In a typical vehicle accident, the victim can generally file a personal injury lawsuit after the accident to seek compensation. They may file a claim for damages related to lost wages, property damage, medical bills, pain, and suffering. However, filing a civil lawsuit can be more complicated as a result of the criminal charges related to drunk driving crashes.
Impaired driving is a criminal offense, and may also give rise to a civil claim. However, a victim may have to wait until the criminal case is concluded before they can take their case to court. Unfortunately, this creates some problems for the victim.
Criminal court cases can take a long time to reach a conclusion, especially if the defendant wants to take their case to trial. It could take 6 months or more before a DUI arrest ends up with a jury verdict. The impaired driver may have also spent a lot of their money to pay for a criminal defense attorney, leaving fewer resources to compensate the victim.