My colleague Rick Shapiro has posted a full article discussing how juries do not have sympathy for drunk drivers who cause serious personal injuries, whether in Virginia (VA), North Carolina (NC) or elsewhere. Even in a case of very small medical bills, a recent Virginia jury in a conservative state court jurisdiction granted a $281,000 verdict for a teenager injured in a car accident hit by a totally drunk driver with a 0.32 blood alcohol content.
The injured plaintiff was a high school student, track athlete and cheerleader who was 16 years old at the time of the car accident. The defendant, who had blown a BAC of 0.32 was charged with his third driving under the influence conviction. When he was arrested, the at-fault driver admitted drinking Wild Irish Rose all weekend.
Although the teenager incurred medical bills totaling less than $1,000, witnesses testified about the fear she developed of driving at night and the adverse mental impact the accident had on her, which extended to her diminished participate in cheerleading and athletics at school.
Defenses a lawyer can mount for an obviously drunk driver or a driver with repeated drunk DUI/DWI convictions in front of a jury are very limited. Our law firm handles only personal injury law. In cases of an intoxicated or in cases of alleged drunk driving, we have gained experience in investigating and locating the necessary evidence to prove drunk driving and intoxication in any civil personal injury case context.