If a person is visibly intoxicated or under the age of twenty-one years and impaired, the party who furnished the liquor may be held liable to someone injured by the intoxicated or impaired person.
Dram shop actions require skilled and experienced attorneys who know how to navigate the complex legal and factual issues presented in these types of matters.
We had the privilege of representing a gentleman, “Barry,” who had the misfortune of sustaining fractures when a nineteen-year-old driver fell asleep and crashed into his vehicle.
The nineteen-year-old had an automobile insurance policy with only $100,000 in coverage. Another attorney, who claimed he handled personal injury matters, advised Barry that he would only be able to recover $100,000 and not a penny more. Subsequently, Barry came to our office and immediately retained Seiden & Kaufman after our free consultation.
We promptly conducted a thorough investigation and discovered that the nineteen-year-old had drank several beers at a pool hall and then one additional beer at a diner before he got behind the wheel, dozed off, and struck Barry’s vehicle. Even though the nineteen-year-old was not legally intoxicated, he was nevertheless driving while impaired under the age of twenty-one years. Consequently, after we aggressively litigated the matter, we recovered not only the driver’s full $100,000 of insurance coverage, but also the pool hall’s full $500,000 insurance policy and the diner’s full $500,000 insurance policy, for a total of $1,100,000. Had Barry retained the attorney he had met at a different law firm, he would have only recovered $100,000. Seiden & Kaufman recovered an additional $1,000,000 for Barry.
Not every law firm is the same. We have extensive experience in Dram Shop actions. If you have been injured due to another’s intoxication or impairment from alcohol or drugs, please call us promptly as a proper investigation must be completed immediately.
As always, the consultation is free and Steven J. Seiden, Richard G. Kaufman or Daniel M. Seiden will gladly answer all of your questions without any obligation.
