Every day, dozens of people lose their lives at the hands of drunk drivers in the United States. To many, it’s incomprehensible that people would choose to drive intoxicated in an age where ridesharing apps abound.
Sadly, though, drunk driving continues to be a serious problem in Alpharetta, Georgia — and across the United States as a whole.
Every state has laws against driving under the influence of alcohol. These laws can vary, but drunk driving is always considered a criminal offense.
If you or a loved one is injured after an encounter with a drunk driver, you may be entitled to compensation for injuries, lost wages, and pain and suffering. A personal injury lawyer in Alpharetta can help you navigate the legal process to secure the compensation you deserve. Ali Awad and the team at CEO Lawyer Personal Injury Law Firm can negotiate on your behalf to help you receive compensation after a drunk driving accident.
In a few short years since starting his firm, Awad has won millions of dollars in settlements and jury awards for his clients. He’s admired by 1 million+ online followers for sharing his no-nonsense legal advice.
Schedule a free, no-obligation case review to discuss your legal options with a drunk driving accident lawyer in Alpharetta today when you call (470) 323-8779 or contact us online.
Why You Should Hire an Alpharetta Drunk Driving Attorney
Drunk driving accidents often leave physical and mental scars.
Physically, car accidents can result in a range of minor or catastrophic injuries. No matter the extent of the damage, these injuries can affect your ability to work, live, and function normally.
Further, small injuries can morph into larger concerns over time or precipitate other medical needs or conditions that didn’t exist before the accident. Therefore, if you’ve been hit by a drunk driver, it’s always wise to consult with an attorney.
Mentally, drivers can feel anxious, stressed, or nervous about driving after an encounter with a drunk driver. You may feel like you can’t trust other drivers and that you constantly have to be on high alert for your own safety.
In extreme cases, people may quit driving altogether after a drunk driving incident because they’re so scarred by what happened. People can develop post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) or suffer from a traumatic brain injury (TBI) as the result of a drunk driving incident, as well.
These mental changes can completely alter your relationship with driving and ruin your sense of safety. Clearly, mental injuries can have a lasting impact on your life, alongside any physical injuries sustained.
If you’ve been involved in a drunk driving incident, it’s worthwhile to hire a lawyer to see what options you have for pursuing the offender or the offender’s insurance company. An experienced personal injury attorney knows what steps to take to maximize your chances of getting compensation.
The Physical & Mental Effects of Being Hit by a Drunk Driver
Being hit by a drunk driver is often physically and mentally devastating. Of course, accidents range in severity and impact, but there are a number of conditions and side effects that could change your life following an accident.
Physical Effects
Car accidents cause physical trauma in a number of ways. The high speed, unexpected impact, and erratic movements can lead to the following issues:
- Whiplash: Whiplash occurs when the neck rapidly moves back and forth in an uncontrolled fashion. Whiplash can cause severe spinal problems, neck pain, and other long-term complications.
- Broken bones: The impact of a car accident may cause broken bones. Your body can get twisted, pushed, and turned in dramatic ways in a drunk driving incident. Therefore, it’s not uncommon to break bones during a car accident.
- Punctured/bruised organs: Getting slammed into your airbags, thrown back into your seat, or hitting the interior of your car, another passenger, or items inside of your car can lead to severe injuries. It can take days or weeks to recover from an organ injury, and surgery may be necessary in some cases.
- Head injuries: The brain is susceptible to damage from high-impact movements. A Traumatic Brain Injury, or TBI, can alter a person’s behavior, perceptions, and capabilities.
- Chronic pain: Some injuries can cause chronic pain or inflammation that impacts your day-to-day life. Managing chronic pain can be a costly and stressful burden that may impact your life for years to come.
- Superficial injuries: It’s common to sustain cuts, bruises, gashes, and other surface injuries during a car accident. Broken glass, jagged metal, and loose debris can cause cuts and scrapes of all sizes and depths.
