Irvine Drunk Driving Lawyers
A drunk driver’s careless choice can change your life in an instant. You were following the traffic laws when someone under the influence struck your vehicle, leaving you with serious injuries, overwhelming medical bills, and insurance companies trying to shift the blame.
Facing this kind of challenge can feel isolating and frustrating. Gathering evidence, documenting your losses, and holding the responsible parties accountable is essential for protecting your rights. Bentley & More LLP helps Irvine residents navigate the aftermath of catastrophic DUI accidents. Our Irvine drunk driving lawyers work to secure fair compensation from drivers and any establishments that may have contributed.
Drunk Driving Accident Claims: Key Takeaways
- California law allows drunk driving accident victims to recover compensation from both the intoxicated driver and potentially bars or restaurants that overserved them alcohol.
- Drunk driving cases frequently involve punitive damages designed to punish defendants for their conscious disregard for public safety.
- You must file DUI accident claims within two years of the collision date, and early investigation preserves evidence of alcohol consumption.
- Insurance companies often dispute the extent of injuries or argue that factors other than intoxication caused accidents.
- Call our lawyers to protect your rights and get guidance now.
Why Select Our Irvine Drunk Driving Legal Champions
Drunk driving accident cases demand attorneys who understand both personal injury law and the unique aspects of alcohol-related collisions. Bentley & More LLP focuses on catastrophic injury cases that require thorough investigation of drinking establishments, alcohol service practices, and the complex insurance coverage issues that arise in DUI accident litigation.
DUI Accident Experience
Our firm has extensive experience handling drunk driving accident cases that involve severe injuries requiring lifetime medical care. We understand how to investigate alcohol consumption patterns, obtain surveillance footage from bars and restaurants, and identify all parties who may bear responsibility for enabling intoxicated driving.
Professional Recognition and Trust
Attorneys throughout Orange County refer their most complex drunk driving accident cases to Bentley & More LLP when they encounter claims requiring knowledge or extensive resources. This professional recognition demonstrates our reputation for achieving successful outcomes in cases that demand aggressive investigation and skilled trial advocacy.
Strategic Irvine Location Access
Our headquarters provides convenient access for Irvine drunk driving accident clients while maintaining proximity to accident reconstruction specialists, toxicology professionals, and medical professionals. This location lets us quickly coordinate with the technical professionals to prove complex DUI accident cases.
Comprehensive Investigation Capabilities
Drunk driving cases often require extensive investigation to identify all sources of alcohol consumption, establish service patterns at bars and restaurants, and preserve evidence before it disappears. Our firm has the resources to hire private investigators, accident reconstruction specialists, and expert witnesses who can demonstrate how intoxication caused preventable accidents.
Drunk Driving Accident Compensation Recovery
California drunk driving accident victims can recover compensation for both economic and non-economic damages, often at levels significantly higher than those in typical car accident cases. Economic damages include medical expenses, rehabilitation costs, lost income, and reduced earning capacity from permanent disabilities caused by intoxicated drivers.
Non-economic damages compensate for pain and suffering, emotional trauma, and loss of life enjoyment resulting from injuries caused by drunk drivers. California law also allows punitive damages in drunk driving cases when defendants’ conduct demonstrates conscious disregard for the safety of others.
Drunk driving accident cases frequently result in higher settlements and verdicts because juries are often outraged by defendants who choose to drive while intoxicated. Insurance companies understand this dynamic and may offer more substantial settlements to avoid trial when their policyholders clearly caused accidents through intoxicated driving.
Third-party liability claims against bars, restaurants, or social hosts who provided alcohol to visibly intoxicated persons can provide additional compensation beyond the drunk driver’s insurance coverage. These dram shop liability cases require proof that establishments continued serving alcohol to obviously impaired patrons who later caused accidents.
California’s statute of limitations, California Code of Civil Procedure § 335.1, gives drunk driving accident victims two years from the collision date to file lawsuits against responsible parties. However, evidence of alcohol consumption can disappear quickly as establishments destroy surveillance footage and witnesses’ memories fade about drinking patterns.
