Salt Lake City Drunk Driving Accident Lawyer
With Personal Injury Law Offices in Sandy, Utah
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Brad DeBry is not associated or affiliated with Robert J. DeBry & Associates, P.C.
Client Testimonials

Brad is fantastic! So pleased with all the help he has been giving me in such a stressful hard time with my accident. He definitely treats his clients like family and wants what is best for them. Would recommend him to anyone.
Ashley Richey

I contacted Brad a couple of times with some questions regarding our accident and what our rights were. He gave us valuable and helpful suggestions and was so friendly and knowledgeable.
Aimee Ballif

Went above and beyond to not only help me with my case but to reassure me as I was struggling with my anxiety. He was very kind and supportive and wasn't afraid to offer as much help as possible. One of the best you'll meet here and I highly recommend!
Linzie Builds
ABOUT BRAD DEBRY

7 Mistakes That Ruin Personal Injury Cases
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The consequences of drunk driving can be devastating. The accidents caused by drunk drivers can destroy a person’s life in a split second. Brad DeBry Law Firm is committed to getting drunk drivers off the roads so that law-abiding citizens do not have to suffer the consequences of other’s poor decisions.
It is important to fully understand the circumstances surrounding drunk driving and the driver history. Where there are aggravating features, the court is more likely to award a higher level of compensation. In short, a thorough investigation into the drunk driver and accident circumstances are documentation required for your case.
In most instances, those who drive while drunk and have an accident will face charges in criminal court. You will likely be called as a witness. This is a difficult and often traumatic process. Brad DeBry can help support you through this process.
With Personal Injury Law Offices in Sandy, Utah
Drunk drivers cause a significant number of Utah’s automobile accidents every year. The fact that such accidents are easily preventable makes them almost incomprehensible.
If you are reading this, you may have been seriously injured by a drunk driver. You may still be in pain. You’ve almost certainly missed work, causing you to worry about paying the bills. You are also most likely stressed and looking for someone to help you with your drunk driving claim.
We are here to help with a free legal consultation. Contact our Salt Lake City drunk driving accident lawyer today.
You don’t have to worry about having the money to pay for the answers you need upfront. Give us a call as soon as you can to schedule a free legal consultation.
The information below will help you understand the various aspects of your drunk driving claim. We’ll start with the common mistakes people make with their drunk driving claims in Salt Lake City. Then, we’ll use a client story to help you further understand what to expect during a drunk driving claim. Be sure to read to the end to get as much from the information as possible.
Common Drunk Driving Accident Claim Mistakes
It’s unfortunate that there are many ways to damage the value of your drunk driving accident claim. Read through the mistakes below to help you avoid the same errors in your own claim. When you’re done, please take us up on our offer of free legal advice. Call us and schedule your free consultation as soon as you’re able.
Not Seeking Medical Treatment
Don’t make the common mistake of putting off a medical exam after you’re injured by a drunk driver. The human body attempts to survive traumatic situations by flooding itself with stress hormones. These often provide a shot of energy while making it more difficult to accurately feel pain. While the effect is temporary, it can last many hours.
Waiting or failing to get medical attention puts your health at risk because any internal injuries you may be unaware of can get worse. But it also puts the value of your accident claim at risk.
Don’t give the insurance company any grounds on which to challenge your claim. Get a medical exam to create an official record of your injuries. Get this exam as promptly as possible to provide further evidence that your injuries were the result of the accident.
If, for example, you were in an accident caused by a drunk driver at 8:00 p.m. and an emergency room visit at 8:20 p.m. revealed a concussion and broken bones, the driver’s insurance company is going to have a tough time proving your injuries had nothing to do with their client.
Go to the doctor right away after being injured in a drunk driving accident.
Not Following Your Doctor’s Plan for Treatment
Even after getting medical attention, if you slack off on your doctor’s treatment plan, you are again risking both your health and the value of your claim.
Make sure you are diligent about doctor’s orders until you’ve recovered from your injuries. Your treatment plan may involve taking medications consistently until you finish them. You may be instructed to go through a series of physical therapy sessions. Trauma counseling may be recommended. There are many ways you may be asked to participate in your recovery after being injured. It’s critical to stick to the plan.
