Hit By A Drunk Driver
At Cannella & O’Neal, we want to get drunk drivers off of Virginia streets and highways.
We know how dangerous it is when a person who is drunk gets in their vehicle and risks the safety and lives of others on the roadway. Over the past 40 years, we have unfortunately seen all too often the destruction that a drunk driver can do to a person’s life, livelihood, and family. Head on collisions, wrongful death, paralysis, and disability are the result of the reckless disregard for the safety of others that a drunk driver has when they get behind the wheel of the vehicle.
Believe it or not, for some of these drunk drivers, it is not their first conviction or accident as a result of drunk driving, yet they still think they can get away with it. By pursuing a drunk driver in a personal injury case, you are part of a public service that may help to keep them off the roadway by a combination of civil and criminal actions along with a loss of insurance and driving privileges.
DRUNK DRIVING FACTS
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), over 10,000 people are killed in drunk driving accidents each year. This number amounts to almost one-third of all traffic-related deaths in the United States. A driver with a blood alcohol concentration (BAC) of 0.10 or greater is seven times more likely to get into a fatal car crash than someone who hasn’t had anything to drink. In Virginia, the legal limit is .08 (BAC).
Cannella and O’Neal — Your Guide
Getting an Attorney Immediately
Immediate investigation is essential in each and every personal injury case involving a drunk driver. We want to find out as much as we can about the drunk driver’s history, background, places where they were drinking, how much they were drinking, who they were drinking with, and how soon they got on the roadway after they started to drink. We dig deep to find out if you have a claim for punitive or “extra” damages, if the drunk driver has a history of DUIs and a BAC of .15 or over. These punitive damages provide you with extra monetary award intended to punish the drunk driver for his gross negligence.
Research, Research, and More Research — For Justice
One case that comes to mind is a tragic injury which occurred at the hands of a 24 year old drunk driver who hit a pedestrian, gave false information, and fled the scene before the police could get there. Cannella & O’Neal took on this case with a vengeance and worked directly with the Commonwealth’s Attorney to locate and prosecute this drunk driver to the fullest extent of the law. The drunk driver was sent to jail for three years.
We tracked down the driver’s history and found out this would be the 3rd DUI the driver has had. We even looked at the driver’s social media presence and found clear evidence of the driver’s drinking habits, including the fact that the driver was bragging to friends that he was going to get “wasted” on the night that he hit our client. We then worked directly with the Commonwealth’s Attorney’s Office on the criminal prosecution of this drunk driver to get him off the road and into jail where he belonged.
To find out if you have a case, call our office day or night, 7 days a week on our Personal Injury Hotline at (800) 843-4090 for an immediate response, or fill out our intake form, and we will respond with the answers you deserve within 24 hours. We will come to you, and there is no legal fee unless we win your case. Contact Cannella & O’Neal today for a free consultation to get the justice you deserve.
WE WILL COME TO YOU
Our attorneys service a wide range of areas throughout the State of Virginia, including:
- Richmond
- Henrico
- Chesterfield
- Fredericksburg
- Petersburg
- Halifax
- Portsmouth
- Fairfax
- Caroline County
- Tappahannock
- Buckingham County
- Lynchburg