Syracuse, New York, Car Accident Attorneys: Indications Of A Drunk Driver

Jed Dietrich, Esq., Recognized as a Super Lawyer and an American Institute of Personal Injury Attorneys 10 Best Attorneys, is Committed to Protecting the Rights of Drunk Driving Car Crash Victims in Syracuse and Across Onondaga County. If You or a Loved One Has Been Seriously Injured in a Central New York Accident Caused By a Drunk or Intoxicated Driver, Our Experienced Team of Attorneys Could Help Secure Critical Compensation for Your Injuries.

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Almost everyone knows that drinking and driving is a dangerous combination, yet a startling percentage of adults admit to regularly taking the wheel while under the influence. Each year, momentary lapses in judgment and patterns of substance abuse lead to catastrophic outcomes both for intoxicated motorists and their sober counterparts.

The Dietrich Law Firm P.C. has spent decades helping survivors assert their rights. As a recognized U.S. News & World Report Best Law Firm, we know what it takes to hold drunk driver accountable for their misconduct. Our experienced team of attorneys could help you or a loved one investigate the causes and circumstances of your Syracuse car crash, ensuring that you have every opportunity to assert your rights, obtain compensation for your injuries, and reclaim your independence. Please send us a message online or call us at 1-866-529-5334 to schedule your free consultation as soon as possible.

Alcohol and the Dangers of Driving Under the Influence

The United States has long struggled to combat drunk driving.

In 1910, decades before automobiles became a common sight in most American cities, New York became the first state in the nation to pass laws against drunk driving. These laws, which established a threshold for blood alcohol concentration levels and defined protocols for sobriety testing, have been changed and strengthened several times in the century since.

Impairment, though, continues to pose major impediments to road safety.

According to the New York Department of Health, automobile accidents now constitute a leading cause of preventable death among Empire State residents of all ages. In Onondaga County, where rates of alcohol-related collisions exceed the state average by a significant margin, collisions involving intoxicated motorists are much more likely to end in hospitalization than collisions involving speed, distraction, and other risk factors.

The dangers of drunk driving are a byproduct of the varied ways in which alcohol consumption impacts the body. Alcohol intoxication can, for instance, have the following types of effect:

1. Slowed Reaction Time: Drinking large amounts of alcohol can increase reaction times by a statistically significant margin. In most cases, a motorist with a blood alcohol content level of 0.08% the legal limit in New York, reacts to potential hazards 120 milliseconds slower than somebody sober. This apparently modest reduction in reaction time can have serious repercussions, making it substantially more difficult for drivers to make quick decisions in traffic.
2. Over-Confidence in Driving Ability: In many cases, drunk drivers are simply so detached from reality that they overestimate their capacity to safely operate a motor vehicle. A recent study on alcohol-related impairment, for example, found that participants who consumed alcohol remained as confident in their driving abilities as sober subjects, suggesting that “a driver’s perception of the situation may not reflect objective reality.”
3. Reduced Coordination: Alcohol, when consumed in small quantities, can act as a stimulant, releasing dopamine, making users feel energetic and stimulated. However, continued or frequent consumption can quickly suppress central nervous function, affecting both coordination and physical control. Drunk drivers may therefore struggle with simple mechanical tasks, like steering and braking.

In New York, law enforcement officials can detain, arrest, and recommend prosecution against motorists who meet the legal definition of impairment and have a blood alcohol content over 0.08%. However, even “buzzed” drivers, those with a BAC under 0.08% are more likely to be involved in an accident than those who are sober.

The Dietrich Law Firm P.C. is committed to providing peerless personal injury service. If you or a loved one has been injured in a drunk driving accident that was not your fault, our experienced team of attorneys could help you investigate the circumstances of your crash and collect the evidence needed to establish an intoxicated motorist’s liability, even if they were never charged with a crime or had a BAC below the legal limit. Please send us a message online or call us at 1-866-529-5334 to speak to a drunk driving accident lawyer near Syracuse and schedule your 100% free consultation as soon as possible.

Recognizing the Signs of an Impaired Driver

The most common indications that another motorist could be under the influence of alcohol include, but are not limited to, the following:

1. Difficulty Maintaining Lane Position: Drunk drivers often struggle to keep in their lane. Instead of staying within the lines demarcating their own lane, they may weave within a single lane or drift into, between, and across multiple other lanes.
2. Speed Irregularities: The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration has found that drunk drivers struggle to regulate the speed of their vehicles. Drunk drivers may, for example, alternate between rapid acceleration and sudden deceleration, often at inappropriate times, and without any apparent explanation. Intoxicated motorists are also much more likely to drive 10 or more miles per hour below the posted speed limit than their sober counterparts.
3. Braking and Parking Problems: Since alcohol consumption can impair hand-eye coordination and make it difficult to assess distance, drunk drivers sometimes struggle to brake and maintain reasonable stopping distances. An intoxicated motorist might overshoot a limit line, come to a halt many feet in front of a stop sign boundary, or park their car at an unusual or unlawful angle.
4. Poor Judgment: Alcohol intoxication has a profound effect on many different types of decision-making. If consumed in moderation, alcohol can facilitate socialization; in excess, though, it can severely inhibit information processing and lead to markedly poor judgment. Drunk drivers often take risks they would never consider when sober, like following vehicles too closely, initiating risky, unsafe lane changes, and ignoring obvious traffic control signals.
5. Impaired Communications: If a drunk driver stops to exchange insurance information after an accident, they may exhibit other signs of impairment. Common indicators of intoxication include slurred speech, repetitive or illogical statements, and inability to stand up straight or remain in place. However, these signs vary, and some drunk drivers may appear more sober than they actually are.

Protecting Your Rights After a Serious Syracuse Drunk Driving Car Crash

In New York, accident victims have a right to file a claim for compensation against the person or party who caused their crash. If you or a loved one has been hurt by a drunk driver, you should protect your rights to compensate by taking the following steps:

1. Call 9-1-1 to report any accident resulting in bodily injury, death, or property damage estimated to be in excess of $1,000.
2. If the at-fault driver flees the scene of the accident or refuses to provide their insurance information, do not attempt to pursue or coerce them. Record as much information about the driver and their vehicle as possible, and share it with responding officers at the earliest opportunity.
3. Seek immediate medical attention, even if you do not believe that your injuries are serious.
4. If you do not need to go to an emergency room and can safely remain at the crash site, try to collect as much evidence as possible. Evidence could include pictures of damage to your vehicle, photographs of your visible injuries, or the phone number of an eyewitness who saw the crash.
5. Contact an attorney before providing a statement to an insurance adjuster or negotiating a settlement.

Since our founding in 2005, the Dietrich Law Firm P.C. has helped our clients in Syracuse and across the region secure more than $250 million in damages money that they have used to pay off their medical debt, seek higher-quality care, and begin rebuilding their lives in the aftermath of a tragic accident. We could help you, too. Please send us a message online or call us at 1-866-529-5334 to speak to a drunk driving accident lawyer and schedule your 100% free, no-obligation consultation as soon as possible.

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Call the Dietrich Law Firm P.C. immediately at 1-866-529-5334 so that our aggressive, tenacious, and hardworking personal injury lawyers can fight to obtain the best result for your personal injury claim in Syracuse, New York. We are available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, and there is never a fee until we WIN for you!

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