Fatalities Caused by Drunk Drivers

Fatalities caused by drunk drivers are a serious problem in San Diego County and throughout California. Much too often, drunk drivers cause serious and fatal car accidents in which North County residents are killed, or in which spouses and children lose their partners, parents, and other close friends and family members. While it can be difficult to contemplate filing a wrongful death lawsuit in the aftermath of a deadly traffic collision involving an impaired driver, it is important to think about holding the liable driver accountable for the injuries that she or he caused.

By filing a wrongful death claim, you may be able to obtain damages to compensate for your losses. While we know that monetary relief cannot ease the emotional and psychological pain you are experiencing, it can help to ease your financial burden during this difficult time, and maybe provide some financial relief going forward. A dedicated North County drunk driving accident lawyer at Walton Law Firm can discuss your options with you today.

If you live in Escondido, Carlsbad, or elsewhere in North County, are you at risk of sustaining serious injuries in a drunk driving crash? According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), nearly 10,000 people died in alcohol-impaired collisions in 2014, which means that an average of one drunk driving fatality occurred every 53 minutes in the United States. Of those who were killed in impaired driving accidents, more than 65% were drivers with a blood alcohol concentration of 0.08% or higher—a number above the legal limit.

According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the following are facts and figures surrounding fatalities caused by drunk drivers in California:

• Highest number of drunk driving deaths affect individuals between the ages of 21-34;
• Second-highest rate of drunk driving fatalities affects adults aged 35 and older;
• About 1.8% of adult drivers in California admit that they have driven after having too much alcohol to drink in the last 30 days;
• More males than females are killed in drunk driving crashes in California (3.2 males per 100,000 population, compared with 1.0 females per 100,000 population); and
• Around one out of every three traffic fatalities involves a drunk driver.

Through a wrongful death lawsuit, California law allows the survivors to seek compensation, from economic damages for objective losses like lost wages from the victim’s death or funeral and burial costs, to non-economic damages for subjective losses like the loss of love, society, emotional support, and companionship. All of these types of damages are known as “compensatory damages” because they are designed to compensate a victim for his or her losses.

In some cases, the Section 377.34 of the California Code of Civil Procedure allows a surviving heir to seek punitive damages through a survivor action on behalf of the victim’s estate. An experienced drunk driving accident attorney can discuss your case with you and can explain the types of damages for which you and your family may be eligible.

If you have questions about filing a wrongful death lawsuit or seeking compensation after an alcohol-impaired crash, an experienced wrongful death lawyer can help with your case. Contact the Walton Law Firm for more information and a free consultation.