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Drunk Driving Accidents Lawyer in Austin, TX
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- Drunk Driving Accidents Lawyer in Austin, TX
Even a small amount of alcohol consumption reduces the functioning ability of the brain, causing impaired thinking, lack of reasoning, and loss of muscle coordination. Each of these facilities are necessary for safely operating a vehicle. Drinking and driving impacts the judgment, reaction time, and coordination which leads to poor decision making and can cause deadly automobile accidents.
As alcohol levels increase they have negative effects on a person’s central nervous system. The alcohol is absorbed directly through the walls of the stomach and small intestine. Then the alcohol will travel into the bloodstream and accumulate there until it is metabolized by the liver.
According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), drivers are considered to be alcohol-impaired when their blood alcohol concentrations (BACs) are .08 grams per deciliter (g/dL) or higher. BACs are measured when an arresting officer uses a breathalyzer, a device that measures the amount of alcohol in a driver’s breath. And a BAC can also be measured by a blood test.
In all 50 states, and in the District of Columbia and Puerto Rico, any fatal crash involving a driver with a BAC of .08 g/dL or higher is considered to be an alcohol-impaired-driving crash. The term “drunk driving” or DWI is used instead of alcohol-impaired driving in some other NHTSA communications and material.
Every day, about 32 people in the United States die in drunk-driving crashes. That is one person every 45 minutes. In 2020, 11,654 people died in alcohol-impaired driving traffic deaths which was a 14% increase from 2019. These deaths were all preventable.
In 2021, 24 percent of all traffic deaths in Texas were caused by drunk driving (DWIs). That translates to an average of one person dying every eight hours and 15 minutes. Last year, Texas saw 25,261 drunk driving related traffic crashes.
The San Antonio Current reported in June 2022 that Texas ranked fifth in a recent study of the worst states for drunk driving. There were 1,495 drunk driving-related fatalities in 2020 which is a 12.2 percent increase since 2019.
In most cases, drunk driving leads to death and if victims survive, they suffer from major injuries including traumatic brain injury, paralysis, back injuries, spinal injuries, and internal organ damage. Drunk driving accidents are considered among the most dangerous ones and strict criminal charges are faced by the drivers if they survive.
Here are some common types of accidents that are caused by drunk driving.
The consumption of alcohol can lead to making the driver drowsy or they can fall asleep while they are driving. This leads to veering the vehicle into oncoming traffic causing a head-on collision. Alcohol consumption reduces the ability of the driver to comprehend traffic signals and the actions of other drivers, which also leads to the head-on collision.
The driver’s ability to judge distances is impaired while intoxicated and the reaction time slows down. This can lead to the inability to stop a vehicle quickly at a traffic light or stopping behind another vehicle. This can lead to a rear-end collision.
Drunk drivers can experience impaired vision while driving and may not see a pedestrian walking or standing, especially at night. Hitting a victim with a moving vehicle with the driver intoxicated can lead to the victim suffering catastrophic injuries or even death.
Because of the intoxication caused by alcohol, drivers can find difficulty in reading and comprehending the traffic signals. If a drunk driver does not realize that they are driving the wrong way on a one-way street or not having the capability of realizing an entrance or exit to a highway, interstate or tollway this can lead to a head-on collision or worse.
When an automobile accident is caused by a person driving while intoxicated (DWI), the drunk driver is usually placed under arrest and at the proper time may face criminal charges. While restitution to a victim can be a part of the offender’s criminal penalties, chances are that a victim is going to need to file their own civil claim against the drunk driver.
Unfortunately, DWIs in Texas are a misdemeanor offense until one reaches the third offense. Many states have tougher DWI laws in place. Once a Texas drunk driver has two convictions, a third DWI in is immediately a third-degree felony conviction. Felony convictions come with much steeper punishments, including more state jail time and steeper fines.
This is when you need to contact a DWI Defense attorney to sort out the complicated issues surrounding liability issues and civil versus criminal claims.
Our firm has successfully represented thousands of residents throughout Travis, Williamson, Hays, and Bastrop Counties for twenty-four years. Our injury lawyers use their knowledge and expertise to achieve the best possible outcome for you during a personal injury case.
If you have been injured due to someone else’s negligence or if you yourself have been charged with a crime, you need diligent legal defense. Choose The Law Office Of Matthew Shrum to partner with a trial attorney in Austin who’ll work vigorously to defend your rights at each stage of the legal process.
The Law Office of Matthew Shrum is a personal injury law firm located in Austin Texas. We serve all residents within Travis County, Williamson County, Hays County and Bastrop County.
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