A car accident is troubling enough without tossing in complicated facts such as driving under the influence of alcohol. The propensity for any negligent driver to ruin the lives of others is great. When one adds alcohol to the mix, the amount of damage that can be done is often too much for anyone to handle. Unfortunately, this kind of combination is likely the cause of a recent drunk driving accident that injured nine people in Connecticut recently.
A 46-year-old man crashed his vehicle into a Stratford, Connecticut business on Friday, April 12. The building, a nail salon, was in operation at the time and nine people were injured. The man is now criminally charged with operating a motor vehicle under the influence, risk of injury to a minor and second degree assault with a motor vehicle.
The state of Connecticut prohibits operation of motor vehicle under the influence of alcohol. When an individual is harmed in an incident caused by an intoxicated driver, not only are criminal charges applicable, but civil litigation is also often appropriate.
When pursuing a negligent driver in civil litigation, the harmed party seeks monetary compensation for the surmounting medical bills, wage loss and pain and suffering associated with the accident. While commonly misunderstood, it is often not the negligent driver that pays for these bills, but instead the auto insurance company of that driver. The state of Connecticut requires every registered motor vehicle to be insured while operated on public roads.
Therefore, in an auto civil claim, a negligent driver is often insured and the injured party is permitted to pursue compensation via the insurance policy of that negligent driver. In some cases, unfortunately the policy limits of the negligent driver do not cover all the damages sustained by the injured party. If that is the case, the harmed individual might also pursue an underinsured motorist claim against their own insurance to recover the remaining compensation necessary to move on with his or her life.
Civil litigation involving an auto claim can be rather complicated. It is important to have adequate representation in such cases in order to obtain a fair and equitable result.
Source: Connecticut Post, “Not guilty plea in deadly Seattle DUI accident,” April 11, 2013.
