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Dallas Drunk Driving Accident Attorneys

Dallas Drunk Driving Accident Lawyer

Some drivers know when they should not be on the road but they get behind the wheel anyway. When someone chooses to drive drunk, the people they hurt are often the ones who were just trying to get home safely. Your Dallas drunk driving accident lawyer with Goff Law, PLLC can help you understand how these cases work and what signs to look for after a crash. Even if the other driver was arrested, your Dallas car accident attorney will explain what that means for your claim and how insurance companies usually respond. We are available 24 hours a day, seven days a week, when you need us most. If you have questions or need help figuring out what comes next, you can always reach out and talk to someone with our firm who knows how these cases work.

How Drunk Driving Crashes Unfold in Texas

We see drunk driving accidents throughout Dallas, including on major highways, busy intersections, and quiet neighborhood streets. These crashes are often fast, violent, and completely avoidable. The drivers who cause them rarely brake in time, which makes the damage much worse.

What Leads to These Accidents

Most of these crashes happen when a driver decides to get behind the wheel after drinking too much. They may think they feel fine, but alcohol affects decision-making, reaction time, and the ability to stay in the lane. Some are speeding, ignoring lights, or trying to get home before they get caught. Under Texas Penal Code § 49.04, it is a crime to operate a vehicle while intoxicated. That legal violation can also affect how a civil claim is handled. Your drunk driving accident attorney in Dallas from Goff Law, PLLC can explain how the criminal case may influence your ability to recover damages.

Drunk Driving Patterns We See in Dallas

These crashes tend to spike on weekends and holidays, especially near entertainment districts or along routes that connect bars and restaurants to neighborhoods. We have seen many cases near Lower Greenville, Deep Ellum, and areas just off US-75 or I-35. Some drivers are on their way home from a night out, while others are still drinking behind the wheel. A drunk driving accident lawyer in Dallas can help identify common red flags, like open containers, bar receipts, or signs of impairment at the scene. These details matter when building a strong claim. Even if the driver was not charged, the evidence may still point to reckless decisions that caused the crash.

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What the Law Says About Drunk Driving in Texas

Most people have heard of DWI charges, but they may not know how those charges affect the injury claim that follows. Under Texas’s driving while intoxicated law, it is a crime to operate a vehicle while under the influence of drugs or alcohol, and that same violation can influence how the civil side of the case is handled. Knowing how the criminal process connects to the injury claim can help you understand what to expect. Here are a few key points to know:

  • The legal blood alcohol concentration (BAC) limit in Texas is 0.08% for drivers age 21 and older
  • Drivers under 21 are not allowed to have any detectable alcohol in their system
  • First-time DWI charges can lead to fines, temporary license suspension, and a possible jail sentence
  • Penalties increase when someone has past convictions or causes serious harm
  • Bars and restaurants may be liable under dram shop laws if they serve a person who is visibly intoxicated and that person causes a crash
  • Refusing a breath or blood test may result in license suspension under Texas’s implied consent laws
  • Criminal charges and civil claims move separately through the system
  • Some injury cases involve both the drunk driver and the business that overserved them

When alcohol is involved, injury claims often follow a different path. You may need to collect more records, request footage, or look into who served the driver beforehand. These cases tend to involve more moving parts and may include additional insurance policies or parties.

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Who Could Be Liable in a Drunk Driving Crash

When someone causes a crash after drinking, they are not always the only one legally responsible. Bars, employers, and even other drivers may also be involved, depending on what led up to the accident. Understanding who may be held accountable can help you prepare for what comes next.

The driver who decided to drink and drive is often the main focus, but others may have contributed. If a bar or restaurant continued serving alcohol to someone who was clearly intoxicated, they may be responsible under Texas Alcoholic Beverage Code § 2.02. In some cases, the vehicle owner or employer may also be liable if they knowingly gave someone access to a car or encouraged them to drive. Your Dallas personal injury lawyer can help determine whether dram shop liability, negligent entrustment, or vicarious liability may apply. According to Texas Civil Practice and Remedies Code § 33.003, courts are allowed to assign percentages of fault to different parties. This makes it possible to recover compensation even when more than one person or business contributed to what happened.

