You can still file a lawsuit against a drunk driver whether or a not a criminal trial is also ongoing. Criminal trials decide the driver’s punishment: they do not compensate the victim for medical bills, lost wages from missing work or any emotional stress suffered by the victims and the victims’ loved ones. As attorney Jenna Garraux explains in this video, contacting a civil trial lawyer after an accident is the only way to recover damages.

Transcript:

After you've been hit by a drunk driver, you may think that the criminal charges will take care of whatever your needs are. The criminal case pending against the drunk driver isn't going to involve you at all in many cases. Sometimes the injured or the victim doesn't even know when the criminal case goes forward against the drunk driver.

Oftentimes, the charges against the drunk driver can be dropped or reduced to a lesser sentence. For example, if the drunk driver also was driving with a suspended license, they may only receive a conviction for a suspended license. The drunk driving charge will never show up on their record.

The reason this is important is because when you call an attorney at Stewart Law Offices, it's critical information for punitive damages to establish that the driver that hit you was intoxicated. If there are no criminal records showing that they were intoxicated or convicted of DUI, it can really hurt your case.

Stewart Law Offices
1242 Ebenezer Road
Rock Hill, South Carolina 29732
(803) 328-5600
https://www.stewartlawoffices.net/