Where Do DUI Accidents Occur in Irvine?
Irvine’s entertainment districts create concentrated areas where drunk driving accidents frequently occur as intoxicated patrons leave bars and restaurants. The Irvine Spectrum Center area sees numerous DUI accidents when drivers who’ve been drinking at restaurants attempt to navigate busy parking areas and nearby streets. Evening and weekend hours are particularly risky, as higher traffic volumes combine with impaired driving.
Major roadways, including Interstate 5, Interstate 405, and Jamboree Road, experience serious drunk driving accidents, particularly during evening hours when intoxicated drivers are returning home from social events. The area around John Wayne Airport involves DUI accidents when travelers consume alcohol before attempting to drive to hotels or parking areas.
University of California, Irvine area roads see drunk driving accidents involving both students and visitors who’ve been drinking at campus events or nearby establishments. Our personal injury attorneys have handled drunk driving accident cases throughout Orange County, giving us familiarity with local drinking establishments, traffic patterns, and the law enforcement agencies that investigate DUI collisions. We also guide victims through insurance claims, medical documentation, and liability considerations to protect their rights.
Understanding Irvine Drunk Driving Accident Cases
Drunk driving accident cases involve multiple areas of law depending on the specific circumstances surrounding each collision. Personal injury law governs claims against intoxicated drivers, while dram shop liability law applies to establishments that served alcohol to visibly intoxicated patrons.
Types of Drunk Driving Accidents
Head-on collisions often occur when drunk drivers cross center lines, drive the wrong way on divided highways, or attempt unsafe passing maneuvers due to impaired judgment and delayed reaction times. These accidents frequently result in catastrophic injuries or fatalities due to the high-speed impact forces involved.
Intersection accidents happen when drunk drivers run red lights, fail to stop at stop signs, or misjudge traffic gaps due to alcohol-impaired perception and decision-making abilities. These T-bone crashes often cause severe injuries to occupants of vehicles struck by intoxicated drivers.
Rear-end collisions occur when drunk drivers follow too closely, fail to recognize stopped traffic, or fall asleep behind the wheel due to alcohol consumption. While these accidents may seem less severe, they can cause serious injuries when high speeds are involved.
Single-vehicle crashes involving drunk drivers can still result in passenger injuries. They may lead to liability claims when intoxicated drivers injure their passengers or when third parties provide alcohol to obviously impaired persons.
Catastrophic Injuries from DUI Accidents
Traumatic brain injuries frequently result from drunk driving accidents due to the high-impact forces involved and the tendency for intoxicated drivers to cause severe collisions. These injuries can cause permanent cognitive impairment, memory problems, and personality changes that prevent a return to previous employment.
Spinal cord injuries from DUI accidents often result in partial or complete paralysis requiring lifetime medical care, adaptive equipment, and home modifications. The devastating nature of these injuries makes drunk driving accident cases particularly suitable for punitive damage awards.
Severe burns can occur when drunk driving accidents involve vehicle fires or fuel leaks that ignite during high-speed collisions. Burn injuries often require multiple surgeries, skin grafts, and extensive rehabilitation that can continue for years after the initial accident.
Multiple fractures and crush injuries commonly occur in drunk driving accidents due to the severe impact forces when intoxicated drivers lose control of their vehicles or strike other cars at high speeds.
Fighting DUI Accident Insurance Companies in Irvine
Insurance companies defending drunk driving accident claims face significant challenges because their policyholders clearly violated the law by driving while intoxicated. However, they still employ various strategies to minimize claim payments, often by disputing injury severity or arguing that factors other than intoxication caused accidents.
Defense attorneys may claim that road conditions, weather, or mechanical problems contributed to accidents rather than accepting that intoxication was the primary cause. They might argue that victims’ injuries were pre-existing or that medical treatment was excessive compared to the actual trauma sustained.
Bentley & More LLP protects drunk driving accident victims from these insurance company tactics by conducting thorough investigations that establish clear connections between intoxication and accident causation. We work with accident reconstructionists who can demonstrate how alcohol impairment led to the driving behaviors that caused collisions.
