Drunk driving accidents or assaults committed by someone who was intoxicated happens to more people than you think. If you have been injured or lost a loved one due to the negligence of someone under the influence, you are not alone. According to the Justice Department’s Bureau of Justice Statistics, four in ten criminal offenders had alcohol in their system, which was a factor causing the crime.
Who Can Be Held Responsible in Negligent Alcohol Cases?
In negligent alcohol cases, a third-party can be held responsible for the crime as well and may owe damages to the victim. By law, a restaurant, bar or club is required to stop severing a clearly intoxicated individual. Establishments with a liquor licenses who fail to stop serving the impaired individual, who then causes an accident, can be held negligent. As a result, the dram shop liability case comes into play, which means third-party negligence. Our negligent alcohol case attorneys regularly bring cases against businesses for the following scenarios:
- Serving Alcohol to Minors
- Failure to Stop Serving Alcohol
- Over-Serving Customers
We are committed to pursuing the drunken criminal and the third-party who was negligent in serving alcohol to the criminal who proceeded to commit the crime that injured our client.
Social Hosting and Alcohol Negligence
Every state is different when it comes to social hosting. In Pennsylvania, those who are hosting a social event at their home are not held responsible for a car accident or assault if the person is 21 years old or older. This is true even if the host knowingly serves an intoxicated person more alcohol. Under the Dram Shop Liability Act of Pennsylvania, the social host will not be responsible.
However, if the guest who caused the accident or assault was under 21 years of age, the social host may be held accountable for negligence if they “knowingly serve” alcohol to the minor. In such cases we can seek damages from the social host for their negligence in serving alcohol. At our law offices, we seek civil damages from all who are responsible for your injuries, including:
- The Homeowners insurance company
- The Driver’s or parents’ car insurance carrier
- The Parents of the underage drunk driver
Contact Experienced Negligent Alcohol Case Attorneys
If alcohol played a part in you or a family members injury at the hands of another person, we advise you to contact one of our crime victim lawyers to help seek restitution. At the office of David P. Thiruselvam, an experienced victims’ rights lawyer, will assess your case, including negligence from an establishment, social host or negligence of the driver. Contact our office to schedule a consultation today.