San Francisco Drunk Driving Injury LawyersWe Handle Your Drunk Driving Accident Injury Claim so You Can Focus on Your Life!

You Don’t Have to Handle your DUI Injury Claim Alone

The California drunk driving accident attorneys at Sally Morin Law Firm are vehicle accident experts with more than 35 years of combined experience. We boldly represent DUI accident victims and pursue insurance providers to make sure you get a full, fast, and fair settlement.

After your accident, you can hire us to help reduce your stress and allow you to focus on your recovery while we focus on your case. It’s rare that we even have to take a case to trial because we are so skilled at negotiating solid settlements that fairly compensate our clients while allowing them to put their personal injury cases behind them.

Who’s at Fault for a San Francisco DUI Accident?

Although driving under the influence of alcohol is definitely a crime in California, a drunk or drugged driver isn’t automatically at fault for an accident. To be at fault, they must have been doing something unlawful or negligent.

It must be proven that:

• They were driving at the time of the crash
• While driving, they did something illegal or breached their duty of care, and
• As a result of their illegal or negligent action, you were injured and/or suffered property damage

Proving that these circumstances existed during a DUI accident usually requires thorough investigation, valid documentation and persuasive presentation of the facts. How can you prove that the driver did something illegal or negligent? How can you even prove that they were drunk or on drugs?

This is why it’s so important to hire a San Francisco DUI injury attorney who has experience with these types of personal injury claims and knows exactly what you need to make your case. Your lawyer can help you gather evidence, conduct witness interviews, talk to the insurance companies, and advocate to make a strong case for your compensation.

Examples of DUI Accidents in San Francisco

There are many types of DUI accidents that happen in the streets of San Francisco. We can’t possibly list them all, but below are some examples of scenarios where you might find yourself seriously injured and in need of a DUI accident attorney.

• Your Uber or Lyft driver is drunk and crashes with you in the car
• While smoking marijuana, a driver swerves and hits you on the sidewalk
• Drunk drivers road race and travel at extremely high speeds
• A distracted, drugged driver is playing on their cell phone and hits you
• A drunk driver goes the wrong way down a San Francisco street
• At an intersection, a drunk driver blows through a red light and hits you
• You’re riding a scooter and a drunk driver knocks you off the road

Making sure you get paid for all of these items (and more) is what a great San Francisco car accident lawyer will do for you. If you choose and attorney with a long track record of success with San Francisco car accidents, they will increase your settlement by way more than their legal fees. This means more money in your pocket, with a lot less stress.

What are the Dangers of Drunk and Drugged Drivers?

Every 50 minutes in the U.S., someone dies due to the acThere are many types of DUI accidents that happen in the streets of San Francisco. We can’t possibly list them all, but below are some examples of scenarios where you might find yourself seriously injured and in need of a DUI accident attorney.

• Your Uber or Lyft driver is drunk and crashes with you in the car
• While smoking marijuana, a driver swerves and hits you on the sidewalk
• Drunk drivers road race and travel at extremely high speeds
• A distracted, drugged driver is playing on their cell phone and hits you
• A drunk driver goes the wrong way down a San Francisco street
• At an intersection, a drunk driver blows through a red light and hits you
• You’re riding a scooter and a drunk driver knocks you off the road

Making sure you get paid for all of these items (and more) is what a great San Francisco car accident lawyer will do for you. If you choose and attorney with a long track record of success with San Francisco car accidents, they will increase your settlement by way more than their legal fees. This means more money in your pocket, with a lot less stress.tions of a drunk driver. Being drunk severely restricts your reaction speed and prevents you from making the kinds of split-second decisions it takes to stay safe on the road.

According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, at a blood-alcohol concentration (BAC) of .08 or higher, the risk of a driving crash rises sharply. This is why .08 BAC is the legal alcohol limit to drive in most states, including California.

Drugged driving can cause similar impairments in driving. If you believe you were injured in an accident involving a drugged driver, talk to your San Francisco DUI accident injury attorney about your concerns. Drugged driving is also a crime in California when the driver is too impaired to drive safely.

DUI Dangers to San Francisco Cyclists and Pedestrians

Did you know pedestrian deaths are up by 35% in California since 2008? The streets of San Francisco are filled with pedestrians, scooter riders, and cyclists, yet drivers often fail to see these folks they share the road with because motorists’ vehicle are so much bigger.