Our trial experience in drunk driving cases gives us significant leverage in settlement negotiations because insurance companies know that juries often award substantial verdicts against intoxicated drivers. We understand how to present compelling evidence of defendants’ choices to drink and drive despite knowing the risks to innocent motorists.
Actions to Take Following Irvine DUI Accidents
A drunk driving accident can turn your life upside down in seconds. Knowing the right steps to protect your rights and document your injuries is vital for building a strong case. Here’s what you should do after a DUI collision:
- Obtain official records
- Collect all police reports, criminal case files, and court documents related to the drunk driver’s arrest and prosecution. These records often contain key details such as blood alcohol levels, field sobriety test results, and witness statements that can help establish civil liability and strengthen your claim.
- Get thorough medical evaluations.
- Even if injuries seem minor at first, accidents involving drunk drivers can result in internal injuries, concussions, or brain trauma that appear later. Follow all treatment recommendations, attend every appointment, and maintain detailed records to document your injuries fully for legal and insurance purposes.
- Document life impacts
- Preserve evidence showing how the accident affects your daily life. Track your pain levels, sleep disruptions, emotional struggles, and limitations on work, recreation, and family activities. This information can play a key role in demonstrating the full scope of damages caused by the accident.
- Preserve critical evidence
- Contact Bentley & More LLP to investigate alcohol consumption patterns, especially before bars or restaurants destroy surveillance footage or receipts. Our team collaborates with investigators to secure important evidence and coordinates with insurance companies, ensuring your case leaves nothing overlooked.
Irvine Drunk Driving Accident Claims: Frequently Asked Questions
Can I sue the bar that served the drunk driver?
California dram shop law, California Civil Code Section 1714(c), allows lawsuits against establishments that serve alcohol to obviously intoxicated patrons who later cause accidents, but proving overservice requires thorough investigation and professional testimony.
What if the drunk driver doesn’t have insurance?
Uninsured motorist coverage on your own policy may provide compensation, and you might still pursue legal action against the drunk driver’s personal assets or third parties who provided alcohol.
How do punitive damages work in drunk driving cases?
California allows punitive damages when defendants act with conscious disregard for others’ safety, and drunk driving often meets this standard because drivers know the risks of intoxicated driving.
What if I were a passenger in the drunk driver’s car?
Passengers injured by drunk drivers can pursue compensation through the driver’s insurance or their own coverage, and may also have claims against establishments that overserved alcohol.
How long do drunk driving accident cases take to resolve?
Case duration depends on injury severity, criminal case resolution, and insurance company cooperation, but complex DUI accident cases often require one to three years for complete resolution, including appeals. Promptly gathering evidence and maintaining thorough documentation can help streamline the process and support a stronger case.
Hear From Our Clients
“Kieth Moore was my attorney and he did a fantastic job! He was great at communicating with me and went above and beyond. His attention to detail and work ethic was strong and comforting. The staff was very helpful and answered all my questions and concerns. I am very thankful he handled my late husbands case and was able to get the maximum benefits for my children. Keith and staff THANK YOU for everything!“ – Citlali Cardenas ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Call Bentley & More LLP in Irvine Today
Drunk driving accidents can cause life-changing injuries, and insurance companies often try to downplay the damage. Bentley & More LLP has handled serious DUI cases across Southern California, gathering evidence and pursuing full compensation for victims. These accidents are preventable, yet the consequences can be severe when someone chooses to drive under the influence. California’s time limits for filing DUI claims mean acting quickly is crucial. Critical evidence like alcohol tests and surveillance footage can disappear fast, making prompt action essential.
Call Bentley & More LLP at (949) 870-3800 or online to discuss your Irvine DUI accident case. Our Irvine drunk driving attorneys hold all responsible parties accountable and pursue the compensation you need.
Bentley & More LLP Office
Address: 4931 Birch Street Newport Beach, CA 92660
Phone: (949) 870-3800