DUI Accidents
"Driving under the influence," "driving while intoxicated," and "operating while intoxicated" are terms used for driving behavior related to alcohol or drugs. Regardless of the terminology, we believe that drunk driving is the greatest risk on the highways today. According to a 2006 study by the National HIghway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), the United States can expect one drunk driving fatality every thirty minutes. In 2006, 17,602 people were killed in alcohol-related accidents, meaning that 41% of all traffic fatalities were caused by drunk drivers (NHTSA). A driver who chooses to operate a vehicle while intoxicated puts other drivers, passengers, motorcyclists, bicyclists, and pedestrians at-risk on the roads. When we have clients who have been injured or lost loved ones in drunk driving accidents, we work to achieve financial compensation for their injuries or losses, medical bills, pain and suffering, vehicle damage, and lost wages caused by time away from work.
Due to the severe effects of drunk driving, lawmakers are beginning to toughen drunk driving laws across the United States. By way of example, Georgia enacted a new DUI law on July, 1, 2008, making punishments for driving under the influence much harsher for offenders. Titled House Bill 336, the law more strictly punishes first-time offenders (they must undergo drug and alcohol evaluation) as well as repeat offenders (four counts of DUI within ten years results in a felony offense rather than just a misdemeanor).
Despite these improvements to the criminal system for punishing a drunk driver, that same system does absolutely nothing for assisting or compensating the victim of a drunk driving accident. At Murphy & Associates, we have won compensation for victims of alcohol-related automobile accidents throughout metro Atlanta. If you have been injured or lost a loved one due to a drunk driving accident, call us at 770-577-3020 for answers to your most pressing questions in a free consultation. We will help you recover the maximum amount of compensation for your case, including compensation for punitive damages (intended to punish the drunk driver, the claim will reward you financially).
James Murphy has been fighting insurance companies both in and out of the courtroom for years. His experience will help you recover for your injuries and get you back on your feet. Murphy & Associates is located near the Douglas County Courthouse and has successfully represented seriously injured individuals throughout West Georgia, including clients in Douglasville, Atlanta, Decatur, Marietta, Hiram, Bremen, Lithia Springs, Dallas, Tallapoosa, Carrollton, Douglas County, Fulton County, DeKalb County, Cobb County, Paulding County, Haralson County, and Carroll County.
Web Resources for DUI Accidents:
National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA)
Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS)
Mothers Against Drunk Driving (MADD)
Students Against Destructive Decisions (SADD)
Bikers Against Drunk Drivers (BADD)
Library for DUI Accidents:
- Aiken Resident Killed in Richmond County I-20 Accident, Alcohol Suspected to be a Factor
Description: Aiken resident Jessie Aaron Petoskey, 29, died after an Interstate 20 accident in Richmond County on Friday, October 31, according to Adam Folk of the Augusta Chronicle online. According to Weaver and chief deputy coroner Mark Bowen, alcohol may have contributed to the cause of the crash. Our thoughts and condolences go out to the family and friends of Jessie Patoskey. We represent clients who have been through the indescribable trauma of losing a loved one or being injured in a DUI accident or other type of auto accidents. If you have suffered injury or loss as a result of a car wreck, please feel free to call us with any questions you may have. We will consult with you for free and handle your case with compassion and professionalism should you choose to work with us. 770-577-3020. - Julio Cate and Jairo Curruchich, of Marietta, Killed in Roswell Accident on 92
Description: Julio Cesar Cate and Jaro Efrain Curruchich, 24, were both killed Sunday morning, November 2, in a Roswell area car accident, according to the 11 Alive news website. We offer deepest condolences to the families and friends of the deceased and injured. We represent clients who have been through the devastating experience of a DUI Accident or fatal accident case. If you have lost a loved one or been injured as a result of an accident, please feel free to call us with your questions. We will consult with you for free. 770-577-3020. - Lula, Georgia, Resident Killed in Accident with DUI Driver
Description: Rachel Reece, 19, of Lula, Georgia, was killed after an accident Wednesday night (October 8) involving a DUI driver. Driver Timmy Mills of Baldwin, 40, was charged with DUI after striking Reece’s vehicle at the intersection of Old Cornelia Highway and Mud Creek Road. Our law firm handles wrongful death and DUI accident cases. If you have any questions regarding an accident in which you were injured or lost a loved one, please feel free to call us at 770-577-3020. We will consult with you for free. - Heather Locklear Suspected of Driving Under the Influence (of Prescription Drugs)
Description: According to the CBS 46 News website, authorities reported the arrest of Heather Locklear for suspicion of DUI. The former “Melrose Place” actress, according to California Highway Patrol spokesman Tom Marshall, was arrested Saturday, September 27, at approximately 4:30p.m. after a 911 caller reported that Locklear’s driving appeared to be unsafe. Marshall confirmed that the actress was not under the influence of alcohol; rather, it is suspected that the actress was driving after having taken prescription medicine. Our law firm handles DUI accident cases. If you have been injured by a driver that was driving under the influence of a controlled substance, feel free to call us with questions regarding your particular accident. We will gladly consult with you for free. 770-577-3020. - Falcons Player Lawyer Milloy Arrested on DUI Charges
