Indiana Personal Injury Lawyers » Drunk Driver

Serious Personal Injury from Drunk Driving Accidents

John Young — Tue, 31 Jan 2012 21:45:25 +0000

There is a dirty little secret about drunk driving accidents in Indiana. Mothers Against Drunk Driving (MADD) has done a tremendous job educating the public about the dangers of drunk driving accidents. Drunk Driving Accidents cause serious personal injury and wrongful death. Its affects reach to the families who lose their loved ones or who must become caregivers to those no longer able to do for themselves because of the injuries caused by drunk driving accidents. As we all know, a drunk driver is not a responsible member of society and may not have enough insurance to pay for the harm they cause. That is why, at Young and Young, we recommend that you make sure you have at least enough in “Medical Payments Insurance” to pay the deductible on your health insurance policy. This protects you against out of pocket expenses. Second, we recommend that you purchase as much Uninsured Motorist Coverage/Underinsured Motorist Coverage AS YOU CAN AFFORD. This insurance will pay for the damages you have, but for which the drunk driver does not have enough insurance to cover your losses and harms.

Now for the dirty little secret. You probably know that bars can be held responsible for harm to a person if they serve a person alcohol who is visibly intoxicated, and that person drives off from the bar and causes serious personal injury or wrongful death. What you don’t know is that the bars are not required to maintain insurance which will pay for your damages if the bar serves a visibly intoxicated person and that person causes a drunk driving accident. We do not have statistics as to how many bars do and do not carry this coverage, but we do know that a substantial number of bars do not carry such insurance. This means that the injuries you suffer at the hands of the drunk driver who was over served at a bar will fall to you and your family. The bar continues to make money, but you can’t work, you have huge medical bills and your family suffers. We do not think this is right. You may say, well isn’t it really the drunk drivers fault? And the answer is that the drunk driver is to blame, but, if the drunk is in the bar, and is visibly intoxicated, they must not be served and caused to become even more drunk. We encourage all bars to car liability insurance which will cover the harms caused by this kind of negligence. We also encourage bars to properly train their employees to take seriously their obligation to identify visibly intoxicated persons, and not serve them.

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Serious Personal Injury Attorney Discusses Holiday Drinking

John Young — Fri, 23 Dec 2011 13:45:31 +0000

The holidays are a time to be of good cheer. Common at all parties is alcohol. Common to alcohol is drunk driving. Common to drunk driving are drunk driving accidents. Common to Drunk driving accidents are serious person al injuries including brain injury, broken bones, paralysis and even wrongful death. Common to serious personal injury is the devastating impact on families. Bread winners can’t work. Crushing medical bills drive Hoosiers into bankruptcy. Homes are lost. Families are splintered. All because someone does not have the restraint or sense to call a cab, or walk or let someone else have their keys.

For the sake of all Hoosier families, including your own, if you are going to be drinking, resolve beforehand that you will not drive. Keep a cab telephone number in your purse or wallet. Leave your car at home and take a cab both ways. Allow someone who has not been drinking to take your keys and drive you home. Do anything, but do not get behind the wheel drunk. Do not destroy your life and the lives of Hoosier families. Don’t drink and drive.

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Indiana Serious Injury Lawyer Discusses Sam Mack

John Young — Thu, 27 Oct 2011 15:21:36 +0000

I knew Sam Mack as a child, then lost touch with him as he grew into an adult. Sam struck me as a child with immense potential, once he grew out of the awkward stages of life. He was smart and energetic and entertaining. So, I guess, Sam Mack was a lot like any child. I read today, with despair, that Sam has made a fatal mistake. He got behind the wheel of a car while intoxicated and caused a drunk driving accident that led to the wrongful death of his passenger, 18 year old Daryn Barnett. Our heartfelt sympathies go out to the family of Miss Barnett. We hope that the memories of your daughter, sister, or grandchild will help you through these awful times. Know that you do not have to go through this alone. There are support groups and counseling that has helped other families deal with the grief you are now enduring.

