Hargadon, Lenihan & Herrington, PLLC

Damages in drunk driving personal injury cases

There are few things that drivers can do that put innocent individuals more at risk than get behind the wheel when under the influence of alcohol. Thankfully, the Kentucky legal system does give individuals who have been hurt by the conduct of drunk drivers methods for seeking justice. One thing such individuals can sometimes do is bring a personal injury lawsuit against the drunk driver.

There are many different ways that a drunk driving accident can harm an innocent driver or passenger. Personal injury law takes this into account, as it allows a variety of different types of damages to be awarded when the victim of a drunk driving accident succeeds in a personal injury claim against a drunk driver.

Drunk driving accidents sometimes cause a victim to suffer injuries that have significant medical bills attached to their treatment. One type of damages that are sometimes awarded in personal injury cases are damages to cover the costs of such treatment.

There may be other out-of-pocket expenses beyond medical expenses that a drunk driving accident causes a victim to incur. Damages for these sorts of expenses sometimes show up in personal injury damage awards.

Drunk driving accidents can also sometimes have employment effects on a victim, such as causing them to miss work for a period of time. Damages for wages lost due to such missed work are one of the available classes of damages in personal injury cases.

Another harm that drunk driving accidents can cause to victims is general pain and suffering. Damages can be awarded in connection to such pain and suffering.

There is one class of damages that are sometimes given in personal injury cases involving drunk driving accidents that are not tied to compensating victims for a specific harm. These are punitive damages. These damages are aimed at deterring people from engaging in wrongdoing.

The fact that there are a myriad of different damage types that can be awarded for a successful claim is one of the many things that can make drunk-driving-accident-related personal injury claims complex.

Our firm understands how complex such claims can get and can help drunk driving accident victims navigate the various processes related to bringing and pursuing such a claim. We strive to help drunk driving accident victims get the justice they deserve.