Drunk Driving in Georgia

In Georgia, every year from 1995-2008 there has been at least 300 fatal accidents involving at least one driver who was driving with a blood-alcohol concentration level of .08% or above. On top of that shocking statistic, within those same years there has also been at least 300 people that were killed in an accident involving at least one driver with a BAC of .08% or above. If we look at deaths caused when at least one person had a BAC of anything over .01%, the fatality numbers are over 400. Drunk driving is an ongoing problem in Georgia and there have been devastating results that have come from it.

In April of this year there was a truck driver that was pulled over after many witnesses reported a swerving tractor trailer on Interstate 20 in Georgia. The police pulled him over and began to question him and could smell alcohol on his breath. The truck driver told the officers that he had not had anything to drunk for several days but he struggled with various field sobriety tests so the police performed a breath test on him. The truck driver blew a .222 on the Breathalyzer machine which is over the legal limit in Georgia. Then the officers found an empty can of hard lemonade in the truck and the driver was arrested.

An accident involving a truck is already extremely dangerous and adding an alcohol-impaired driver, the possible consequences are terrifying. This specific truck driver was carrying 26 tons of stone and if he was involved in an accident the potential consequences could have been devastating. Fortunately, this driver was stopped in time. When looking into his record, he was previously involved in a crash in January of 2013; this crash killed a 27 year old student. He managed to get his felony DUI charge from the prior crash reduced to reckless homicide and was scheduled to be in court later in April.

Have you been involved in a DUI accident?

Thousands of people each year are injured in Georgia due to impaired drivers on the road. Also, 29% of car accidents that take place in Georgia are because of drivers that are under the influence of drugs or alcohol. If you have been involved in an accident where the negligent party was impaired, you may be able to recover damages. Here at Jones & Swanson, we are experienced in assisting victims of drunk driving accidents throughout all of Georgia. You can fight to be compensated for many damages that you may experience, including:

• Medical expenses
• Wages lost
• Diminished earning ability
• Physical damage or impairment
• Mental suffering
• Pain
• Other punitive damages

If you have been involved in an accident there are several things that you should do immediately following the accident. First, call 911 and emergency services for injured parties. Then, collect the contact information of the witnesses who saw the accident; also take pictures as evidence. You should also seek medical care if needed. Lastly, call a Marietta personal injury lawyer from our firm who can represent you and fight to recover the maximum possible compensation for your suffering. Jones & Swanson is of the top personal injury law firms so let us help you and your family recover from this tragic event. With over 40 years of combined experience, we are familiar with the process of drunk driving cases. If you have any questions or want to discuss your drunken driving case with an experienced attorney, call our firm today for a free consultation and see how we may be able to help!