Sam, it is apparent that you have a disease. That disease is alcoholism. This is your second arrest for drunk driving, and you are only 21 years old. Alcohol has severely affected not only your life, and the lives of Daryn Barnett and her family, but it has also affected your families lives. For your family, I hope they seek out the counsel of AL-ANON Family Support. You can find them at www.al-anon.alateen.org. These folks know what you are going through and talking it out, and hearing the experiences of others can help.

As for you, Sam, you now have to live with knowing that your disease has taken the life of your friend. If you do not do something about it, it will take your life too. Certainly it has irrevocably changed your life, but you are still alive. You still have a chance to make up for what has happened. Admit your disease. Take steps to obtain help. Work to improve your life. It would be fitting to dedicate your recovery, and a fruitful life of service, to your friend Daryn, so that her loss was not in vain. Sam, your mistake does not have to crush your life and spirit. Do not allow that to happen, if for no other reason, then for Daryn’s sake.

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Indianapolis Drunk Driving Accident Lawyer Discusses Preventing Friends from Driving Drunk

John Young — Fri, 05 Aug 2011 15:47:19 +0000

We have preached over and again about the dangers of drunk driving. We have talked about making the personal decision not to drink and drive. However, we have left off the issue of preventing your friends from drinking and driving. As we all know, the drunk driving accident causes wrongful death and serious personal injury including brain injury, spinal cord injury resulting in paralysis, broken bones, amputations and other very serious and debilitating injuries. The social cost of drunk driving accidents is in the billions of dollars in terms of medical bills, lost wages, inability to work and support ones family. We all know that there are people who have not made the commitment to themselves and to the rest of their fellow Hoosiers to not drink and drive. These folks will get drunk and not think twice about the harm they are going to cause. There are also those who, because they are drunk, have forgotten their sensible commitment not to drink and drive. It is for both these groups of people that the friend needs to step in and prevent a tragedy.

In this light, we salute the efforts of Timothy Bolger, age 20, for his efforts to stop his friend from drinking and driving drunk. On Tuesday night, August2, 2011, Mr. Bolger’s friend, one Madeline Lemke, age 18 was at a party where the friends of Patrick Trainor were gathered. You may remember Mr. Trainor, he, lost his life when he drove into a retention pond and drowned a few years ago. Mr. Bolger tried to stop Ms. Lemke from drinking and driving. Unfortunately for Mr. Bolger, Ms. Lemke was too intoxicated to respect his efforts and injured him with her car, while he was trying to stop her from driving. We wish Mr. Bolger a speedy and full recovery while we acknowledge his bravery and empathy for other Hoosiers using our roads. His efforts stopped Ms. Lemke from killing others on the road.

Anytime there is a gathering where alcohol is being served, non alcoholic drinks and water should be made available. The designated driver must be found and supported. There job is so important to the welfare of everyone. The designated driver should have available to them the number of a reputable cab company, and the ability to talk to those who are drunk so that they see the danger they are putting themselves in and the danger they are putting others in.

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Indiana Serious Injury Lawyer knows Speed Kills

John Young — Thu, 30 Jun 2011 15:35:50 +0000

It is a common headline, but when it is somebody famous the point is publicized more. “Jackass” star Ryan Dunn died in a fiery car crash in suburban Philadelphia early Monday morning. Of the more shocking details of this crash include that Mr. Dunn texted a picture of himself drinking not long before the crash, the car left over one hundred feet of skid marks, the car was unrecognizable, for a while the damage left the passenger unrecognizable, the car was travelling well over one hundred miles an hour. Speed Kills. It causes wrongful death and spinal cord injuries, paraplegia, and brain injury, broken bones and leaves families shattered.

It robs us of so much. Where is James Dean, Princess Diana and Harry Chapin?

