Salt Lake City Drunk Driving Accident Lawyer

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.