Auto accidents are traumatic to begin with, but when your serious crash was caused by an irresponsible driver under the influence, emotions can run high. Driving Under the Influence is cited as a factor in nearly half of South Carolina’s fatal car crashes and the state ranks sixth among those with the most DUI crashes per capita.
It’s hard to say what underlying issues exist in the state that make DUIs so dangerous here. Nevertheless, it’s something sober drivers need to be wary of when they’re on the road.
If you were injured in a car accident and you suspect the other driver was drunk or under the influence of any kind of drug – even prescription drugs – there are a few things you should do to protect yourself.
Talk to a South Carolina auto accident attorney
If you were hurt in a car crash and think the driver might have been drunk or if the other driver was charged with driving under the influence, contact Sink Law right away. Our experienced South Carolina personal injury legal team will answer your questions and help you understand your rights in a free consultation with no pressure to hire us for your case.
While a driver charged with DUI will likely face criminal consequences for his or her behavior, those court proceedings will not generally help you pay medical bills or cover ongoing issues or lost wages from missed work.
Punitive Damages
There are some states that allow insurance companies to exclude coverage in drunk driving crashes. Fortunately, South Carolina is not one of those states. Insurance companies are on the hook for the damages caused by their clients.
And South Carolina is a state that allows drunk driving victims to sue for punitive damages. That means victims can ask for more than the cost of their medical bills, lost wages and projected future costs resulting from injuries suffered in a car crash as a method of punishing the responsible driver.
DUI in South Carolina
Driving under the influence is serious and the South Carolina judicial system takes it seriously. The legal limit for the amount of alcohol in a person’s system is 0.08 percent, which is common in most states these days.
If you suspect the driver who caused your accident was under the influence of something, don’t be shy about asking law enforcement to question and test the other driver on the scene. Pay attention to your own observations of the other driver and share them with the law enforcement working on your case.
Know your options
Contacting Sink Law will help you better understand what your options are as a DUI victim and how you can proceed.