Failure to follow your doctor’s treatment plan can again give the insurance company wiggle room to challenge your claim. If your recovery backslides, for example, the insurance company may suggest your lack of progress is due to neglect on your part rather than the depth of your injuries.
Don’t let the insurance company blame you for your injuries; follow your doctor’s treatment plan.
Giving the Insurance Company a Recorded Statement
After the drunk driving accident, you can expect someone from the insurance company to call and ask for a recorded statement. It’s very important for you to refuse.
People unfamiliar with the insurance industry often don’t realize that the adjuster who calls is not concerned about their well-being.
Adjusters often sound very compassionate and are good at getting accident victims talking.
They may lead you to believe the way to make your claim go as fast as possible is to provide a recorded statement. They’ll probably tell you this is just “standard procedure.” And it’s true, in one sense— it’s one of their standard ways to avoid paying you what they should.
The less the insurance company has to pay out, the higher its profits at the end of the year. That insurance adjuster who asks for your statement is a highly trained employee whose job it is to save the company money by lowering the value of your claim. They do this by getting you talking, on the record, and finding information that can be twisted to damage the value of your claim.
When that call comes in, you need to know that you are not required to answer it. Your best course of action is to hand this communication off to your Salt Lake City drunk driving accident lawyer.
Waiting a Long Time to Find a Lawyer
No matter how long the state’s statute of limitations is for filing an injury claim, it’s vital to seek out a qualified attorney as soon as you can. Well before you are in danger of missing the filing deadline, you will be in danger of losing key evidence for your claim.
Accident scenes are cleaned up, witnesses can become hard to find, and evidence can get lost.
Think about a store security camera. If the street is visible in the frame, your accident may have been caught on video. The sooner you begin your claim, the better chance you’ll have to get hold of it.
It’s not uncommon for security footage to be set to record over itself after a certain number of days if nothing of note happens relating to the store. If you wait too long, you might lose valuable evidence.
Give your Salt Lake City drunk driving accident lawyer the best chance to build you a strong case. Seek out an attorney as soon as you can after the accident.
Hiring the Wrong Lawyer
A big mistake people make in their claims in Salt Lake City is not being selective with who they hire to represent them. Just as you wouldn’t hire a cardiac surgeon to treat a broken hip, you shouldn’t look to your best friend’s divorce lawyer to handle your personal injury claim. Make sure you hire a personal injury trial lawyer with a solid track record in winning drunk driving cases.
Not all drunk driving accident cases end up in court. In fact, many are settled before they go that far. If your case goes all the way to the court house, though, you’ll need an attorney who’s ready.
This brings up another mistake we often see regarding hiring the wrong lawyer. Some people opt to not hire any lawyer, determined to save money by going the “do-it-yourself” route.
Looking back on the previous paragraphs, it’s easy to see why this is a mistake. If it’s a mistake to assume all lawyers are interchangeable, it’s also a mistake to believe a person who’s not a personal injury trial attorney by profession could get the same results for your claim as an experienced personal injury trial attorney.
Going it alone will prevent you from being able to push your claim into court if you aren’t able to negotiate a settlement. Without the threat of being able to file a lawsuit if the insurance company doesn’t settle, you are almost certainly looking at receiving many times less than what a lawyer could get for you.
And even if your claim does settle, consider that people who hire experienced personal injury trial lawyers often get many times more than what is offered to people handling their own claims.
Experienced personal injury lawyers know what’s possible and have the experience to back it up, either in negotiations or in court. This means they aren’t going to blink first at the insurance company’s initial lowball offer the way a non-lawyer often does.
You will get the highest compensation when you hire a personal injury trial attorney for your drunk driving accident claim.
Salt Lake City Drunk Driving Client Story
The story below is intended to further clarify the facets of your drunk driving Claim. Make sure you read to the end. The names and specifics have been changed to protect our clients’ privacy, but the information remains valuable. When you’re done, please call us to schedule your free legal consultation to discuss your specific claim.
On a warm evening in mid-August not too long ago, Becky Reynolds and four of her friends left the water park in Draper, exhausted and more than a little hungry.
They had graduated from high school in June, and three of them would be leaving for out-of-state colleges in the fall. Becky was headed to College of the Atlantic in Maine, Mei was off to Michigan State University, and Karen was going to University of La Jolla.
