Boston Drunk Driving Accident Lawyer Blog
According to a recent article in TMZ, the mother of professional wrestler/actor Dwyane Johnson (“The Rock”) was hit head-on by a driver alleged to be drunk.
Witnesses told police Rock’s mother and another family member were driving home from a fundraiser in her 2012 Escalade when another driver slammed into their vehicle. Her sport utility vehicle was totaled. She was taken to a local hospital, along with the other occupant in the car. Family members are saying that she was kept in the hospital for three days until she was medically-cleared for release.
Boston drunk driving accident lawyersknow, alcohol-related crashes often present different issues than traditional car accident cases. One of the major differences is that an alleged drunk driver will also likely be charged with one or more crimes, including Operating Under the Influence (OUI), as the charge is called in Massachusetts.
In a typical accident case, the police will fill out an accident report for you to give to your insurance company, and that will be the last you will ever hear from the officers. In a drunk driving accident case, the police will conduct a much more thorough investigation, and turn over the reports to the prosecutor.
An Assistant District Attorney for Suffolk County will likely contact you if your accident happened in Boston. The ADA will want to interview you to see if you will be a helpful witness during the trial. While your help may be required at trial, you should always tell your car accident attorney if a prosecutor has contacted you. The reason is it is probably best not to make any statements without your attorney being present. This is true even if you are not the one on trial.
It is definitely helpful to your chances of getting a fair and appropriate financial recovery in your personal injury case if the driver is convicted of drunk driving. However, the prosecutor is most likely only concerned with obtaining a conviction.
You want to make sure you have someone looking out for your best interest during every stage of the process. This is especially true when dealing with the at-fault driver’s insurance company. The insurance company will probably call you the day of the accident, even if you are the hospital, and try to get you to accept a quick settlement. They want you agree to take as small an amount of money as possible before you speak with a Boston drunk driving accident lawyer.
If you accept their offer, which may be for an absurdly small amount of money, you will be required to sign a general release that will excuse the driver and the insurance company for any negligence or additional liability with respect to this accident.
As we have discussed in previous blog posts, the insurance company is a big business that is only interested in profits and paying out as little money as possible on accident claims. Your well-being is not on their list of priorities, no matter what they may say in their advertisements.
If you have been injured a Boston drunk driving accident, call for a free and confidential appointment at (617) 777-7777.
Additional Resources:
The Rock’s Mom Smashed by Drunk Driver in Head On Collision, August 10, 2014, TMZ
More Blog Entries:
Massachusetts Woman Sentenced to Jail for Alcohol-Related Car Crash, July 15, 2014, Boston Drunk Driving Accident Lawyer Blog