When someone is driving under the influence, they are even more likely to be too impaired or distracted to avoid hitting a pedestrian or cyclist. You may have injuries from a driver who:

• Backs over you
• Collides with you at an intersection
• Accelerates suddenly and hits you
• Fails to see you while changing lanes
• Runs over you in a crosswalk

Don’t suffer in silence if this happens to you. Hire a San Francisco DUI injury attorney who can help you prove that the driver’s impairment led to your injuries.

Passengers are at Risk in DUI Accidents

When you’re a passenger in a car, you’re powerless to stop a DUI accident. This is especially true for rideshare passengers, and San Francisco is one of Uber’s top markets in the world.

Passengers can sue intoxicated drivers in DUI accidents, whether the passenger was in the driver’s car, in another car that was hit, or even was out drinking with the intoxicated person prior to the accident. Although a passenger may take on some risk when riding in the car with someone they know is impaired, passengers don’t always know the state of the driver.

Under California law, a drunk passenger in a car isn’t eligible to be charged with a DUI offense, although the authorities may investigate whether the driver and passenger may have switched places. As you can see, these can be complex cases and you’ll need an experienced San Francisco DUI attorney to help you sort through the details.

What Can I Do About a DUI Accident?

After a DUI crash, it is your obligation to contact the authorities if you suspect someone was driving drunk or if someone is injured. Call 911 to report injuries and follow the instructions of medical personnel for your own injuries.

Gather any evidence from the scene you are able to access. Take photos and videos. Save all paperwork related to the accident, including your medical records, a police report, and communications with insurance companies.

If something leads you to believe a driver was drunk or drugged at the time of the accident, note this and contact a San Francisco DUI injury accident attorney. Don’t accuse anyone of a crime or speak at length about the accident until you speak to your attorney.

Who Pays for My Injuries in a DUI Accident?

DUI drivers can be ordered to pay for your medical bills after a DUI accident. Their insurance coverage may cover the cost, or you can win a judgment against them personally.

It’s essential to establish the cost of your medical bills and put a dollar value on your claim. In addition to your physical injuries, you may need psychological counseling and other aftercare to help you recover from the trauma of the accident. Since the Vietnam War, car crashes have become the #1 cause of PTSD in the U.S.

Check out Sally Morin Personal Injury Lawyers' San Francisco Client Reviews and Testimonials

The San Francisco car accident legal team at Sally Morin Personal Injury Lawyers gives unparalleled customer-service. You can see in our reviews all the reasons...

Why Sally Morin Personal Injury Lawyers has over 150 5-star ratings from California traffic accident clients:

We only do serious traffic accidents. We limit our practice strictly to major injuries resulting from car, motorcycle, bicycle and pedestrian accidents. This allows the team to focus on developments in a single area of law and develop an unmatched level of expertise.

We don’t take every case. We don’t accept “nuisance claims” from potential clients who are motivated purely by financial gain or revenge. Our clients are people whose lives have been significantly disrupted by their injuries.

We are the perfect lawyers for people who don’t want one. Our clients tend to be people who didn’t want a lawyer or at least never thought they would need to hire one. But, the severity of their accident gave them no choice. We won’t litigate unnecessarily or drag you to a trial you never wanted. We aren’t doing this for our own egos, we are doing this for you! If you’re going to be stuck with a personal injury lawyer, it may as well be us.

We are attentive and responsive. You are not just a case number at Sally Morin Personal Injury Lawyers. With our “quality over quantity” approach to cases, you and your case will get the full attention it deserves. We WILL return your calls and emails and keep you updated on the status of your case.

We collaborate with you when big decisions need to be made. It’s your case. We will check with you on important decisions like settlement offers, filing a lawsuit or going to trial.

We increase your “net settlement” value. Not only will we work to get you the highest settlement possible, but we will also negotiate with your healthcare providers to reduce their charges, so you end up with more of your settlement money.

If the idea of working with a customer-centric San Francisco car accident lawyer who gets quick and solid results for their clients appeals to you, your next step is to get a FREE case evaluation from our San Francisco car accident team.