Driver, club sued by victim of Illinois drunk driving accident
On behalf of of Frederick & Hagle posted in Car Accidents on Tuesday, May 7, 2013.
Drunk driving is not just a personal risk. Unfortunately, accidents caused by drunk drivers in Illinois too often yield serious injuries to victims while the intoxicated driver suffers minor injuries. One Illinois victim filed a lawsuit after the driver of the vehicle that she was a passenger in struck a utility pole when he was intoxicated behind the wheel. Following impact with the pole, the car flipped and the passenger injured her legs and pelvis.
When a victim is seriously injured in a car accident caused by a drunk driver, there can be financial compensation available for the victim, even if he or she was the passenger of the offending driver. The intoxicated driver can be held financially liable for the medical expenses, lost wages, pain and suffering endured by victims of the driver’s negligence.
However, the victim that injured her legs and pelvis in the drunk driving accident detailed above is not just suing the offending drunk driver, she is also suing the establishment where the intoxicated driver was drinking just prior to the crash. Under the Dram Shop Act, victims injured by a drunk driver in Illinois can hold establishments liable if the establishment was continuing to serve an individual that the establishment knew or should have known was intoxicated prior to the individual getting behind the wheel and crashing.
The injury victim is seeking over $50,000 in damages from the driver and establishment in order to compensate her for the medical expenses, loss of income and court costs she incurred following the accident and subsequent legal proceedings. An outcome for this case has yet to be determined.
Source: The Madison-St. Clair Record, “Larry Flynt’s Hustler Club seeks medical records of plaintiff involved in accident,” Christina Stueve Hodges, April 22, 2013
