Dram shop laws make it possible to recover damages from a bar or restaaurant who serves alcohol to either 1) a minor or 2) a person who was already intoxicated.

The drunk driver who caused the collision was at fault, but it is possible that the bar they just left is also at fault if they knowingly served someone who was drunk. When there is evidence that a bar or restaurant contributed to the drunk driving crash, your attorney will include all possible sources of recovery in your lawsuit and hold the bar or restaurant accountable for the damage they caused.

As you can see from browsing our website, the Boles Law Firm focuses on helping motorcycle crash victims, DUI crash victims, police misconduct victims, and people who are accused of crimes. We also handle other types of personal injury claims and auto accidents.

What we don’t do is try to deceive you just to bring in a case. You may have noticed some attorney websites that appear as if the attorneys only handle drunk driving crashes as a plaintiff’s attorney, until you come across another website from the same attorney that focuses on DUI defense as a criminal defense attorney…

With us, what you see is what you get, and we will never try to trick you into retaining our law firm. Instead, we are able to rely on our reputation for the highest ethical standards, honesty, hard work, and the results that we have achieved for our clients.

In many cases, the at-fault driver is arrested and charged with driving under the influence. If they caused great bodily injury or if they killed someone, they will be charged with felony DUI resulting in great bodily injury or felony DUI resulting in death.

The drunk driver’s criminal case will be prosecuted by a state or municipal prosecutor as your DUI crash lawyer prosecutes your civil case to recover financial compensation for you (or a deceased victim’s family).

When a drunk driver causes a collision that results in property damage, personal injury, or death, they must pay for the damage that they caused. This is not automatic, even if they are separately charged with a crime in criminal court – your DUI crash attorney must pursue a settlement or file a lawsuit for you.

You may be entitled to recover both economic and non-economic damages:

• Medical expenses – both current and future expenses, including hospital bills, doctor bills, emergency transport, medications, medical equipment, physical rehab, and all medical costs that were a result of the accident,
• Lost wages – lost income due to the injuries and loss of future income when there is a lost earning capacity due to disability caused by the crash,
• Property damage – to the motorcycle or any other property that was damaged,
• Future care – including the costs of long-term care when needed,
• Disfigurement and scarring,
• Funeral expenses when there is a wrongful death,
• Pain and suffering,
• Emotional distress,
• Loss of society and companionship,
• Loss of consortium, and
• Punitive damages when the at-fault driver’s conduct was willful, wanton, or reckless – and there is no cap on punitive damages in SC when the at-fault driver was intoxicated at the time of the crash.

SC law says that an at-fault driver must pay punitive damages when their conduct was wanton, willful, or reckless. A person who chose to drink alcohol or use drugs and then get behind the wheel of their car and drive fits this description…

Not only is a drunk driver exposed to punitive damages at trial, but there are no statutory caps on punitive damages if the drunk driver was 1) convicted of a felony related to the collision (felony DUI or DUI fourth offense, for example) or 2) if it is proven that they were drunk at the time of the crash. See, SC Code § 15-32-530.

When someone is killed by a drunk driver in South Carolina, the personal representative of their estate is responsible for contacting a DUI crash attorney who can negotiate with the insurance companies and file a lawsuit to seek compensation for the wrongful death – including punitive damages when appropriate.

Your wrongful death attorney at the Boles Law Firm will meet with you, learn about your case, answer your questions, negotiate with the insurance companies, and litigate your case to recover the maximum compensation allowed under SC law and the facts of the case.