-driving/drunk-driving
