The Arizona Department of Transportation reports that on average, more than 250 people are killed in the state every year in accidents involving drunk drivers. Many of these victims are not the drunk drivers themselves but rather are other drivers involved, passengers in a drunk driver’s vehicle or another vehicle, or even pedestrians and bicyclists in the area.
It is a crime to drive under the influence of alcohol or drugs in Phoenix but despite these laws, many choose to operate their vehicles while impaired and they risk the safety of others when they do so. If a drunk driving accident happens, anyone hurt in that crash may be entitled to seek compensation for their injuries and their suffering, and speaking with a personal injury lawyer can help you understand your options if a collision has affected you. In many cases, you may be able to recover against a drunk driver personally or that driver’s automobile insurance policy. In others, the owner of a vehicle may be legally liable for your suffering or the company that a driver was working for at the time. Yet in other collisions, a tavern, bar, or restaurant may be responsible if they served a driver and enabled that individual to become intoxicated. Often, several of these claims can exist in any given crash, so make sure you understand your rights and options as they apply to you.
A collision in Maricopa County on Wednesday afternoon left four people injured and closed a section of road to through traffic, according to local authorities. Police have confirmed that the incident occurred near Daisy Mountain Drive and Gavilan Park Parkway and may have involved the presence of alcohol.
While on the scene, police confirmed that the incident involved one vehicle T-boning a second and causing a serious collision that resulted in at least one person becoming trapped inside a vehicle. That victim had to be transported by air ambulance to an area hospital where the victim’s condition was considered critical. Three other people were hurt in the accident, including two teenagers and a middle-aged woman, but all three of those victims are expected to survive.
There has been no conclusive determination as to why the two vehicles involved collided or whether the suspected impaired driver was one of the people who was hurt. Further reports indicate that the investigation into this incident is ongoing and that the results of any data review will determine what charges, if any, are brought.
If you have been injured in a car accident in Phoenix and that collision involved a drunk or drugged driver, you may be entitled to financial compensation for your injuries. The attorneys at Abels & Annes, P.C. are standing by 24 hours a day, seven days a week to help you understand your options by providing you with a free case consultation regarding your accident and your legal rights.
Call us today toll free at (855) PHX-LAWYER or locally at (602) 819-5191 and let us help you get the relief you deserve. There is no obligation on your part for speaking with us and we never charge our clients a fee unless we make a recovery in their cases.
Prior Blog Entry:
Elderly Driver Killed in Red Light Car Accident, Phoenix Injury Lawyer Blog, published February 10, 2015.
Resource:
Four hospitalized after Anthem wreck, by Jerod MacDonald-Evoy, The Republic, azcentral.com, published February 11, 2015.