Drunk Driving Accidents
If you have been seriously injured by a drunk driver, getting an attorney on board immediately is of critical importance. The truth is that many drunk drivers have minimal insurance or assets to pay for the serious injuries or deaths that they caused. It is important to immediately investigate to identify others besides the drunk driver, which may be legally responsible. Two of those types of case are “Dram Shop” and “Negligent Entrustment.”
Dram Shop Cases
A Bar or social host that serves a visibly intoxicated person is liable under Oregon law for damages that the drunk driver causes in an auto accident. This is called a Dram Shop Case. The investigation of where, when and how much alcohol the drunk driver consumed takes immediate professional investigation so that a liquor liability claim can be made against the party responsible for contributing to the drunk driver’s intoxication. You have as little as six months to make a formal claim against the entity or individual which over served the drunk driver. At the Law Offices of Brian R. Whitehead, we work with trained professionals who will fully investigate all avenues of recovery for your damages caused by a drunk driver and make timely claims for those damages.
Negligent Entrustment
If the drunk driver was using someone else’s vehicle, then it is possible to hold the person who loaned the vehicle to the drunk driver responsible if that person had reason to know that the drunk driver would drive the vehicle while intoxicated. This type of case needs immediate investigation.