Drunk Driving Collisions and Dram Shops
Drunk driving collisions
According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, one in every three Americans will be involved in an alcohol-related crash sometime during their lives. The same organization reported that each first time offender has driven while drunk an average of 87 times before arrest.
Driving under the influence is not only a crime, it is a violent crime in Illinois. Yet, despite repeated warnings from the media, friends, colleagues, and the Illinois Secretary of State, many people still drink and drive—and injure innocent people.
The state law is strict when it comes to DUI penalties. Fines, jail time, and license revocation are not enough when some one has been injured. Anyone involved in a collision with a drunk driver deserves the kind of compensation that only a focused personal injury attorney can pursue.
Dram shops
The Illinois Liquor Control Act, known as the Dram Shop Act, holds bars, liquor stores, and other commercial establishments responsible for selling liquor—
- To minors
- To obviously intoxicated people
- After hours
- Without a license
The term dram shop comes from a shop selling alcohol by the dram, a British unit of measure. The law is intended to cut down on the volume of drunk driving injuries.
If an establishment knowingly sells alcohol to someone who should not be drinking, that business can be held liable for damages. Under the law, any person injured by an intoxicated person has the right to sue the intoxicated person, the vendor or person who sold the intoxicated person the liquor as well as the business owner.
Holding to a higher standard
Contact Sam C. Mitchell & Associates today either through our convenient online form or call 1-888-899-1458. Begin your road to recovery now. We offer free initial consultation and you pay us only if we succeed in getting you the compensation you seek.
Serving all of southern and central Illinois
