It’s clear: a drunk driver is responsible when they injure you. But in Washington State, you can also potentially file a claim against the bar or restaurant that sold alcohol to the intoxicated driver. This is possible because of what’s known as dram shop laws.
The attorneys at Ladenburg Law are well-versed in Washington State dram shop liability. If you or a loved one has been the victim of a drunk driver, please read on before consulting with a Tacoma drunk driving lawyer
Dram shop laws help hold commercial sellers and servers of alcohol responsible. Under Washington State law, a bar or restaurant cannot sell alcohol:
If a place of business violates any of the above laws and the intoxicated person gets injured or injures someone else, that business can be liable.
To illustrate, here are a few hypothetical scenarios:
Now, whether these hypothetical businesses will be held liable will depend on the facts of the case and the work of a skilled attorney (internal link here).
The only way to know for certain if you have a case is to call one of our attorneys today at Ladenburg Law (internal link: our dedicated team). Make no mistake: a dram shop lawsuit is complex. Our attorneys are experienced in this area of the law and will be able to determine who can be held liable for your injuries.
If you have a case, some of the pieces of the puzzle we’ll want to look at include:
One of the most important parts of our job is to reconstruct the events leading up to the injury. Some useful evidence for our timeline may include receipts, video surveillance, witness testimony, police reports, and cell phone records. More and more, a quick visit to the defendant’s social media pages may prove helpful, too. It’s not uncommon to find posts or check-ins about their night on Facebook or Instagram.
Rest assured, it’s our job to collect the necessary evidence. We’ll focus on building your case so you can focus on healing from your injury.
If you’ve been hurt by a drunk driver or intoxicated person, we will help you file a claim against their insurance policy. (Or, your own policy if the driver didn’t carry insurance.)
But if it turns out that dram shop laws apply, we’ll also help you seek compensation against the company that over-served the defendant. In some cases, this may be more than one bar or restaurant, too.
After evaluating your case, we’ll work to identify liable parties. As your personal injury lawyer, we want to ensure that you’re entitled to receive compensation from any and all responsible parties.
Here are some of the damages we will fight to recover:
When we meet, we’ll help assess your damages. Some of these are tangible, such as a hospital bill or a missed, non-refundable vacation. Others are harder to put a price tag on, like permanent disfigurement or an amputation. However, all these damages deserve compensation.
Dram shop lawsuits are complex and need expert evidence-gathering. You can expect that businesses will have legal representation, so we don’t recommend you go it alone. We have extensive experience with this area of the law and a proven track record of winning meaningful compensation for our clients.
At Ladenburg Law, it’s always free to come in and meet with us to consult about your case. Plus, we work on a contingency basis which means you only pay us if we win you a lawsuit. You risk nothing by reaching out to us.
