Impaired driving is a serious problem for Connecticut road users. The Connecticut Health I-Team reports that, in spite of a 2014 decline in drunk driving fatalities, Connecticut still ranks fifth among U.S. states in drunk driving deaths. Nearly half of the drivers killed in 2014 accidents in Connecticut tested positive for alcohol. Another 19 percent tested positive for marijuana.
Fairfield County actually had the second-lowest rate of drunk driving fatalities of all Connecticut counties, but that does not mean that Fairfield County road users are safe from drunk drivers. Devastating stories of accident survivors emerge from every corner of Connecticut.
The Accidents That Affect Real Connecticut Families
The Fairfield Patch reports that a drunk driver caused a three-car accident involving a police cruiser. No injuries were reported, but this is, of course, mere luck. The drunk driver could have easily struck and killed a police officer in the course of his official duties.
Surprisingly, another accident involving a law enforcement officer occurred in Hartford on the very same day. According to Fox 61, Connecticut State Police troopers were investigating an accident on Interstate 84 East. A drunk driver passing by the scene was unable to avoid their vehicles, and one trooper was taken to the hospital with minor injuries. The report notes that this accident occurred only days after yet another Connecticut State Trooper lost his life on Interstate 84.
The family of the trooper who was killed had their lives permanently altered by his death. Accident victims who do survive often face a long and painful road to recovery. Even if they are able to regain the ability to read, write, or speak, they may experience pain and suffering for years after the accident.
Oftentimes, these impairments prevent an injury victim from living the same life he or she had before the accident. Some must change jobs, or accept reduced work loads or fewer hours. Others must make a broad career change in order to accommodate their losses. Some victims are never able to return to any kind of work. All of this affects a victim’s earning potential. It can also rob an injury victim of the dignity of working in his or her chosen field and pride in a job done well.
Compensable losses in a personal injury lawsuit
These are not the only ways in which a victim’s life can be impacted by a drunk driving accident. Sometimes, innocent children are victims of drunk drivers, who also happen to be the very parents who are tasked with protecting them. This is what happened to a Connecticut man who was arrested for drunk driving in Santa Monica, California.
KTLA reports that the man was driving with his two teen sons in the backseat. He ran a red light and crashed into a light rail train. The man was arrested for drunk driving, and also charged with furnishing alcohol to the minors. He faces four felony charges as a result of the accident. He will also likely have to fight to regain custody rights in family court. The two teen boys each suffered injuries in the accident. They will also endure the unpleasant process of their father’s criminal and child custody court cases.
Our Fairfield County car accident attorneys have worked with many DUI victims to seek fair compensation for the many ways in which their lives have been permanently changed. The law protects victims’ right to be compensated for all of these varied losses.