When Alcohol Is a Factor in Your Illinois Personal Injury Case

 Posted on August 02,2022 in Personal Injury

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), excessive alcohol use in the U.S. costs the country roughly a quarter trillion dollars per year. This number included costs caused by loss in workplace productivity, health care, criminal justice, and alcohol-related car accidents. Alcohol is often a factor in personal injury law cases, and many who are injured in alcohol-related accidents are eligible to receive compensation.

Alcohol-Related Injuries

Although many people use alcohol responsibly, alcohol is a very powerful drug. When a person consumes alcohol, their body is affected in several significant ways. Their reaction time is often decreased, and reflexes may become slower, their vision may become distorted or blurry, their ability to concentrate may be diminished, and they may find it hard to coordinate their movements. These side effects of alcohol make a person much more susceptible to an injury-causing accident.

Sometimes alcohol-related injuries are caused by something as simple as slipping and falling. This often happens in dimly lit bars or other places where alcohol is served and could be spilled. When a person has been drinking, he or she is less likely to be able to react to a slip as quickly as he or she might have been able to while sober. This makes serious injury a higher risk than if the person had not been drinking.

Alcohol is also often a factor in domestic violence cases. Alcohol can lower a person’s inhibitions and make them more likely to act aggressively. Perpetrators of domestic abuse are often the subjects of alcohol addiction and abuse concerns as well.

Drunk Driving Accidents

One of the most common instances in which alcohol causes injury is drunk driving. Driving under the influence (DUI) is one of the leading causes of motor vehicle accidents nationwide. The CDC reports that around 10,000 traffic fatalities each year are linked to alcohol use by at least one driver. Tens, if not hundreds, of thousands more people are injured annually in accidents caused by drunk drivers.  

Liability for a drunk driving accident is often fairly clear. A driver who overindulged and then got behind the wheel is usually found to be at fault for the crash and financially liable for any injuries caused as a result. There are situations, however, in which other parties might share in this liability. For example, if a person was already clearly intoxicated at a bar or restaurant in Illinois, and the establishment continued to serve the person, the establishment could be held at least partially liable for a resulting accident under the state’s “dram shop” laws.

Get Help from a Rolling Meadows Injury Attorney

At our firm, we believe that when another person’s negligence causes serious injuries, the negligent party should be held accountable. Our skilled Arlington Heights personal injury lawyers have decades of combined experience assisting injured victims in obtaining the damages they deserve. We help victims of alcohol-related accidents receive compensation for medical bills, lost wages, pain and suffering, and damage to future earning capacity. To learn how we can help you or a loved one, contact our office by calling 847-797-8000. Schedule a free initial consultation with Newland & Newland, LLP today.

Sources:

https://www.cdc.gov/features/costsofdrinking/index.html

https://www.ilga.gov/legislation/ilcs/fulltext.asp?DocName=023500050K6-21