Does a criminal case help a personal injury claim?

On Behalf of | Jan 25, 2022 | Motor vehicle crashes |

Drunk driving is a serious problem in Georgia. As such, you need to be aware of the risk that drunk drivers could be on the road while you are.

While the state does use strategies to minimize drunk driving, that doesn’t mean that you won’t ever have to deal with someone being unsafe on the roads. Strategies like sobriety checkpoints, mass media campaigns, and school-based instructional programs have been used to help educate people and stop drivers who are too impaired to drive, but there is still always a risk that you’ll come across someone who is far too impaired to be behind the wheel.

Fortunately, you do have the option of pursuing a personal injury claim if you’re hit by a drunk driver.

Is it beneficial to wait for a criminal case to conclude before making your claim?

If you’re involved in a case where the other driver was suspected of drunk driving, it may make some sense to wait to settle your personal injury claim until you know that they’ll be convicted. However, you don’t have to wait. If there is evidence that they were impaired, such as a high amount of alcohol in their blood, then your attorney will use this information to help negotiate a fair settlement for you.

A conviction isn’t necessary for you to obtain compensation from someone who hit you. This is because the compensation you’ll be seeking is handled under a civil lawsuit, and the DUI case will be handled in criminal court. These are two separate systems, so a criminal case doesn’t have to happen for you to make your own claim.

While a conviction could be helpful if you want to seek a greater amount of compensation and show for certain that the other driver was impaired, many people are able to get fair compensation without considering the criminal case (if there is one).

How you handle your case will largely depend on what happened, the severity of your injuries and the evidence that is available to show that the other driver was impaired. It’s possible that you could maximize your claim without needing to involve any additional evidence.