Content reviewed by:
Alex Shulman
A crash with an impaired driver can leave you facing medical care, missed work, and unexpected bills. Shulman & Hill has recovered over $1 billion for injured New Yorkers. A drunk driver lawyer in Staten Island can review the crash, insurance coverage, and evidence of impairment.
Police may have breath test results, arrest records, witness statements, or video connected to the collision. A Staten Island car accident lawyer can examine that evidence and determine how the driver’s conduct may affect your injury claim.
You may hear from insurance adjusters before you know how long recovery will take. Our team can handle those communications and explain your options. Contact Shulman & Hill today for a free consultation.
What Makes Drunk Driving Injury Claims Different
A drunk driving crash may create both a criminal case and a separate civil injury claim. An arrest or DWI charge does not automatically provide payment for your injuries, medical bills, or missed income.
A Staten Island personal injury lawyer can review police reports, chemical test results, video, witness accounts, and other evidence connected to the driver’s impairment. Those records may help establish how alcohol affected the events leading to the collision.
Your civil claim can proceed separately from the criminal prosecution. Evidence gathered by police may become useful when establishing fault, though your injury claim still needs medical and financial records showing your losses.
How a Drunk Driver Lawyer in Staten Island Can Help
After a serious wreck, you may be contacted by insurance adjusters before you know the extent of your injuries. We step in to protect your claim, gather records, and handle communications so you do not feel pressured to settle too early.
Our work may include:
- Reviewing police reports and arrest records.
- Collecting medical records and billing documents.
- Interviewing witnesses and preserving video evidence.
- Working with accident reconstruction professionals when needed.
- Calculating present and future damages tied to your injuries.
We also look at whether more than one party may share responsibility. In some cases, another vehicle owner, employer, or business may play a role in the events leading up to the crash.
Common Injuries After an Impaired Driving Crash
The force of a drunk driving collision can lead to injuries that affect your health for months or years. Some people suffer immediate symptoms, while others do not realize the full impact until after the shock of the crash wears off.
You may be facing inuries such as:
- Head injuries and concussions
- Neck and back injuries
- Broken bones and joint damage
- Internal injuries and organ trauma
- Emotional distress and post-traumatic symptoms
These injuries can affect your ability to work, care for your family, drive, sleep, and return to daily routines. A car accident lawyer in Staten Island can connect the medical evidence to the losses you have experienced.
Steps to Take After a Staten Island Drunk Driving Accident
Get medical attention after the collision and describe all symptoms to your provider. Some injuries become easier to recognize after the initial shock wears off.
When possible, photograph the vehicles, roadway, visible injuries, debris, and anything else connected to the crash. Save the police report number, witness information, medical paperwork, repair estimates, and records showing missed work.
Do not assume the driver’s arrest means the insurance company will accept your injury claim without question. Insurers may still challenge fault, treatment, or the amount of your losses.
Compensation You May Be Able to Recover
An injury claim may seek payment for medical treatment, rehabilitation, lost wages, reduced earning ability, property damage, and pain and suffering. The available recovery depends on your injuries and the evidence supporting each loss.
Serious injuries may create future medical costs or prevent you from returning to the same type of work. Medical opinions and employment records can help document those longer-term effects.
Families may also have legal options when an impaired driver causes a fatal collision. A wrongful death claim may address financial losses connected to the death.
When Punitive Damages May Apply
Some drunk driving cases may raise questions about punitive damages. These damages serve a different purpose from payment for medical costs, lost wages, or other losses caused directly by the crash.
Whether punitive damages may apply depends on the driver’s conduct and the specific evidence in the case. Alcohol use alone does not mean they will automatically be awarded.
Police records, test results, witness accounts, and information about the driver’s actions before the collision may become relevant when evaluating whether a punitive damages claim is appropriate.
Evidence That Can Strengthen Your Claim
A strong drunk driving claim may draw from both the collision investigation and your medical treatment. Police evidence can help establish the driver’s actions, while health and employment records can document how the crash affected you.
Useful evidence may include the following:
- Police accident reports
- DWI arrest records
- Breath or blood test results
- Dashcam or surveillance video
- Witness statements
- Medical records
- Wage and employment records
- Photos of the scene and vehicles
Insurance companies may question whether all treatment relates to the crash. Consistent medical records and documentation of your symptoms can help answer those arguments.
Time Limits for Filing a Lawsuit in New York
Most New York car accident injury lawsuits must be filed within three years of the collision. That deadline generally applies to negligence claims against private drivers.
Different deadlines can apply if New York City, New York State, or another public entity becomes part of the case. Some government claims require notice within 90 days and a lawsuit within one year and 90 days.
Evidence can disappear much sooner than either deadline. Surveillance video may be erased, witnesses can become harder to locate, and physical evidence from the vehicles may change after repairs.
Speak With Shulman & Hill About Your Case
A drunk driving crash may involve police evidence, a criminal prosecution, insurance disputes, and serious injuries. Each source of information can help establish what happened and document the losses caused by the collision.
Shulman & Hill brings more than 200 years of combined legal experience to injury cases across New York. A drunk driver lawyer in Staten Island can review the police investigation, medical records, insurance coverage, and financial losses connected to your claim.
Contact Shulman & Hill today for a free consultation.