Lauren and Alia had chosen to stay local, and were enrolled at the University of Utah. Even though they would be in town, however, they, too, knew starting college would change things.
Inseparable since elementary school, the young women were dealing with what Mei called a “tossed salad” of emotions. Happy and excited, while at the same time sad, yet full of hope. They were entering a new chapter of their lives, caught between the security of childhood and the freedom of becoming an adult.
The friends had carefully planned the summer to include their favorite places and activities. When Becky had suggested they pick a dozen, Karen had insisted it be a baker’s dozen. No one complained.
The waterpark was “thing eleven” on their list of thirteen.
Since it was only 6:15 p.m. when they exited the water park, they headed to a nearby diner for dinner. It too, was one of their favorite places, and they knew the owner would let them hunker down in a corner booth for a couple of hours, no problem.
A couple turned into almost three as the girls laughed and reminisced while devouring tuna melts and sharing fries and deserts.
At almost 9:30 p.m. they piled back into Becky’s Malibu and discussed which route to take to drop everyone off. It wasn’t all that late, but the girls were the kind of tired that comes with a day in the water. They were full, relaxed, and ready for sleep.
As they drove homeward, they dropped Lauren off first, since the others still lived in the neighborhood around the elementary School. Lauren’s parents had moved down to West Valley City when she was in ninth grade, but she won the argument to transfer up to West High with her friends. Luckily, her father worked near the school and the school allowed him to drive her in. After school, she walked to the store he managed and he drove them home.
After dropping Lauren off, Becky headed north on Redwood to drop everyone else off.
As they waited at the light at North Temple, a beat-up Jeep pulled up behind them with its lights off.
“Beck,” Alia said, pointing as the car squealed around them when the light turned green, “Their lights are off! Should we signal them?”
A careful driver, Becky slowly sped up, pulling alongside the Jeep. The front passenger’s window was down, and Becky and Alia waved from the driver’s side to get the passenger’s attention. He caught the movement and yelled, “Hotties at three o’clock!”
That’s when the girls realized the Jeep was full of college boys and swerving all over the road. Becky took her foot off the gas, hoping the Jeep would continue on, but it fell back with them.
The rear passenger window dropped and young men hung to varying degrees out the windows trying to serenade them in drunken song.
“Oh, Beck, let’s pull off and get rid of these guys before somebody gets hurt,” Karen said.
“You read my mind,” Becky replied. “We’re almost to the Maverick station just past the church. I’ll pull in and we can go inside if these guys don’t take the hint.”
They almost made it. They were approaching the church when the Jeep, still riding beside them, swerved right into their lane as the guy riding ‘shotgun’ yelled, “Get closer, man! I want to ask the driver to marry me!”
Becky yanked the wheel right but the Jeep kept coming, crashing into her door. The deafening sound of rending metal drowned out screams as both vehicles careened across the church lawn, momentarily locked together. Then the Malibu hit a flagpole and spun away as the Jeep flipped on its side and slid to the base of a large elm.
Having taken the brunt of the initial impact, Becky woke up in the intensive care unit with a concussion, a punctured lung from two broken ribs, and a broken arm. Karen, Alia, and Mei had whiplash, and Mei had a broken arm and clavicle from the impact of the flagpole on her door.
When Becky was moved out of the I.C.U. two days later, her friends took turns visiting her. She’d been told she’d need to stay in the hospital for the next week to rule out a traumatic brain injury.
If her head trauma was limited to a concussion, she could be discharged at the end of the second week. If she exhibited signs of a traumatic brain injury, however, her first semester was going to have to wait.
Either way, she would still miss orientation and the start of the fall semester, since her punctured lung had to heal for two- to three weeks before she could fly. She was in pain and growing more depressed by the day.
On one of Mei’s visits, she told Becky about our firm and recommended a free legal consultation. Becky called us from her hospital room that afternoon. We spoke to her and her parents on speaker, and they said their main concern was how much it would cost to hire us, how much Becky’s claim was worth, and how long it would take.
How much does it cost to hire a Salt Lake City drunk driving accident lawyer?
When we arrived at the hospital, Becky’s parents made it clear they didn’t want to waste our time with a consultation if they couldn’t afford to hire us.
