Anaheim DUI Accident Victim Attorneys
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Our Anaheim DUI Accident Victim Attorneys Offer Responsive Support, Every Step Of The Way
Alcohol consumption is common in Anaheim, particularly among visitors to Southern California. Driving under the influence can result in serious injuries and significant financial consequences. If you have been involved in a DUI-related accident, Anaheim DUI accident victim attorneys can help you understand your legal options and the types of compensation you may pursue under the law. Call (888) 488-1391 for a free case evaluation.
Home to approximately 345,000 people, the city of Anaheim is one of the most populous cities in all of Orange County. It is also number ten on the list of the ten most populous cities in California. The geographical area that makes up Anaheim is large, and it constitutes the second-largest city in Orange County by land mass. The major attractions and landmarks located in Anaheim include the Los Angeles Angels, the Anaheim Ducks, the Anaheim Convention Center, and Disneyland. Visitors come from around the world to spend time at the Disneyland Resort.
Consuming alcohol interferes with the functioning of the central nervous system, which can affect how the inebriated individual drives. Although intoxicated driving is illegal at both the federal and state levels, people still choose to drive while intoxicated and put themselves and others at risk of suffering serious bodily injury or death.
If you are involved in a DUI-related crash, consulting an Anaheim DUI accident victim attorney can help you understand the legal implications of the incident. Attorney-client privilege allows you to share details openly, while your lawyer can explain the steps in your case and help you make informed decisions.
Our client was driving with his wife and son on a two-lane highway when a drunk driver crossed the double yellow lines, causing a head-on collision that claimed the life of a loving wife and mother.
– ARASH KHORSANDI
California DUI Accident Statistics
Automobile accidents happen all the time in both rural and urban areas of California. According to California’s 2020-2024 Strategic Highway Safety Plan report, California highway collisions claimed 31,919 lives and injured 115,539 people between 2008 and 2017. Unfortunately, a huge chunk of these accidents was caused by drunk drivers.
DUI accidents pose a serious challenge to local, state, and federal officials in the State of California. The majority of DUI crashes cause victims to suffer serious bodily injury or death. The 2021 California DUI Management Information System reports that there were over 13,000 fatalities and almost 280,000 injuries involving DUI accidents between 2009 and 2019. From 3,719 traffic fatalities in 2019 to 3,847 in 2020, showing an increase of 3.4 percent.
The California Office of Traffic Safety (OTS) reports that more than ten percent of all respondents to a questionnaire stated that they drove an automobile after having too much alcohol during the past six months. The respondents chose to drive even though they believed they had consumed too much alcohol to drive in a safe and responsible manner. Government officials and legislators are doing everything within their power to reduce the number of DUI incidents in California.
Fortunately, the OTS issues financial grants to local law enforcement to provide assistance in reducing overall DUI accidents and fatalities. These grants permitted law enforcement officers to conduct approximately 1,000 DUI checkpoints at which over 2,000 people were arrested for driving under the influence.
The Grim Aftermath Of DUI Accidents
Many individuals who drive after consuming too much alcohol believe they are not going to injure other motorists on the road. However, every person who drives while under the influence of alcohol risks causing serious bodily harm or death to pedestrians, motorcyclists, and automobile passengers. Intoxicated drivers often drive at excessive rates of speed, and they will sometimes strike another automobile while speeding.
Unfortunately, under these circumstances, victims are more likely to suffer the following types of injuries:
- Amputation.
- Deep lacerations.
- Bone fractures.
- Damage to internal organ systems.
- Traumatic brain injuries.
- Spinal cord injuries.
Serious injuries often require long-term medical treatment and physical rehabilitation. In these situations, it’s important to understand how your medical expenses and related costs can be addressed through insurance coverage and other legal avenues.
Driving Under The Influence And Legal Consequences
Blood alcohol concentration (BAC) is the primary measurement of alcohol intoxication. Law enforcement agents and medical professionals administer blood alcohol tests to determine how much alcohol is in a drunk driver’s body. Police officers use both field sobriety tests and breathalyzer tests to assess whether a driver’s blood alcohol concentration level is over the legal limit. Officers can rely on these test results to make decisions about who to arrest for driving under the influence.
Anaheim DUI accident victim attorneys can help navigate communication with officers, insurance companies, witnesses, and other parties involved. Their support allows injured individuals to focus on healing while a lawyer reviews the relevant records and correspondence related to the case.
In DUI-related accidents, damages may be classified as economic or non-economic. Economic damages can include medical expenses, lost earnings, and property damage. Non-economic damages may cover emotional distress, loss of enjoyment of life, or pain and suffering. In certain cases, injured parties may pursue punitive damages if the conduct involved was particularly reckless, though such damages are not awarded in every case.
During a case, a DUI accident victim attorney may gather traffic collision reports, witness statements, insurance information, and other documentation relevant to liability and damages. They may also review applicable local, state, and federal laws to assess how these rules apply to the specific circumstances of the accident.