In many drunk driving cases, the biggest challenge is insurance. Some drivers only carry the minimum coverage required under Texas law, which may not come close to covering your medical bills, lost income, or property damage. When serious injuries are involved, that policy limit runs out quickly. If the crash involved a pedestrian, bicycle, or motorcycle accident, the injuries are often more severe and the costs are much higher. Our team with Goff Law, PLLC will review every available policy, including coverage from the driver, an employer, or a bar that may have contributed to the crash. These cases require careful attention to detail so you are not left paying for someone else’s choices..

These crashes can drain your time, energy, and savings faster than most people expect. Hospital bills, missed paychecks, and the stress of trying to keep everything on track can hit all at once. If the other driver was drunk, you may be able to recover money for both what you have lost and what you are still going through. Here are some of the things you may be able to recover in a drunk driving claim:

  • Emergency room visits and ambulance bills
  • Follow-up care like surgery or rehab
  • Prescription medication or medical supplies
  • Paychecks you missed while you were out of work
  • Pain that makes everyday tasks harder
  • Stress, anxiety, and other mental health effects
  • Time away from family, hobbies, or normal routines
  • Damage to your vehicle or other property
  • Extra compensation when the driver acted with gross negligence

Injured people may be eligible for exemplary damages when the at-fault driver acted with extreme disregard for others’ safety. Your final amount will depend on how the crash has affected your health, your income, and your daily routine. We build every case around those real-life details so nothing important gets left out.

Every case starts with the details. We begin by looking at what happened, who was involved, and what evidence will matter most. From there, we prepare everything with trial in mind, even if the case settles earlier.

Evidence is what keeps your case strong when the other side pushes back. Crash reports can confirm time, location, and what officers observed at the scene. Blood test results may show the driver’s level of intoxication, while witness statements can help fill in what happened just before or after the crash. Your Dallas drunk driving accident lawyer also reviews video footage, text messages, or bar receipts if those records are available. These details matter, especially in cases where criminal charges are pending or where fault is disputed. Compelling evidence makes it easier to show the driver acted recklessly and caused preventable harm.

Handling the paperwork is just one part of what we do. We help schedule appointments, coordinate with medical providers, and keep everything on track so nothing falls through the cracks. In more complex cases, we also connect with expert witnesses who can speak to accident reconstruction or long-term medical needs. Your Dallas drunk driving accident attorney also makes sure the case meets the standards for additional compensation under exemplary damages laws. According to Texas Civil Practice and Remedies Code § 41.003, injured drivers and passengers may be able to seek punitive damages when the driver’s actions go beyond simple negligence. We manage those details in the background so you can stay focused on what matters most.

What Jurors Need to Know About How Alcohol Impacts Driving Ability

Alcohol affects the body in ways that make driving more dangerous, even at low speeds. It affects judgment, makes it harder to accurately predict distance, and affects how quickly a driver can respond to unexpected changes on the road. These effects are well-documented and often show up in the moments just before a crash. In many cases, intoxicated drivers run red lights, drift out of their lane, or misjudge how much space they need to stop. These mistakes often come down to slowed reflexes, poor coordination, and changes in vision. Jurors may also hear testimony about how alcohol affects decision-making and how those effects increase the risk of serious injury. When alcohol is involved, the available evidence often includes BAC levels, field sobriety results, or testimony from arresting officers.

If the driver who caused the crash was arrested for drunk or drugged driving, they may face criminal charges alongside your civil injury claim. These are two separate cases with different goals. The criminal case focuses on whether the driver broke the law, while the civil claim deals with the harm they caused and how you can recover from it.

Drunk driving charges in Texas usually begin with an arrest. Officers may ask the driver to take a breath or blood test and then file charges under Texas Penal Code § 49.04 if they believe the person was operating a vehicle while intoxicated. After the arrest, the driver may go through hearings, court dates, and sentencing. That part of the process is handled by the prosecutor and does not involve the person who was injured. Still, a conviction or guilty plea may be useful in a civil claim, especially when the facts support that the driver was impaired.

If the driver is convicted, that outcome may help support your injury claim by reinforcing who caused the crash and why. Criminal records, test results, and officer testimony may also help show that the driver acted with extreme carelessness. Your civil claim moves forward on its own. It is based on the injuries, expenses, and losses tied to the crash. Even if the criminal case does not result in a conviction, the civil claim can still succeed based on the available evidence.

Get Help From a Trusted Dallas Drunk Driving Accident Lawyer Today