Description: Atlanta Falcons player Lawyer Milloy was arrested on DUI and speeding charges early Monday morning after the game against Tampa Bay. According to Chris Sweigart of 11Alive.com, the starting safety was booked at the Gwinnett County Detention Center and released on $1,641.00 bond hours later. Our law firm handles car accident cases. If you have been involved in a car accident in which another driver was at fault due to speeding, DUI, or any other reason, call us at 770-577-3020 for a free consultation with an experienced attorney. - Suspects in Dalton Car Accident Leave One Man Dead at the Scene
Description: The Dalton Police Department is still investigating a one-car accident that occurred Friday evening around 11:00pm and left one man dead on the scene. According to www.InjuryBoard.com, the driver and a second passenger of a Ford Explorer SUV fled the scene after the vehicle left the roadway on the Hamilton Connector and slammed into a tree. Passenger Rene Olvera Resendiz was pronounced dead on the scene. Our law firm handles car accident and fatal accident cases such as this. If you have been injured or lost a loved one in an accident in which another driver was at fault, call 770-577-3020 for a free consultation. - DUI Driver Found Guilty of Murder for Fatal I-75 Accident
Description: A drunk driver was found guilty of murder Wednesday (July 30) at a trial for a car accident that occurred on I-75 last summer. In the accident, Raymond Joseph Garner of Andersonville, Kentucky, crashed into another vehicle while going 90 miles per hour and never applying the break. As a result, other cars were involved, and the crash killed an 8-year-old boy, a pregnant woman, and her unborn child. Garner had consumed beer, wine, and valium just before driving the day of the accident and was sipping wine in his vehicle before the crash. Our law firm handles wrongful death and fatal accident cases such as this. If you have lost a loved one in a car accident due to a drunk or reckless driver, call us at 770-577-3020 for a free consultation. - Metro Atlanta Police Officer Arrested and Charged with DUI in Sandy Springs Accident
Description: Sergeant Vernon Sands of the Sandy Springs Police Department was arrested Saturday night (July 26) after being charged with driving under the influence when he crashed his vehicle. After his single-car accident in metro Atlanta’s Rockdale County, Sands was placed on administrative leave from his position in the operations division of the police department. Our law firm handles car accident cases. If you have been injured in a car accident by a drunk driver, call us at 770-577-3020 for a free consultation. - DUI Driver Charged in Deadly Crash on I-85
Description: Session Holt of Florida has been charged with DUI and following too closely after a three-car crash on Interstate 85 Saturday morning. The accident occurred at about 5:00am near Beaver Ruin Road. After the driver of a 2005 Scion car hit the rear of a Ford Taurus while traveling northbound on I-85, both drivers pulled over to the side of the roadway. According to officers who investigated the scene, the DUI suspect, Holt, hit the driver of the Scion, killing him instantly. Our law firm handles wrongful death cases such as this. If you have lost a loved one in an accident due to another's negligence or reckless driving, call 770-577-3020 for a free consultation. - Shia LaBeouf and Lindsay Lohan Involved in Weekend Traffic Accidents
Description: This weekend grew dim for two of Hollywood’s bright stars as they both found themselves in car accidents. According to reports, singer/actress Lindsay Lohan was outside a Manhattan club Saturday morning when a motorcycle struck her. Though she was not injured in the vehicle/pedestrian accident, LaBeouf was not so lucky. Shia LaBeouf, the Transformers star soon to appear in Disturbia, sustained injuries in his car accident. Charged with driving under the influence in the Sunday morning LA accident, Shia injured his hand and knee when attempting to make a left turn into incoming traffic, causing his car to flip and another vehicle to collide with his. Our law firm handles car accident and motorcycle accident cases. If you have been injured in an accident that was not your fault, call us at 770-577-3020 for a free consultation. - War Veteran Airlifted to Atlanta Hospital After Alcohol-Related Accident Near Monticello
Description: After injuring several people (including children) in a July 6 wreck on Highway 16 near Monticello, Robert Allan Sharp was charged with DUI (drugs), failure to maintain lane, no tag on trailer, three counts of endangering a child under 14 while intoxicated, reckless driving, and one count of serious injury by vehicle. In his 2007 Chevrolet Colorado with a near-20-foot boat in tow, Sharp swerved all over Highway 16 and slammed head-on– driver’s side to driver’s side– into a 2006 Toyota Corolla. The driver of the Toyota, Monticello’s Timothy Robison, waited for more than an hour while emergency officials attempted to remove him from his vehicle. He and his brother, Thomas Robison, were both seriously injured in the accident and were airlifted to Grady Memorial Hospital in Atlanta. - Impaired But Not Intoxicated? Georgia Driver Impaired by Unknown Substance Receives 2 DUI Charges, Among Others
Description: Culminating in a head-on collision on Claxton Dairy Road in Dublin, GA, a woman driver, obviously impaired, began her travel Monday evening (June 30) with a hit-and-run incident. After crashing into a parked car, driving into a sign, and running over a water meter, Sammy Lynn Mullis, 29, injured another driver when she hit his vehicle head-on due to driving in the wrong lane. Robert Branch, the victim, was taken to Fairfiew Park Hospital. Mullis was taken to the hospital as well, from which she was transported to the county jail on her DUI, reckless driving, hit-and-run, and other charges. Though alcohol may not have been in her system at the time of accident, police believe she was impaired by some substance or combination of substances.