Florida Drunk Driving Accidents Victims Attorneys

When someone makes the terrible decision to climb behind the wheel of a vehicle after consuming alcohol and/or some other intoxicant, it immediately creates a situation where anyone who is in the area of that moving vehicle can be severely injured or worse.  That’s one of the many reasons that Florida DUI laws have gotten stricter and have begun to carry tougher penalties in recent years.  Unfortunately, tougher laws have not lead to an elimination of drinking and driving in the state.

Statistics reveal that approximately 1,000 people are killed every year in Florida car accidents where at least one driver involved had some alcohol in his or her system.  Of those 1,000 fatalities, nearly 90 percent of the crashes that led to these tragic results involved at least one driver whose BAC at the time was either at or above the legal limit of 0.08.  These deaths represent nearly one-third of all of the fatalities that occur on Florida’s roads every year.

Florida DUI Accidents – Potential Plaintiffs

When someone is intoxicated and he or she gets behind the wheel of a vehicle and causes an accident that leads to injuries or worse, it will often lead to an arrest and to a prosecution for serious crimes.  Such an incident can also lead to the filing of a Florida personal injury lawsuit, and there are several potential plaintiffs who may have standing to file such a claim.  Below is a look at some of these potential plaintiffs that may have legal rights and options after a Florida DUI accident.

• Other drivers – Clearly, if a drunk driver collides with another vehicle and injures another driver, that person can file a lawsuit that seeks recovery of damages and losses.
• Passengers in other vehicles – Passengers in other vehicles who are injured in Florida DUI accidents have just as much right to pursue legal remedies as other drivers.
• The drunk driver’s passengers – Drivers are legally responsible for the passengers they carry, and that responsibility includes avoiding situations where they are driving them while intoxicated.
• Families of parties lost – As seen above, many people are killed as a result of Florida DUI accidents every year, and the families of those who are lost can file Florida wrongful death lawsuits against drunk drivers.

Of course, there could be additional parties who may be able to bring Florida personal injury lawsuits against a drunk driver, but in general anyone who is harmed as a result of this conduct has legal rights that should be protected and enforced.  These legal rights can be enforced even if the drunk driver is being criminally prosecuted for his or her actions.