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Cole, Cole, Easley, and Sciba Trial Attorneys can guide you through the claims process if you’ve been injured in a car accident caused by someone driving under the influence in Victoria.
For all the different forms of negligence that cause car accidents here, the most frustrating—and damaging—is a DUI.
If you or someone you care about has been hurt in one of these accidents, set up a free consultation today.
Even though a DUI accident is still technically a car accident, it’s obviously very different from a normal fender bender. First, the damage is usually more serious because of what driving under the influence does to a driver: it slows their reaction time, makes them more aggressive, and dampens any effects of a collision. And while there’s not much you can do in the moments that lead up to it, DUI puts you and everyone else on the road at risk. And when there’s a collision, you end up paying the price.
Trying to move forward is usually the point where a lawyer makes sense.
Our team can help you through the aftermath of a DUI collision by:
In the seconds after your accident, you’re not thinking about the claims process. But the reality is that it can be incredibly painful and frustrating, even if it’s obvious the other driver was under the influence at the time. And even with that knowledge, it doesn’t automatically mean things will work out in your favor. Instead, it’s about putting together a strong case to an insurance company or court, and that’s exactly where our team can guide you from the beginning.
Legally speaking, a DUI accident in Victoria forks into two paths: criminal and civil. There’s obviously going to be criminal charges brought against a driver that’s impaired and injures you. But it’s actually the civil claims process that you should be focused on. That’s where you basically say that the impaired driver was negligent and that’s what caused your “damages.”
To file a civil claim, you have two options: filing an insurance claim out of court or filing a personal injury lawsuit.
Even though these are the options every DUI accident victim has, every case progresses differently. It comes down to the details: both with who’s responsible and what information you have at your disposal.
A DUI accident is one of the easier ones when it comes to narrowing down responsibility, and this actually makes it much different than a normal car accident. Obviously, because driving under the influence is such a clear example of negligence, the driver that was intoxicated is going to carry most of the responsibility.
But it also can come down to the circumstances—namely who provided them with the intoxicating substances and then let them drive. With that, others might share of of the responsibility, like:
So yes, there can be others involved when it comes to paying for your damages, but in the vast majority of DUI accidents, it’s going to fall on the intoxicated driver. But even if you have that, what you’re able to get out of a claim is going to come down to the information you have.
This is another area where things look familiar—even though it’s incredibly different when another driver is under the influence. After the actual collision, the scene is going to be an important source of information you’ll later need. So you should focus on trying to get:
Obviously, trying to do this is much easier said than done. DUI collisions are notorious for being confusing and heavy. The impacts are greater, and a lot of times, the other driver isn’t going to be aware of what they’ve done—if they try to stick around at all. And there’s also the information you need that comes in the weeks after the collision like:
Again, although this information is fairly consistent across DUI accidents, every situation is different. What you need is going to be particular to you and what happened.
DUI accidents in Victoria might be unfortunately common, but they can still vary a lot from situation to situation. At the same time, because they happen for the same reasons and have the same conditions, they have familiar patterns. Here’s what they normally look like:
Obviously, the thing that ties all these different scenarios together is an impaired driver’s lack of reaction time and situational awareness to drive safely for the conditions. But all of that doesn’t excuse such a reckless decision. And it also doesn’t change what you’re left with when you’re involved in the accident.
When someone decides to drive while under the influence of alcohol or drugs in Victoria, it’s a decision that puts everyone else at risk. That’s what makes a DUI accident so frustrating—it was entirely preventable.
But when you’re injured, it brings up questions about how you’ll move forward with your life and what you can do to make that process easier. That’s where our Victoria DUI accident lawyers at Cole, Cole, Easley, and Sciba Trial Attorneys can help. We’ll sit down and help you understand your options and guide you through everything.
To get started, set up a free consultation today.
We communicate with clients clearly and tell them candidly what they can expect, given the specifics of the case.
We believe in giving back to the Victoria community. We support various organizations financially and with our time.
In 1954, Emmett Cole, Jr., returned to the crossroads area to found our practice after working a year at a Houston law firm.
We have provided effective, ethical legal representation throughout Texas and nationwide for more than 50 years.
