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Car Accidents – Punitive Damages
That way I’m just one touch away if you need me.
What angers me is the driver that hit my wife and daughter was drunk. The officer told us this was that man’s second DUI in the last 3 years.
How can we teach this man a lesson – that you don’t drink and drive? He could have killed my wife and daughter? And do we need a lawyer? -Mason in Forest Park
On the web
Let me bring in Philip Milam, the managing attorney for our personal injury department, to discuss the legal aspects of your case.
Philip, thanks for being here.
Gary: Philip, you are right!
I co-authored a chapter about this very subject in the best-selling book “Consumer’s Advocate” entitled “The Mourning After: Helping Families Cope After A Drunk Driving Wreck.”
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12 oz. of beer = 5 oz. of wine = 1.5 oz. of liquor
-All these drinks contain the same amount of alcohol
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Philip: Gary, let me give you and our viewers some more sobering statistics:
* Almost every 90 seconds, a drunk driver injures a victim in a car crash.
* An average of one out of very 3 people will be involved in a drunk driving collision in their lifetime.
Gary: That is hard to imagine. 1 in 3 will be involved in a drunk driving crash in their lifetime.
Philip: Yes, I highly recommend him getting a lawyer right away.
And the two words I’d tell him we would go after – Compensation and Punishment.
Gary: Explain what you mean by compensation and punishment.
Philip: By compensation, we would pursue damages against the defendant to compensate Mason’s wife and his daughter for the following:
* Their injuries
* Their medical expenses
* Prescription charges
* Any lost wages
Gary: Now let’s talk about punishment.
Philip: Ok, but let’s break this up into two areas – criminal and civil.
The district attorney or the solicitor will be pursuing the criminal charges against the defendant for driving under the influence of alcohol.
We will go after the Defendant driver for punitive damages.
Gary: And what are “punitive damages”?
Philip:
Because the defendant caused the wreck while driving under the influence of alcohol, Georgia law allows us to seek punitive damages.
Gary: Philip, we are heading into a break.
When we come back, I’d like for you and I to talk more about Mason’s question.
Can you hang in there for a couple of moments?
Philip: I’d be happy to hang around.
Gary:
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Car Accident Injury Law
