New Year's Day Drunk Driving Accidents & Injury Claims

The night of New Year’s Eve and the morning of New Year’s Day always mark some of the most dangerous times to be on the road. Each year, hundreds of people across the country will be seriously injured in drunk driving accidents caused by intoxicated New Year’s celebrants. The crossover from 2017 to 2018 has proven not to be unique, as news stories from all corners have reported devastating crashes and losses of life.

If you or someone you love was struck by a drunk driver on New Year’s, it is imperative that you start thinking about filing an injury claim as soon as possible. Evidence in such cases can be time sensitive, so too much of a delay could be a detriment to your chances of recovering compensation.

Here is what you need to know about New Year’s Eve car accidents to improve your claim:

• BAC level: The police should have shown up to the scene of your accident to redirect traffic and arrest any drunk drivers. You have the right to know the recorded blood alcohol concentration (BAC) level of the other driver. However, getting this information can be tricky and often requires the assistance of an experienced car accident lawyer.
• Event or party: Did the other driver that struck you mention any sort of event, party, or celebration from which they were departing? California has limited dram shop laws, but it may still be useful to know about the party, as it could be discovered that the host was encouraging drunk driving. Or, you could discover more evidence of the driver’s negligence from other partygoers.
• Injuries: You must take yourself to your trusted medical physician as soon as possible after a New Year’s Eve crash. Since there is a spike in car crashes each year around this time, it might be difficult to get an appointment. Use urgent care if you must. Not knowing the extent of your injuries means you do not know how much compensation you need, or could even reduce the liability of the drunk driver that hit you. It is seen as your own negligence to ignore your injuries.

Do you need help filing your claim? One mistake could unravel the entire thing. Eliminate your risk of overlooking an important topic or bit of evidence by teaming up with Habbas & Associates. Our San Jose personal injury attorneys have been helping people in the Bay Area seek justice and compensation for more than 175 total years. See what we can do for you and your New Year’s Eve accident claim by contacting us now.