Serious and fatal drunk driving accidents devastate far too many lives and families in Missouri each year. Following these tragedies, the victims and the families of the victims are often able to pursue damages from the drivers responsible.
In addition to being compensated for past and future medical bills, lost wages, loss of companionship, pain and suffering, and permanent injury, it also may be possible to seek punitive damages from drunk drivers, which can greatly increase the total amount of damages recovered.
However, sometimes there were other people or entities that contributed to the accident that can be held civilly responsible as well.
For example, when a bar or a restaurant provides alcohol to an underage person or a person who is viably intoxicated and that patron goes on to cause a serious drunk driving accident the owner of the bar or restaurant can also face liability in a personal injury lawsuit under Missouri’s dram shop laws.
Unfortunately, tavern liability, as it is called, isn’t an easy claim to prove. Insurance companies for bars and restaurants often vigorously deny that the drunk drivers had been visibly intoxicated when they were served or that they were even served at all.
However, our firm has handled many successful cases against bars and restaurants that over-served patrons who went on to cause fatal drunk driving accidents. We always seek maximum compensation for our clients who have been injured or have lost loved ones because of drunk drivers.