Mental Effects
A car accident with a drunk driver may negatively impact your perception of driving and road safety. Sadly, some accident victims develop conditions such as:
- Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD): PTSD is a psychiatric disorder hallmarked by mental and emotional distress. People who suffer from PTSD may experience flashbacks of traumatic events along with depression, anxiety, or uncontrollable rage. Treating PTSD often requires professional counseling, medication, and other interventions.
- Anxiety: Accident victims may feel anxious about driving, riding in a car as a passenger, or being around traffic. These feelings can interfere with a person’s daily routines and peace of mind.
- Depression: Accidents rob you of your sense of safety. Further, if you sustain a debilitating injury or if someone dies in the accident, you may have to navigate the devastating aftermath of loss and grief.
- Poor quality of sleep: Nightmares, night terrors, and insomnia can plague you after a car accident. You may need medication or sleep therapy to avoid disruptions to your sleep cycle.
- Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI): Physical injuries to the brain can cause a wide range of detrimental effects, including memory loss, inability to focus, depression, irritability, difficulty sleeping, nausea, sensory changes, and more.
How Law Enforcement Determines if Someone Was Driving Drunk
In Alpharetta and across the state of Georgia, drinking remains a serious concern. CDC data shows that over 3,200 people in Georgia were killed in an accident involving an alcohol-impaired driver from 2009 – 2018.
Because drunk driving is such a common issue, law enforcement officials have developed methods and standards for identifying if someone is driving under the influence. The legal Blood-Alcohol Concentration (BAC) limit in Georgia is 0.08 percent or above.
However, if the police pull a person over for driving erratically and their level is beneath 0.08 percent, they may still arrest them. Above all, they want to keep dangerous drivers off of the roads.
The police will conduct several tests to determine if someone is driving under the influence. First, they’ll observe a driver’s behavior to watch for signs of intoxication before they pull them over.
They’ll look for drifting, unexpected starting or stopping, driving too slowly or too quickly, or disregarding traffic signals.
After pulling the driver over, they’ll watch for physical indicators like dilated pupils, slurred speech, stumbling, or confusion. They can also administer three physical tests to evaluate the driver’s physical abilities and presence of mind:
- Standing on one leg: An officer will ask the driver to stand on one leg. If they frequently lose their balance and have to save themselves by using their arms or hopping on one leg, they may fail this test.
- Walk and turn around: An officer will ask the driver to walk nine steps, turn around, and walk back to the officer. If the person can’t follow instructions, stumbles, or gets confused by the simple instructions, the officer will need to investigate further.
- Horizontal Gaze Nystagmus: This test requires the subject to follow an item with their gaze from side to side. If the person can’t follow the object or if their eyes move in a jerky, uncoordinated fashion, they may be intoxicated.
Finally, an officer will administer a breathalyzer test to determine a person’s BAC level. The test involves breathing into a device that can measure the alcohol content in a person’s breath.
This is the final and most accurate test that law enforcement can use to determine if someone is driving under the influence.
Contact An Alpharetta Drunk Driving Law Firm Now
If you’ve been hit by a drunk driver, you deserve to have your case evaluated by an experienced and knowledgeable attorney. Under the leadership of Ali Awad, The CEO Lawyer Personal Injury Law Firm has built a strong reputation for achieving favorable results.
Awad is well known in Atlanta and beyond for his no-nonsense approach and dogged determination to help his clients receive the compensation they’re owed for physical and mental injuries, pain and suffering, or lost wages.
After an accident, it’s normal to feel confused, overwhelmed, depressed, or stressed by the long road of recovery that lies ahead. Let Ali Awad and his skilled team fight for your legal rights and do the heavy lifting so that you can focus on moving forward after your traumatic incident.
The CEO Lawyer Personal Injury Law Firm offers free, no-obligation consultations for new clients. We’ll listen to you, answer your questions, and help you determine the appropriate course of action for receiving compensation after a drunk driving accident.
Schedule your free case review today when you call (470) 323-8779 or contact us online.
