Huntington Drunk Driving Accident Attorney

Proficient Drunk Driving Accident Lawyers in Huntington, NY

If you’ve been injured by a drunk driver in the Huntington area you don’t have to face the challenges associated with your recovery alone. Our Huntington drunk driving accident attorneys can help. We have over twenty five-years of experience getting people the help they need following an injury caused by an intoxicated driver. 

We can aid in getting your medical bills, lost wages and out of pocket expenses covered by No-Fault insurance. In cases of serious injury, we can also get you compensated for your bodily injuries including pain and suffering and mental anguish. We can even help get you reimbursed for damage to your vehicle and any damaged property within it.

We are available twenty four hours a day seven days a week for a free consultation and can meet you at any of our seven locations throughout Long Island including our office right in the heart of Huntington Village located at 100 East Carver Street. We are even able to travel to you if you are to injured to make it into one of our offices. 

Who can I sue following an accident with a drunk driver?

First, you always have the right to sue the intoxicated driver that caused your accident. Their insurance will pay for any damages caused by their driver. If the drunk driver didn’t purchase enough insurance, you can recover any additional damages from the drunk driver themselves. However, often people that are willing to drive impaired do not have adequate resources to compensate you beyond what their insurance pays you. In such situations there may be other options to get compensation.

The first option would be to pursue a claim against anyone that caused the driver to become intoxicated. New York has strict social hosting laws. If it can be proven the drunk driver was served alcohol while in a visibly intoxicated state contributing to the accident, you can pursue a claim against the person or entity that caused the person to become more intoxicated. For example, if the impaired driver was served alcohol in a bar or restaurant after he was already visibly intoxicated, that establishment may also be held responsible for your injuries. That’s not always the case and if there was nobody else responsible for getting the drunk driver more intoxicated that will not be an option.

However, you still may be able to recover additional compensation. For example, you may have supplemental underinsured insurance on your own car insurance policy. If you’ve purchased this type of insurance, you are eligible to make a claim for extra compensation from your policy once you collect all of the insurance from the responsible driver’s insurance carrier. 

At Palermo Law, we have handled thousands of car accident cases and many of them have involved drunk or impaired drivers. We are fully familiar with all of the issues that arise in Huntington drunk driving accident cases and can guide you through the process from beginning to end. 

Services We Perform

• Full accident investigation: Upon being retained we will conduct a full investigation into the facts of your particular case paying close attention to all applicable insurance policies. We will also gather all of the information necessary to pursue your case including gathering police accident reports, medical records, photos, videos, witness statements, medical expenses and any other helpful information.
• Claims: We will file claims with all relevant insurance carriers and complete all necessary forms. We will also work with them to make sure they have up to date information so that they can pay all claims.
• Negotiations: Once you have physically recovered from your injuries and the insurance carrier has reviewed all the relevant information, we will enter into negotiations with the insurance carriers.
• Settlement: If an amount of fair compensation can be agreed upon for your claim, we will draft all necessary settlement documents and serve them on your behalf. We will also gather all settlement funds and distribute them to you. 
• Litigation: Of course not all negotiations result in a settlement and sometimes it becomes necessary to litigate your case. Litigation entails drafting and filing a law suit on your behalf, conducting discovery and finally conducting a trial. It is always our goal to try and resolve your claim without litigation. However, if it does become necessary to litigate your case, you can rest assured that you have an experienced group behind you every step of the way.

How much money can I recover after being injured in a Huntington drunk driving accident?

There is no one size fits all answer for how much you can recover after being injured by an impaired driver. However, there are three elements that must be established on your behalf before you can recover compensation above your no fault benefits. First liability must be established against the responsible party. Next your damages must be proven. Finally, there must be resources to pay you for your damages.

Liability: Liability means fault. To recover for any accident, it must be proven the other driver is at fault, even in a drunk driving accident. It must be shown the impaired driver operated their vehicle in a manner that caused the accident. For example, if the intoxicated driver crosses over double yellow lines and strike your vehicle it is clearly their fault. But what if you rear end an intoxicated driver stopped at a traffic light. In that case the accident may be all your fault. Therefore, you wouldn’t be able to pursue a law suit.

Damages: Damages refer to either economic or non-economic losses. Economic losses would include medical bills, lost wages, property damage and out of pocket expenses associated with your accident. Non-economic injuries would include physical injuries and the pain and suffering associated with those injuries. 

While economic injuries can be easily calculated, non-economic injuries are less straight forward. But, we’re often able to put a financial amount on non-economic damages by comparing settlements and verdicts in cases with similar treatment. We’re able to calculate your total damages by adding your non-economic damages to your economic damages.

The last piece of the puzzle are resources to compensate you. The responsible parties have to either have insurance or financial resources to pay for the damage they caused you. If they do not, you can obtain a judgement. But it may be difficult, if not impossible to collect on that judgement.

Contact a Huntington Drunk Driving Accident Attorney Today

Palermo Law always offers a free consultation to review the facts of accident and injury. We have seven locations throughout Long Island, including an office in Huntington located at 100 East Carver Street. We can even come to you, if you cannot make it into one of our locations. Reach out today for your free consultation.