Drunk driving is one of the leading causes of car accidents in Ohio. It is sickening and atrocious to hear of innocent people losing their lives from drunk drivers crashing into them. Every day in the United States there is an estimated 29 people that die from a crash involving drunk driving. Even though the law lets a person over the age of 21 year operate a vehicle within a .08% limit even just a small portion of alcohol can affect someone’s driving ability.
There is an obligation that everyone must uphold to not only themselves but everyone around them and that is when under the influence of alcohol, you can’t and will not operate a vehicle. This includes the bars, taverns, and or other places that serve alcohol to their customer. A place of business has a responsibility and a duty to look out for the safety of not only themselves but customers, and others around them. An establishment should not overserve a customer copious amounts of alcohol that will put other people at risk, especially if that person is driving a vehicle.
In many cases the law does not award compensation to the drunk patron themselves but awards the third party that is affected by the damages the drunk driver has caused. Many states hold commercial vendors of alcohol responsible for injuries caused by drunk patron. In these types of situations, the injured party must prove that the bar/tavern was a proximate cause of the injury.
Some of these causes may include
- Alcohol was served to a person under the legal drinking age
- The vendor was recklessly serving and did not pay attention to the excess intoxication.
- The vendor sold liquor without a liquor license
- The vendor sold liquor after appropriate hours
This may be a bit difficult to prove, but not impossible.
If you or a loved one was injured or killed in an automobile accident due to another driver’s negligence, contact my office immediately. As your Ohio car accident attorney, I’ll be there for you, and I’ll Make Them Pay!®
