Drunk Driving Accident Lawyer in Glendale, CA

If a drunk driver hit you in Glendale, you are dealing with two things at once: your injuries and a criminal case that is not yours. The driver may be arrested, charged and sentenced, and none of that pays your hospital bill. A separate civil claim does. Moe Abdallah Law, P.C. is a Los Angeles motor-vehicle injury firm, and attorney Moe Abdallah handles drunk driving accident claims for Glendale crash victims and for families who lost someone. He takes over the calls with insurance companies, collects the police and testing records, and keeps the claim moving while the criminal case plays out. Below, you will learn what to do after an impaired-driver crash in Glendale, what the city's crash numbers say, how the DUI conviction and the civil case connect, when punitive damages can apply, and when a bar or a host may share the blame. You pay nothing unless Moe wins, and he is available 24/7.

The first hours after a Glendale crash with a suspected drunk driver

Call 911 and tell the dispatcher you think the other driver is impaired. Signs worth reporting include the smell of alcohol, slurred speech, open containers, and driving that makes no sense. Officers decide whether to run field sobriety and breath or blood tests. Those results can become strong proof in your civil claim, so stay until police arrive if you can. In Glendale, the Glendale Police Department writes reports for crashes on city streets, and the Records Bureau at 131 N. Isabel Street, phone 818-548-3135, hands them out. A 2014 city release said reports needing a Traffic Bureau criminal investigation, such as hit-and-run or fatal crashes, may be delayed or not available online, and a DUI injury crash can fall in that group. Confirm current fees with the Records Bureau. If the crash happened on the SR-134, I-5, SR-2 or I-210, ask the officer which agency responded, because freeway crashes are often handled by the California Highway Patrol. Get witness names, photograph the cars and the scene, and see a doctor the same day. Then call Moe before you talk to any insurance company.

What Glendale's crash numbers say about impaired driving

The numbers deserve an honest read. In 2022 OTS rankings, Glendale had 377 DUI arrests, ranking 41st of 61 similar cities in its group, where 1 is worst. It had 45 fatal and injury collisions between 9 p.m. and 2:59 a.m., ranking 57th of 61, which puts Glendale among the cities in its group with the fewest late-night crashes. The city also had 588 total fatal and injury victims in 2022. Those figures tell you impaired driving happens here, but the OTS rankings do not break out DUI crashes by street. Glendale's Vision Zero analysis did name Brand Boulevard, Colorado Street and Central Avenue as places where many crashes happen, along with spots near freeway entrances and exits, though the city's analysis does not tie them to drunk driving. We will not tell you a particular block is a drunk-driving hot spot, because the data does not say so. What matters for your claim is your crash: where it happened, the time, what the driver drank and where, and what the police recorded. Those facts can open the door to claims against more than the driver.

Your civil claim and the criminal DUI case are separate

A DUI is a crime under Vehicle Code 23152. Driving under the influence and causing bodily injury to someone else is its own offense under Vehicle Code 23153. A prosecutor brings those charges. That prosecutor does not represent you or collect your medical bills. Your claim is a civil case, and it can go forward whether or not the driver is convicted. A conviction can still help. A felony conviction can be offered in the civil case to prove the facts the conviction rests on (Evid. Code 1300). A no-contest plea to a misdemeanor cannot be used against the driver as an admission in a civil suit (Pen. Code 1016), so you may need to prove the driver's impairment with the police report, test results, witnesses and surveillance video. You generally have two years to sue (Code Civ. Proc. 335.1). If the driver is convicted of a felony for the crash, Code of Civil Procedure 340.3 can give you until one year after the judgment, when that is later. Do not count on it, and do not wait for sentencing before you call a lawyer. Moe tracks the criminal case for you and uses what comes out of it.

Punitive damages against a drunk driver

Most injury claims pay for what you lost: medical bills, lost income, pain and suffering. A drunk driving crash can add a second kind of damages meant to punish. California allows punitive damages when you prove oppression, fraud or malice by clear and convincing evidence, and malice includes despicable conduct carried on with a willful and conscious disregard of the rights or safety of others (Civ. Code 3294). In Taylor v. Superior Court (1979) 24 Cal.3d 890, the California Supreme Court held that a drunk driver's conscious disregard of safety can support a punitive damages claim. They are not automatic. Each case turns on its facts, such as the driver's blood alcohol level, any prior DUI history, and what happened before the crash. If the driver was on the job, an employer can face punitive damages only if it knew the employee was unfit and kept him on anyway, or approved the conduct (Civ. Code 3294(b)). Lower blood alcohol limits apply to some drivers: 0.04% for commercial drivers and for drivers carrying passengers for hire, such as rideshare or taxi drivers with a passenger in the car (Veh. Code 23152). Moe looks for these facts early, because records fade.

Insurance limits and when a bar or host can be responsible

The driver's auto liability insurance pays most DUI claims first, and the minimum is low. For policies issued or renewed on or after January 1, 2025, California's minimum is $30,000 per person, $60,000 per accident and $15,000 for property damage (Veh. Code 16056). Serious injuries can pass that fast. Moe has recovered $30,000 policy limits on several cases and $100,000 in uninsured motorist coverage for a woman hit by a driver who fled. Past results do not promise a similar outcome. Your own uninsured and underinsured motorist coverage can fill the gap, and if the drunk driver fled and cannot be identified, that car counts as uninsured only if the crash involved physical contact, you reported it within 24 hours, and you filed a sworn statement with your insurer within 30 days (Ins. Code 11580.2). Claims against a bar or store work differently. California law says sellers and furnishers of alcohol are generally not liable for injuries caused by the person they served (Civ. Code 1714; Bus. & Prof. Code 25602). A seller can be liable for serving an obviously intoxicated minor (Bus. & Prof. Code 25602.1), and an adult who knowingly furnishes alcohol at home to someone under 21 can be liable (Civ. Code 1714(d)).

Treatment in Glendale, wrongful death, and how Moe handles the case

Impaired-driver crashes can be head-on hits, T-bones at red lights, or wrong-way and high-speed crashes, and they can cause spine, brain, chest and leg injuries. Two Glendale hospitals with emergency care are Adventist Health Glendale Medical Center at 1509 Wilson Terrace and Glendale Memorial Hospital and Health Center at 1420 S. Central Ave. Both are listed by the LA County EMS Agency as 9-1-1 umbrella facilities under Los Angeles General Medical Center, not as designated trauma centers. If someone you love died, the wrongful death claim has its own rules, and the two-year deadline usually starts on the date of death. If a government vehicle or road defect played a part, a written claim to the public entity is due within six months (Gov. Code 911.2), and Glendale claims start with the City Clerk at 613 E. Broadway. Moe handles drunk driving accident cases on contingency, so you owe no fee unless he wins. He answers calls himself, keeps you informed by call and text, and moves quickly to preserve evidence. Se habla Espanol. Call (323) 716-1992.

Talk to a Glendale drunk driving accident lawyer

Call (323) 716-1992 for a free, no-obligation case review. You pay nothing unless we win, and we'll handle the insurance companies for you. Learn more about our drunk-driving crashes representation →

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