Injured By a DUI Driver? Know Your Rights
Drivers have a responsibility to look out for the safety of other drivers, passengers, pedestrians, and cyclists who share the roadways. When a person chooses to drink and drive, that is a direct neglect of that responsibility. Unfortunately, DUI is a common cause of car accidents, and these types of crashes frequently result in personal injury.
Individuals who have suffered a personal injury as the result of DUI have the right to hold liable parties accountable for losses related to their injury. The personal injury lawyers at Reed & Terry, L.L.P., serving Sugar Land, TX, Katy, TX, Richmond, TX, and surrounding areas, make sure injury victims understand their rights following a DUI crash.
Who Is Responsible for My Medical Bills?
DUI car accidents tend to result in substantial injuries, such as severe lacerations, contusions, broken bones, internal organ damage, and head injuries. Injuries like these often require extensive medical treatment, and possibly even surgical intervention. Because of this, one of the most common questions that a person has after being injured in a DUI crash is, who is responsible for my medical bills?
Liability for medical bills related to a DUI personal injury nearly always falls on the DUI driver and their insurance company. Unfortunately, injury victims often have to rely on their own insurance to cover medical expenses, and must then pursue repayment for medical expenses (along with anticipated future medical expenses) once accident liability has been established.
Am I Due Additional Damages?
Medical expenses often make up a large portion of the damages that may be awarded in an insurance claim or personal injury case, but they are definitely not the only type of compensation that a person is due following injuries in a DUI crash. Personal injury victims have the right to hold liable parties accountable for the full extent of physical, emotional, and financial damages related to DUI injuries. In addition to medical expenses, this may include:
- Cost of ongoing rehabilitation and therapy
- Lost wages
- Loss of wage-earning potential
- Pain and suffering
- Diminished quality of life
Should I Accept a Settlement From the Insurance Company?
Even if an insurance company accepts liability on behalf of a driver who has been charged with DUI, that doesn’t mean that they will justly compensate individuals who have been injured as the result of the DUI.
Often, insurers attempt to settle a DUI accident claim quickly, before the full extent of injury damages may be known. We urge injury victims not to accept a settlement offer from an insurance company without meeting a knowledgeable personal injury lawyer. Injury victims are commonly surprised to learn how much compensation they are rightfully due in comparison to what the insurance company has offered.
How Much Time Do I Have To File a Personal Injury Claim?
There are statute of limitations in place that limit how much time a person has to file a personal injury claim following a car accident. In Texas, the statute of limitations for a personal injury claim is two years from the date of the injury-causing accident.
Get In Touch
DUI accident injuries can lead to substantial physical, emotional, and financial damages. The personal injury lawyers at Reed & Terry, L.L.P., work with injury victims to hold liable parties accountable for their losses. To find out how our legal team can help you following a DUI injury, send us a message online or call us at (281) 491-5000.