Drunk Driving: A Nationwide Problem
Alcohol related crashes are a serious problem nationwide, and account for a staggering 30 percent of all traffic crashes. Drunk drivers endanger the lives of others as they speed, weave from lane to lane, wrong way drive, and perform other unpredictable moves behind the wheel. The other drivers they hit have the misfortune of being in the wrong place at the wrong time.
Drunk Driving in Wisconsin
In 2012, the Wisconsin Department of Transportation reports that there were 223 people were killed and another 2,907 were injured in car crashes involving a drunk or impaired driver. Law enforcement stops and apprehends a percentage of these negligent drivers, but it is impossible for the police to present on every street, road and highway in the Milwaukee area. Many drunk drivers are not spotted and pulled over in time to save the lives of others on the road.
If you have been in a drunk driving accident in Wisconsin, you are not alone. Did you know Wisconsin has the highest rate of drunken driving in the nation, according to the state Department of Transportation website. Consider the latest numbers from 2012:
- More than 26 percent of Wisconsin adults who were surveyed admitted that they had driven under the influence of alcohol in the previous year, according to a nationwide study by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.
- More than 33,000 convictions for drunken driving offenses were made in Wisconsin in one year.
- Alcohol related crashes killed 223 people in Wisconsin and injured nearly 3,000 in 2012.
- Approximately 36 percent of all fatal car accident in Wisconsin in 2012 were alcohol related.
- In 2012, 33 percent of all fatal motorcycle crashes in Wisconsin were alcohol related.
Your Legal Options
Wisconsin’s criminal penalties for drunken driving are among the toughest in the nation. If you have been harmed by an impaired motorist, you also have a claim for personal injury in civil court.
At Gruber Law Offices, we have a team dedicated to helping injured people seek justice. We will help you explore your legal options and protect your rights. Here’s how:
- You may have insurance coverage from the other driver’s policy and your own. We’ll explain how that coverage works.
- We will gather police reports and medical documents related to your accident.
- We will investigate what other drunk driving accidents or arrests the other driver might have.
- We will make sure we collect evidence of the impaired driving, including witness statements, breathalyzer results, and blood tests.
- When the time comes for legal action, we will be your advocate at the settlement table and in the courtroom.
- We will explore all avenues of compensation. We want to make sure you get money for lost income from work and all of your medical bills. We’ll also pursue money for the pain and suffering you’ve endured.
At Gruber Law Offices, our 16 attorneys and 80 support staff are dedicated to helping people just like you seek justice. Our firm motto is “One Call…That’s All!” We offer compassionate client service and we are committed to our clients’ cause. Remember, you pay no attorney’s fee unless we are successful on your claim.
Contact us now for immediate help. From our office in Milwaukee we serve all of Southeastern Wisconsin, including Kenosha, Madison, Racine, and Waukesha.