California Works To Reduce DUI Rates
California Vehicle Code section 23152 is the statute that makes it a crime for any driver to operate a motor vehicle while having a BAC of 0.08 or above. Also, drivers who are younger than twenty-one years of age cannot have any alcohol in their system while operating an automobile, meaning that any driver younger than twenty-one who has any amount of alcohol in their system, no matter how small, will be arrested and charged with driving under the influence of alcohol.
Police checkpoints that focus on getting intoxicated drivers off the roads are also common throughout Orange County, California. Law enforcement officers will stop drivers and perform field sobriety tests and breathalyzer tests to determine if any driver is driving under the influence of alcohol. The officers may take the intoxicated individual’s driver’s license, which can cause problems for those residents who rely on their mode of transportation to get to and from work.
It is more difficult now than it was in the past to get your driver’s license back after being convicted of driving under the influence of alcohol. Those drivers who declined to submit to a breathalyzer test or who have been convicted more than once of driving under the influence of alcohol may face even tougher restrictions. Every person who is convicted of a drunk driving offense, even those who have never been arrested before, must have an ignition interlock device installed in their vehicles.
The ignition interlock device will prevent the automobile ignition from working if the driver has a blood alcohol concentration of 0.17 or higher. Some ignition interlock models can force drivers to pull their vehicles over to the shoulder so the driver can submit a breath sample. City officials and local law enforcement agencies want residents to know that there will be severe consequences for being convicted of driving under the influence of alcohol.
The Defining Characteristics Of DUI Accident Cases
Most drivers in automobile accidents are not required to pay punitive damages. However, many drivers in DUI accident cases are forced to pay punitive damages because the conduct a drunk driver engages in is wanton, willful, or malicious. The judge decides whether punitive damages will be awarded, and then a determination of the amount of punitive damages will be made.
Criminal charges are often connected to DUI accident cases. Drunk drivers may be named as defendants in a civil lawsuit, and they may also be named as criminal defendants in a state criminal case. A criminal conviction may result in penalties such as jail time, fines, or even restitution to the victim, but it does not provide full financial compensation for the injuries and losses caused by the accident. The primary way for victims to seek comprehensive damages is through a civil lawsuit.
Settlement in a motor vehicle accident; client suffered internal injuries.– JUDD ROSS ALLEN
The Most Common Injuries Victims Suffer During DUI Accidents
Intoxicated drivers are also often responsible for causing horrendous injuries to accident victims. Also, drunk drivers are responsible for causing the deaths of many accident victims. DUI accident cases usually have victims who suffered catastrophic injuries.
The following are some of the most common injuries suffered by DUI accident victims in Orange County:
- Lacerations — Victims often suffer lacerations after coming into contact with the windshield of a vehicle.
- Bruises — As victims are thrown around inside the automobile, they are likely to suffer bruises.
- Herniated Disc — Herniated discs occur quite often in DUI accidents because many drunk drivers strike other automobiles while traveling at a high rate of speed.
- Airbag Injury — Airbags often cause rib fractures and other chest injuries.
- Shoulder Injury — Shoulder injuries occur frequently in all automobile accidents. However, DUI accidents often cause accident victims to be forced against the interior of their vehicle and injure their shoulder.
- Bone Fractures — When an intoxicated driver is traveling at a high rate of speed, it is possible for a DUI accident victim to suffer bone fractures due to the force of impact.
- Traumatic Brain Injuries — Brain injuries are some of the worst injuries any victim can experience. Most drunk drivers are traveling at a higher-than-average rate of speed. Unfortunately, if an intoxicated driver hits another motorist in a head-on collision, then that motorist is likely to suffer a traumatic brain injury.
Why You Need DUI Accident Victim Attorneys In Anaheim
All DUI accident cases are unique because no two cases have an identical set of facts. Many victims and family members have post-traumatic stress disorder after being involved in a DUI accident. Legal issues, financial insecurity, and serious physical injuries can make survivors feel anxious, stressed, and depressed. However, you do not have to deal with every aspect of a civil lawsuit on your own.
Anaheim DUI accident victim attorneys at Arash Law can assist with handling the procedural aspects of your case. Our services may include:
- Reviewing the details of your accident and gathering relevant documentation.
- Communicating with insurance companies, witnesses, and other parties involved.
- Organizing medical records, traffic reports, and other evidence.
- Explaining legal procedures and potential options available under California law.
Having an attorney manage these tasks may allow you to focus on your physical and emotional recovery while understanding the steps involved in your case.
Contact Our DUI Accident Victim Attorneys In Anaheim
Arash Law, led by Arash Khorsandi, Esq., represents clients in personal injury cases, including DUI-related accidents. Our Anaheim attorneys can assist with reviewing case details, gathering evidence, and explaining legal options under California law.
We serve clients throughout Anaheim and nearby areas, including Fullerton, Placentia, Yorba Linda, Buena Park, Cypress, Stanton, Garden Grove, Olive, and Villa Park. We also cover other California counties, like Los Angeles, Alameda, Santa Cruz, Riverside, Fresno, San Francisco, San Diego, and more.
Contact Arash Law at (888) 488-1391 to schedule a free initial consultation.
