According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), nearly 3,800 traffic fatalities occurred in California in 2019.
About 30% of those fatalities involved alcohol-impaired incidents, meaning that at least one driver had a blood alcohol concentration (BAC) above the legal limit of 0.08%.
While the number of drunk driving fatalities is high, the number of drunk driving injuries is much higher.
That means you run the risk of being injured by a drunk driver anytime you are on the road.
If you suffered injuries from a drunk driver’s carelessness, you might want to know about the average settlement for a drunk driving accident.
Our team at Peerali Law can answer your questions about personal injury claims where a drunk driver is at fault.
Contact us today so that a Los Angeles car accident lawyer in our team can help you right away.
What Goes into the Average Settlement for a Drunk Driving Accident in California?
After a drunk driving accident, you can typically recover economic and non-economic damages.
Economic damages compensate the victim for the direct monetary losses they suffered due to the accident.
They include the quantifiable monetary losses you suffered as a result of the accident:
- Loss of future earning capacity,
- Rehabilitation expenses,
- Lost wages,
- Medical bills, and
- Repair costs.
In most cases, receipts and invoices are the documents that help calculate the economic damages a defendant owes to a victim, making this a straightforward process.
On the other hand, non-economic damages refer to non-quantifiable losses that a victim suffered due to the accident. This is a more abstract form of damage you suffer after an accident.
The following are forms of non-economic damages:
- Pain and suffering,
- Loss of companionship,
- Mental anguish, and
- Emotional distress.
In rare cases, a court may award punitive damages, also known as exemplary damages, after a drunk driving accident.
In a car accident context, the court awards punitive damages only if it finds evidence of “conduct which is intended by the defendant to cause injury” to a victim, meaning behavior that happens “with a willful and conscious disregard of the rights or safety of others.”
For example, a court may award punitive damages in a drunk driving accident suit when the defendant has prior DUI convictions.
Because every personal injury claim differs, there is no average settlement for a drunk driving accident.
Your average personal injury settlement for your drunk driving accident will depend on your circumstances.
Need Information About the Average Settlement for a Drunk Driving Accident? Contact Peerali Law Today
Our team at Peerali Law has extensive experience helping our clients navigate their personal injury matters.
We have recovered millions of dollars on behalf of injured victims and want to put our skills to work for you.
When you hire an attorney with Peerali Law, you can rest easy knowing your injury claim is in good hands.
Call us at 818-862-4435 or contact our office online today so we can start reviewing your case.
Kristopher earned his J.D. at the University of Southern California Gould School of Law where he was a member of the Review of Law and Social Justice honors law journal and was awarded several scholastic honors.
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