We assured them that we work on a contingency model, so they wouldn’t need any money upfront.
“We only get paid when we resolve Becky’s claim successfully,” our lawyer said.
What is my drunk driving accident claim worth?
“Well, that’s good news, at least,” said Becky. “How much do you think my claim is worth? I’m sure the police report will show that those guys were drunk. This is so unfair!” She said, her eyes filling up with angry tears.
“It’s really not realistic to try and tell you the value of your claim until after we’ve done an accident investigation and figured out your damages, Becky,” the lawyer answered.
“The investigation will involve gathering evidence, including the accident reports and all the information about your injuries, and interviewing witnesses. We can start this process right away, but we won’t be sure of your damages until you reach what is called ‘maximum medical improvement.’ This means recovering to the level your doctors would consider ‘back to normal’ for you.
“If your old ‘normal’ isn’t possible because of your injuries, then maximum medical improvement will mean recovering to whatever your doctors determine your ‘new normal’ looks like.
“Once you reach this point, we’ll know what your economic and non-economic damages are, and we can tell you what your claim is worth.”
“Is there anything I can do to help? Do you need me to call the girls together for you? I’m great at research. My parents can bring in my laptop and—”
Our lawyer held up a calming hand. “Becky, you have a job that is critical to the progress of your case, and only you can do it. Your only job is to focus all of that energy toward your recovery. This not only means being diligent to follow the doctor’s treatment plan, it means getting the rest you need.
“We realize you’re frustrated at being sidelined right now, but it’s a dangerous mistake to try to do too much before you’re medically cleared by your doctor. It can jeopardize your recovery and your claim.”
Becky took a slow breath and carefully let it out. Her broken ribs had quickly taught her that sudden movements— even when breathing— were excruciating. “Okay, you’re right. I know you’re right,” she acknowledged.
How long will my claim take?
“Before we move on, Becky, I’d like to add that even if the driver ends up facing criminal charges for the accident, you can still file a personal injury claim.”
“Will the timeline be slowed down if the driver faces criminal charges, too? How long is this case likely to take?” She asked with a pleading look.
“Like the value of your case, it’s not realistic to predict a timeline so soon, Becky. But, no— criminal charges against the driver will not be one of the two factors that affects how long your claim will take.
“The first factor that will affect your claim timeline is how long it takes you to reach maximum medical improvement. Once you’re there, we’ll truly know your damages. That’s when we’ll send a demand letter to the insurance companies.”
“There’s more than one insurance company involved? I don’t get it— there was only one driver,” Becky asked, confused.
“You’re right, Becky,” our lawyer said, “But, the driver was only 20 years old. The bar he’d just left with his buddies shouldn’t have served him at all. But even if he was 21, they shouldn’t have continued to serve him once it was clear how drunk he’d become.
“That makes the bar liable under what is called Utah’s Dram Shop Law. It states that a proprietor who sells alcohol can be held liable for the behavior of an intoxicated patron if that patron was clearly already drunk, or if they were under the age of 21.”
“Huh,” Becky said, raising her eyebrows, “Busted.”
“Yep. So, when we have a solid understanding of your damages, we’ll send the demand letter. From there, the second factor affecting your case timeline will be whether the insurance companies respond in a fair and reasonable fashion with regard to a settlement.
“If they do, we’re all set to wrap up your claim. If they don’t, we’ll take them to court.
“Be assured that if it comes to court, it won’t be a problem. Our successful track record in cases like yours is well known in this region. The insurance companies aren’t likely to want to come up against us in front of a jury, so it’s likely they’ll at least consider a settlement.
“If they’re stubborn, however, don’t worry. We’ll be more than ready to file a lawsuit. That’s why no matter who you choose to represent your drunk driving accident claim, Becky, we recommend you go with a personal injury trial lawyer.”
Becky and her parents were satisfied with the answers we provided in the free consultation, and retained us that day. Today, we are pleased to say that we got Becky more than seven times what the insurance companies initially offered her.
Call Our Salt Lake City Drunk Driving Accident Lawyer Today
We hope that this story has helped you understand the elements of a drunk driving claim. Since each claim is different, please reach out to us as soon as you can to get answers about your specific claim. Don’t try to handle your drunk driving claim while recovering from serious injury. Call any time and let us help you get justice.