| First, let us acquaint ourselves with some | | | | meaning having at least five drinks at a |
| alarming statistics: 250,000 people have died | | | | time. Binge drinkers were 13 times more |
| in alcohol-related accidents in the past 10 | | | | likely to report driving while they were |
| years; 25,000 people die each year in alcohol | | | | alcohol-impaired, and most of them admitted |
| related accidents; 500 people are killed | | | | they often had far more than five drinks per |
| weekly and 71 people daily in alcohol-related | | | | binge. |
| accidents; one American life is lost every 20 | | | | |
| minutes in an alcohol-related car crash; and | | | | If you receive injuries in a drunk-driving |
| one out of every two Americans is likely to | | | | accident, you may be entitled to compensation |
| be involved in an alcohol-related accident in | | | | from the drunk driver or his insurer. Under |
| his lifetime. Every year, 708,000 persons are | | | | certain circumstances, even injured |
| injured, 74,000 of them seriously, in | | | | pedestrians and their close family members |
| alcohol-related crashes. About 2,000 people | | | | are entitled to receive compensation. Such |
| receive injuries each day in alcohol-related | | | | compensation usually includes payment for |
| accidents. | | | | medical treatment, past and future lost |
| | | | income, and emotional distress damages. |
| A recent study reveals that alcohol-impaired | | | | |
| drivers cost American taxpayers $21 - $24 | | | | In some limited instances, the injured person |
| billion dollars per year. According to a | | | | is entitled to get recovery from the provider |
| recent National Geographic report, alcohol | | | | of alcohol to the driver, usually a bar or |
| abuse costs American society $136 billion and | | | | restaurant. Such cases against third parties |
| 65,000 lives annually. | | | | are, however, more complicated and difficult |
| | | | to prove. Punitive damages are meant to |
| The rise in the number of accidents often | | | | punish malicious or reckless drivers, and to |
| goes hand-in-hand with binge drinking, | | | | deter such conduct in the future. |