Boston Drunk Driving Accident Lawyer Blog
On January 16, 2013, a nine-time convicted drunk driver was arrested and held without bail. The driver was falling down drunk and had a bottle of vodka on the passenger seat of a U-Haul, which he crashed into an SUV. The offender fell when he stepped out of the U-Haul, repeatedly fell asleep and was only intermittently aware of where he was when police located him at a gas station. 
As the Boston Herald reports, the offender has a long record of driving while intoxicated. His first DUI offense was in Brookline in 1984 and his most recent, prior to this latest incident, was in 2007. The driver had his license permanently revoked for life as a result of his repeated DUIs and yet he was still driving anyway — and driving a rented box truck, no less.
Our Boston DUI accident attorneys believe that this case is an important warning to every driver on the road.
Repeat DUI Offenders May Drive Without a License
The story about the nine-time DUI offender illustrates a very important point. The offender had no license, and had his license permanently revoked. Yet, he was driving anyway. Unfortunately, being intoxicated and having poor judgment as a result of being impaired can result in people making the unwise choice to drive without a license. The truth of the matter is so many of these people never quit driving at all — drunk or sober.
One big problem when a drunk driver (or any driver) drives without a license is that often the driver will have no auto insurance. After all, car insurance is very expensive for people who have been found guilty of DUI and is even more costly for people with repeat DUI offenses, if it is even available at all. For all of these reasons, a drunk driver without a license is very likely to not have any type of insurance policy at all.
When someone is injured by the actions of an unlicensed, uninsured drunk driver, the victim may face significant obstacles to recovering compensation. While the individual injured by the drunk driver could sue the drunk, chances are this would be a futile exercise.
If the drunk had no insurance, then there is no insurance company to pay a judgment. Anything that an injured victim is awarded would have to come out of the drunk defendant’s personal assets. While this is fine if the defendant has personal assets, often the defendant has little or no income or assets. A judgment, therefore, becomes almost impossible to collect and the injured victim is left with nothing. This is why those injured by drunk drivers without a license may benefit greatly from personal injury protection insurance (PIP) and from any uninsured motorist coverage. Dram shop litigation may also pursue a restaurant or bar that sold an intoxicated drunk the alcohol he consumed before the crash. While each case is unique, the commonality is the need for an experienced attorney in the wake of a serious crash with an intoxicated motorist.
If you or a loved one has been injured in a drunk riving accident in the Greater Boston area, contact Jeffrey Glassman Injury Lawyers, LLC for a free consultation. Call (617) 777-7777.