According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), every 53 minutes someone is killed by a drunk driver. Injuries occur every two minutes because of the same. This means that, in New Jersey and across the country, thousands of individuals and families suffer losses due to drunk driving accidents.
Drunk driving accidents are a far too common occurrence. Approximately one-third of all traffic fatalities are believed to be related to impaired driving. In 2014, nearly 10,000 people lost their lives to drunk drivers. Over 200 of those killed were children. About half of those children were passengers in the impaired drivers’ vehicles.
Unfortunately, many DUI-related crashes are caused by repeat offenders. In fact, every year over a million people admit to driving under the influence and, usually, just as many are arrested and charged with impaired driving. Because of the prevalence of this behavior, more states are using ignition interlock devices and increased sobriety checkpoints to help stop impaired drivers and prevent collisions. However, these things have failed to act as sufficient deterrents.
New Jersey residents who have been injured or lost loved ones in drunk driving accidents may seek compensation through legal means for any damages they have sustained — if desired. Personal injury, wrongful death and any other applicable civil actions may be filed against those deemed responsible for their losses. Taking such actions is not always easy, but an experienced attorney can help throughout this process. In cases where litigation proves successful, monetary judgments may be awarded for those damages that are legally recoverable in accordance with applicable laws.
Source: cdc.gov, “Impaired Driving: Get the Facts“, Accessed on Oct. 28, 2016