Waterbury Dram Shop Lawyer

Dram Shop Attorney in Waterbury, CT

Few incidents in your life can be as frustrating or nightmarish as a drunk driving accident. When a drunk driver hits you or a loved one, it can cause permanent physical and psychological damage that can be difficult to overcome. It’s understandable not to know what your options might be in a situation like that. Connecticut’s dram shop laws allow for victims to pursue many avenues of justice. A Waterbury dram shop lawyer can establish your case and secure all you deserve.

The legal team at Pilicy Injury Law understands how difficult it can be to pursue justice in the wake of a drunk driving accident or another injury caused by someone’s intoxication. To understand your options, you should reach out to a Waterbury dram shop attorney who can develop your dram shop case. Holding the right people accountable on every level is important. You’ll want someone representing you who understands the state’s dram shop laws.

Why Hire a Dram Shop Lawyer?

There are several vital reasons to hire a dram shop lawyer. Most of all, you will want to exhaust every option available to you as you seek justice and pursue financial compensation for what happened to you. Connecticut’s Dram Shop Act may not be your most obvious answer, but it allows victims to hold reckless alcohol sellers accountable for serving someone who is visibly intoxicated.

At Pilicy Injury Law, we know the most effective ways to pursue a personal injury claim in the wake of someone’s drunken and negligent behavior. We can bring determination, empathy, and creative thinking to your case.

Drunk Driving Accidents and Their Aftermath

Drunken accidents are unfortunately not a rare occurrence in Connecticut. According to recent statistical data from the state’s Department of Transportation, 127 people were killed in alcohol-related vehicular accidents throughout the state, which accounted for 35% of all fatalities across Connecticut in 2022. Nationwide, roughly 34 people die in a drunk-driving accident every day, according to statistics from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA).

Surviving a car accident of any kind can be difficult to deal with. You may be plagued by nightmares, survivor’s guilt, and more. You may want to consider reaching out to a local survivors’ support group, like the Crash Support Network or Families for Safe Streets (FSS). Sometimes, talking to others who have been where you are can be enough to help you start healing from your trauma. It can also be good to just have a safe space to vent your feelings.

How Does a Dram Shop Case Work in Connecticut?

Connecticut state law lets injury victims pursue damages from bars, restaurants, liquor stores, and even homeowners who may have served someone alcohol while they were visibly intoxicated, which may have led to the accident that impacted you. Individuals in Connecticut can be held liable under dram shop laws in cases where:

• Bars serve somebody who is already clearly intoxicated.
• Bars serve alcohol to a minor.
• An adult provides beer to a minor.
• A store owner sells alcohol to a minor.

If a liquor seller or their employee is held liable for damages, their maximum liability under Connecticut dram shop laws is up to $20,000 per person and up to $50,000 per incident. It’s up to the court to determine the exact amount of liability the person in question will face. The injured party must notify the seller within 60 days of the incident. The notice must include the:

• Time and day of the sale
• Name and address of the injured party
• Time and place of the injury

Key Elements of a Dram Shop Case in Connecticut

Being able to take legal action against a bar, restaurant, or liquor store for serving a drunken individual and indirectly causing your accident can be a considerable step in your overall recovery process. Doing so requires considerable proof beyond simple negligence. You need to prove that the seller’s actions weren’t just negligent; they were reckless. This is rarely easy, but your lawyer can determine how to do so. Here are some key elements of a dram shop case:

• The sale. First, to move forward with a dram shop case, you need to prove that a licensed seller willfully sold alcohol to an individual who was in a visibly intoxicated state. This can easily be proven with video footage, transaction records, and witness testimony. Your lawyer can gather all the evidence needed to pursue a claim against the liquor seller.

• The conduct. It’s not enough to prove that the liquor seller sold alcohol to a drunk person. The liquor seller’s conduct must be proven to be reckless and intentional. You need to prove that the seller recognized how drunk the defendant was, understood the dangers of giving them more alcohol, and then did so anyway. Serving the drunken individual was not a mistake or a moment of weakness. It was a deliberate choice.

• The aftermath. Finally, to successfully argue your case, you must prove the direct or indirect connection between the liquor seller’s choice to continue service and the injury that you sustained because of the drunk person’s actions. It can be hard to demonstrate the seller’s responsibility for what happened to you, but the more documentation you have, the easier it can be to win your case.

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Reach Out to a Waterbury Dram Shop Lawyer Today

The long-term effects of a drunk driving injury can be substantial. Depending on the details of what happened, you may be dealing with ongoing medical care for the rest of your life. You may have endured rampant property damage. You may even have lost a loved one in that accident. In any case, it’s understandable to want to hold everyone involved in that accident accountable in Waterbury, including the driver themselves and the people who got them intoxicated.

At Pilicy Injury Law, we can develop a strong case that proves negligence, reckless behavior, and more. We have all the resources needed to build your case, gather evidence, and demonstrate how wrong it is for a liquor seller to add to an individual’s drunken state. Contact us to speak to someone on our team about how we can help.