Archive for the ‘Drunk Driving Accidents’ Category

What if You Were Injured as a Result of An Impaired Driver in Tennessee?

Monday, October 24th, 2011

Of course you know that driving under the influence is a serious matter under the best of circumstances. Almost all U.S. states have strengthened their laws to provide substantially enhanced penalties when impaired driving results in bodily injury to another. Some states have even gone a step further, changing their present DUI criminal laws to integrate manslaughter statutes when an impaired driver causes the death of another as a direct result of the alcohol consumption. Other states will charge a drunk driver with assault with a deadly weapon—the deadly weapon being the car the impaired driver was driving.

Felony DUI

If you were injured by a driver under the influence and caused an accident because of their consumption of alcohol, injuring another human—whether in your car, a pedestrian or the passenger in another car—it is likely their charges will be bumped up to felony DUI. The penalties for felony DUI are extremely serious.  In some states the penalty for DUI with injury to one person can be ninety days to one year in county lockup or 2-3 years in prison. Each additional injured party adds an additional year to the sentencing.

Bear in mind that in such a situation the prosecution bears the burden of proving that not only were they intoxicated, but they were the direct cause of the accident. For example, if they were admittedly driving under the influence, however you or another driver is driving recklessly and collides with their car, then even though they will likely still be charged with DUI, their impairment was not the cause of the accident or the resulting injuries. There is a glitch in this system; however, as many police officers would prefer to believe that the impaired driver was the cause of the accident even if it is patently untrue.

Of course the case turns even more serious when the DUI accident resulted in a death, and if the driver has prior DUIs you have reason to be extremely apprehensive. A knowledgeable accident attorney will first seek to prove that they were intoxicated beyond the legal limit, and secondly that they were the direct cause of the accident which resulted in your injuries.  Accident reconstructionists and investigators may be brought in to examine all aspects of the accident with a goal of proving they were the legal cause of the accident. If the driver has prior DUIs this may also be valuable in your case for damages.

If you are injured as a result of a DUI accident, you should speak to a highly experienced Nashville DUI accident attorney. At The Nahon Firm PLC, our goal is for you to receive the compensation you deserve for medical bills, lost wages, pain and suffering, permanent disability, and loss of enjoyment of life due to car accidents, truck accidents, motorcycle accidents and all other types of personal injury claims. With offices in Nashville, The Nahon Firm PLC has the experience and resources necessary to investigate and resolve your case. Our Nashville personal injury attorneys are adept negotiators who have the necessary trial experience to obtain the best possible results for your personal injury claim.  Call us today to discuss your case by calling (615) 324-2000.

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Drunk Driving Accidents in Nashville: Preventing Tragedy Before It Happens

Tuesday, June 28th, 2011

There is not much society can do about auto accidents that cause serious life-altering injuries or fatalities.  Serious auto accident plague us in Tennessee and across the nation causing a huge drain on health care, productivity and emergency services because motor vehicles are such a fundamental part of our way of life and the primary means of transportation for most Tennessee residents.  While not all Nashville car crashes result in injuries, many result in catastrophic injuries that drain a family’s financial resources.  Nashville drunk driving accidents also tear apart entire families by leaving loved one’s disabled and unable to enjoy life fully.  If you suffer catastrophic injuries or a loved one suffers wrongful death in a drunk driving accident, an experienced Nashville drunk driving accident attorney will carefully investigate the circumstances of your accident, negotiate with the insurance companies and monitor the criminal case which may substantiate the basis for imposing civil liability.  If you are seriously injured in a Tennessee drunk driving accident or a loved one suffers wrongful death in a Tennessee DUI accident, the experienced Nashville DUI accident attorneys at The Nahon Firm, PLC, will aggressively pursue your best interest in an effort to obtain the best possible outcome on your behalf.

Unfortunately, drunk driving, which is one of the leading causes of fatal auto accidents in the U.S., is entirely preventable. About one-third of all U.S. drivers will be involved in a DUI/DWI crash at some time in their lives.  Sadly, most drivers who are involved in a car accident while driving under the influence of alcohol are repeat offenders.  Drunk driving is both a scourge on society and a very difficult problem to confront because many drunk driving accidents are caused by habitual drinkers who are not discouraged by the possibility of massive civil liability or criminal charges for vehicular homicide.  Data suggests that almost one-third of all motorists who are involved in a drunk driving accidents are repeat offenders.

While stronger drunk driving penalties in Tennessee may not have much impact on problem drinkers, they can discourage social drinkers who are more inclined to make a cost-benefit analysis about whether to drink or drive.  Most states have increased the aggressiveness of their drunk driving penalties and have become more vigilant about catching drunk drivers and pursuing DUI cases involving accidents and injuries.  Drunk driving rates in the U.S. declined 1.2% when comparing the three-year period of 2002-2004 to the period of 2006-2009.  The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) attributes the decline to a number of factors including graduated driving licenses and zero tolerance policies for teen drivers, stronger enforcement and stiffer sentences in DUI cases for drunk drivers and the use of measures like ignition interlock devices to keep drunk drivers off the road.

Despite these positive signs, these measures do little to discourage those who are addicted to alcohol from drinking and driving.  Because most fatal drunk driving accidents involve repeat offenders, it is important to find ways to prevent those with drinking problems from driving while intoxicated.  This will reduce the number of serious drunk driving auto accidents in Nashville which often result in catastrophic injuries and may cause permanent physical disability, loss of mental functioning, communication or mobility and even death.

While there are already mechanisms, such as the ignition interlock device, that can help prevent drunk driving, these devices can be manipulated fairly easily by drunk drivers who are intent on fooling them.  New technology that is being developed would promote innovations that create a fail-safe device so that no drunk driver can start or continue to operate their vehicle if they are intoxicated.  Current technologies being developed to combat drunk driving amongst habitual drinkers include devices that determine one’s blood alcohol content (BAC) by touching the steering wheel or engine start button, as well as sensors that passively monitor a driver’s breath or eye movements while the vehicle is being operated.  Hopefully, we can continue to reduce the injuries and deaths caused by drunk drivers with a combination of legal penalties and emerging technology.

The Nahon Firm, PLC, utilizes their experience and dedication to the goal of providing the best service possible to clients throughout Tennessee who suffer serious injuries or wrongful death in Tennessee drunk driving accidents.  If you are involved in a Tennessee drunk driving accident, the attorneys at The Nahon Firm, PLC, can ensure that you receive the full compensation to which you are legally entitled.  The Nahon Firm, PLC, located in Davidson County, Tennessee has the experience and resources necessary to fully investigate and help successfully resolve your Tennessee DUI accident case.  The Nahon Firm, PLC, is an experienced plaintiff’s law firm in Tennessee that helps injured people recover compensation due to someone else’s negligence.  Call us today for your free no obligation initial consultation, help is just a phone call away.

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