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Was alcohol a factor in this Illinois fatal car accident?

Posted by David Nemeroff | Sep 19, 2011 | 0 Comments

Again, another tragedy occurred in Chicago this weekend. One man is dead and several others are injured over the weekend in a fatal car crash on I-57. Did alcohol play a role in this deadly crash? As an Illinois personal injury attorney and a DUI victim, I reminded every day that despite all the drink and driving education many motorists continue to drink and drive.

I was a victim of one of those drunk drivers who made a choice to drink and drive. This drunk driving accident changed the course of my life. While I was recuperating from the injuries that I sustained following the drunk driving crash, I made a decision to become a lawyer. Not just any kind of lawyer, one that will fight for the rights of accident victims. I have devoted my career to representing victims or families who were harmed by drunk drivers.

While reading the newspaper, I came across another tragic artic regarding a drunk driver. Reports of this accident indicate that the car driven by the drunk driver was traveling at a high rate of speed and hit an S-curve. The impact from the curve caused the car to roll over and then collide with a light pole. The victim was a 24 yr. South Holland man. He was only 24 yrs old, and drinking and driving took his life? How can one make that decision to drive an automobile while seriously impaired by the effects of alcohol? The victim died from injuries that he suffered in the car crash. Police detected a strong smell alcohol on the breath of the driver.

As a DUI victim, I feel that fatalities and injuries that caused by the actions of drunk driving are not accidents, and should be labeled as an automobile crash. They are the negligent outcome of the willful conduct of another party. Considering these crashes as “accident” negates the factor of alcohol abuse. What we must recognize is that driving under the influence of alcohol is a crime.

As a drunk driving victim and a Chicago brain injury and accident lawyer, I understand that a DUI victim can file a claim against the establishment that dispensed the alcohol to the drunk driver. This is called a Dram Shop law suit. Many victims of drunk drivers do not realize that they can file a Dram Shop claim and let the statute of limitations expire. The statute of limitations for a Dram Shop case in Illinois is one year. This requires that lawsuits involving drunk drives be filed promptly. When filing a Dram Shop lawsuit it is critical to determine the location(s) where the drunk driver became intoxicated is vital. Navigating the Dram Shop Act can be very intricate. Any victim of a DUI should hire a lawyer that has handled multiple DUI crash cases and Dram Shop lawsuits.

This blog is dedicated to all the victims and families of victims of drunk drivers. Continue to spread the message, do not drink and drive.

About the Author

David Nemeroff

David Nemeroff was voted one of the Top 100 Lawyers in the entire state of Illinois (out of 83,000 lawyers) by Super Lawyers Magazine...

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