Auto accidents with injuries happen every day throughout our country.  These accidents often cause serious injuries or even death.  These tragedies are even sadder when they are caused by drunk drivers.  In an attempt to deter the terrible misconduct of D.U.I. Driving, Georgia law allows the personal injury claimants to recover punitive damages in addition to the medical expenses, lost wages, and pain and suffering.

The Griffin Law Firm has a track record of great settlements on cases involving D.U.I. Defendants.  These settlements are usually for the insurance company’s full policy limits.  Recovering the full policy limits means that we get every dollar that is available under the negligent driver’s auto insurance policy.

How does our law firm get these great settlements and verdicts?  Our injury lawyers have the skill, experience, and resources to make the insurance companies pay out these incredible settlements.  We utilize unique strategies that create additional exposures to the insurance company.  These strategies can even result in recoveries of more than the policy limits, which is usually not possible.

Call us at 1-800-PAIN-LAW or use our Settlement Calculator to find how much your personal injury claim is worth.

When is a driver guilty of D.U.I. in Georgia?  The Georgia statute for driving under the influence of alcohol or drugs is O.C.G.A. Section 40-6-391.  In this statute the defendant is guilty of a D.U.I. violation if any of these conditions apply:

  • The alcohol, drugs, or chemicals in their system make “it is less safe for the person to drive.”
  • The driver has a blood alcohol content of “0.08 grams or more”.
  • A driver is unsafe to drive due to prescription medications or illegal drugs or a combination of both.

What are punitive damages?  Punitive damages punish the D.U.I. Driver.  Punitive damages are above and beyond the medical expenses, lost wages, and pain and suffering.  The purpose of punitive damages is to deter the defendant from driving drunk in the future by adding this additional monetary damage.

In the Georgia statute, O.C.G.A. Section 51-12-5.1, punitive damages are allowed when:

  • The defendant’s actions showed an intentional disregard for human life.

Will the adjuster automatically settle D.U.I. Personal Injury cases for the fair amount?  No.  Adjusters will almost always make offers that are considerably less than the full value of your personal injury claim if you do not have an attorney.  This is because their goal is to save the insurance company money at your expense.  However, the Griffin Law Firm has a track record of great recoveries for our Personal Injury clients who are the victim of D.U.I. Drivers.  Our firm usually recovers three to five times more on cases involving D.U.I. Defendants.  Some examples of our firm’s great DUI settlements include $110,000, $90,000, and $75,000.

 

How can you make sure you get a fair personal injury recovery?  You can call the Griffin Law Firm at 877-PAIN-LAW (877-724-6529) to find out how we can help you get the settlement you need and deserve.