Wesley Chapel, FL DUI Accident Lawyer

Being involved in a DUI crash caused by an impaired driver can be a terrifying experience. If you suffer injuries as a result of their irresponsible and dangerous behavior, you may have the right to hold them accountable. Contact Zervos & Calta, PLLC for a free initial claim evaluation to learn how our DUI accident lawyers can help you seek compensation for your medical bills, lost wages, and other losses.

We will work tirelessly to demand the justice and financial relief you deserve. Insurance companies know we have a tough-as-nails reputation for never backing down until we’ve secured the best possible results for our clients, even when that means taking cases to trial. Our team has recovered millions for injury victims, including $3 million for a motor vehicle accident. We have over 50 years of combined experience fighting for the rights and interests of accident victims in Wesley Chapel and across Florida – let us put it to work for you.

What Are Common Injuries from a Drunk Driving Accident?

When a motorist drives over the blood alcohol level limit in Florida of 0.08 percent, they have a higher risk of causing a catastrophic crash that may result in severe harm.

Injuries that can occur in drunk driving accidents include:

• Severe cuts and permanent scarring
• Broken bones
• Ligament sprains and tears
• Muscle or tendon strains and tears
• Spinal injuries, including whiplash, disc herniations, or paralysis
• Nerve damage
• Burns from post-crash vehicle fires
• Internal organ injuries and internal bleeding
• Facial trauma
• Traumatic brain injuries
• Traumatic amputation or limb loss

How Can I Prove the Other Driver Was Under the Influence When They Hit Me?

In some drunk driving cases, you may rely on the other driver’s DUI conviction to prove their intoxication when the car accident occurred.

Without a DUI conviction, you may need other types of evidence to prove the other driver’s intoxication, such as:

• Eyewitness testimony about the driver’s consumption of alcohol or drugs before the crash or their behavior, including erratic driving, unsteady gait, bloodshot or glassy eyes, or slurred speech
• Surveillance, traffic camera, or dashcam footage of the driver’s erratic behavior behind the wheel or surveillance footage of the driver consuming alcohol or drugs
• Timestamped social media posts showing the driver consuming alcohol or drugs
• Receipts from bars or restaurants

When a drunk driver denies that their actions caused the crash, you may need other evidence to prove their fault for the accident, such as:

• Police crash reports
• Accident scene photos and videos
• Eyewitness accounts of the crash
• Surveillance, traffic camera, or dashcam footage of the collision
• Vehicle event data recorder (“black box”) logs
• Post-accident vehicle inspections
• Accident reconstruction expert reports and testimony

What Types of Compensation Could I Receive from a DUI Personal Injury Claim?

In a drunk driving accident claim, you can seek compensation for losses you incur due to your injuries.

Your financial recovery can include money for your:

• Costs of medical treatment and rehabilitation, including emergency treatment, hospitalization, surgery, prescriptions, or physical therapy
• Costs of long-term disability care, such as home health services or home renovations to install accommodations
• Ongoing and future losses of income from missed work or reduced earnings in a light-duty or part-time position
• Physical pain and emotional trauma or distress
• Reduced quality of life caused by physical disabilities or visible scarring and disfigurement

In some cases, you may receive an award of punitive damages in a drunk driving accident lawsuit when the jury finds that the intoxicated driver acted with gross negligence. Punitive damages do not compensate you for losses but punish the drunk driver for their behavior.

Can Anyone Else Be Held Responsible for a Drunk Driving Accident?

Depending on the circumstances surrounding a drunk driving accident, other parties may also share liability with the intoxicated driver who caused the crash. For example, the owner of the drunk driver’s vehicle may bear liability for your injuries if they let them take their vehicle.

Florida’s dram shop law also holds establishments such as bars or restaurants liable for drunk driving accidents. You must prove that they knowingly sold or provided alcohol to the driver who was under 21 or someone they know suffers from alcohol addiction – and that it resulted in your DUI accident and injuries.

What If the DUI Accident Was Fatal?

When a drunk driver kills other people in an auto accident, the victims’ families may have the right to hold them liable in a wrongful death claim. Surviving family members may seek financial compensation in a wrongful death lawsuit for losses they suffer due to their loved one’s death, including for:

• Loss of the value of the victim’s support and services from the date of injury to the date of death and the loss of their future support and services
• A surviving spouse’s loss of the victim’s companionship and protection and their mental pain and suffering
• Children’s loss of parental companionship, instruction, and guidance and their mental pain and suffering
• Parents’ mental pain and suffering
• Final medical expenses and funeral and burial costs

The victim’s estate can also recover compensation for loss of earnings from the date of injury to death, loss of prospective accumulations of the victim’s estate, and medical and funeral expenses.

Is There a Time Limit for Filing a Drunk Driver Accident Lawsuit in Florida?

Under Florida’s statute of limitations on drunk driving accident claims, you typically have two years to file an injury lawsuit against the intoxicated driver at fault for the crash that harmed you. You can best protect your rights by consulting a DUI accident attorney as soon as possible after a crash to give them time to investigate and prepare your claims and ensure you can file your legal case before the applicable deadlines expire. Otherwise, you may lose the opportunity to hold a drunk driver accountable for the harm you’ve experienced because of their actions.