Speed does not just kill famous people. Our hearts go out to the parents of two young men killed in Muncie, Indiana where authorities believe speed cost the young men their lives. Myles Swoboda, and Jake C. Monroe both suffered wrongful death in a crash involving speeds in excess of 100 miles per hour.

Parents, share these stories with your young drivers, it may save their lives.

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Indiana Serious Injury Attorney is upset with Greenwood Drunk Driving Mother

John Young — Thu, 16 Jun 2011 12:38:27 +0000

As most of my regular readers know, I am not fond of people who drink and drive. It is a selfish act, part of that what’s good for me is good way of thinking no matter how it might affect fellow Hoosiers. Well, I can tell you how drunk driving accidents affect your fellow Hoosiers, it causes them to mourn the wrongful death of their loved ones. Drunk driving accidents take parents away from children, including their guidance and their support. Drunk driving accidents take away your fellow Hoosiers ability to walk if they have a spinal cord injury resulting in paraplegia. It takes away their freedom from pain caused by broken bones, burns and amputation. Drunk driving crashes take away a parents hopes for a bright future for their injured or wrongfully killed children.

Well, just when you thought it could not get any worse, a mother takes her small child on a wild drunken ride, resulting g in the car crashing into a house. Cathy Crawley, Greenwood, endangered her child, the Hoosier home owners and herself by drinking and driving. She likely has an alcohol problem she is not dealing with. Her license has already been suspended for life for other infractions. Well, if the proof is strong that Ms. Crawley was drinking and driving on a suspended license with her child in the car, then she is not learning her lesson. We say, take away her liberty before she kills someone. If she cannot control herself, we must control her. That is a real shame, but what else can be done. Ms. Crawley alcohol is already taking you away from your family. Maybe jail will help you understand your issues and make you seek help. We hope so for your sake, for your daughters sake and for all Hoosiers’ sake.

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Indiana Serious Injury Lawyer Suggests We Call it Impaired Driving

John Young — Thu, 12 May 2011 15:37:47 +0000

We are Indiana Serious Injury Attorneys. A big part of what we do is help seriously injured Hoosiers obtain fair compensation for the injuries caused by negligent Hoosiers. A large portion of those injuries were caused by what we always refer to as drunk drivers. Maybe we should change our words. Although Mothers Against Drunk Driving has drunk driving in its name, they know that all drivers who are impaired and should not be driving are not drunk on alcohol. Many drivers are impaired because of the use of illegal street drugs, or the abuse of everyday household products. Take for instance a tragedy which has befallen a Southern Indiana family. Brandon E. Miller has been charged with causing the death of his step brother in a auto collision where Brandon was impaired on something other than alcohol. Apparently Brandon Miller was smoking pot, drinking large amounts of cough syrup, to get a high off the chemical in the syrup, and inhaling an aerosol propellants. One of these chemicals is bad enough, but all three at the same time definitely caused Mr. Miller to be impaired. Mr. Miller chose to drive in this impaired state and ran off the road into trees. The collision killed Mr. Miller’s step brother Ryan Vanhentenryck. Our sympathies go out to this family and we sincerely hope that Mr. Miller will turn his life around, to honor the loss of his brother.

We take this time to inform our readers that an arrest has been made in the hit and run collision we discussed recently. Geoffrey Collins, age 24 has been arrested and charged with leaving the scene of a serious injury accident. David Smith died of injuries sustained in the collision and Jason Pedigo is in serious condition at Methodist Hospital. Apparently Mr. Collins admits he was driving the car that killed Mr. Smith and seriously injured Mr. Pedigo. Thanks to the citizen who provided the police the tip that led to Mr. Collins. We also salute the Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department for their fine work in bringing this criminal to justice.

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Indiana Drunk Driving Statues Discussion from Accident Attorneys Young and Young

John Young — Wed, 04 May 2011 15:40:25 +0000

Did you know that there are different statutes dealing with drunk driving? I want to address just a few. The first is the statute that we are likely to use against a first time offender. See 9-30-5-1. This statue makes it a crime to operate a vehicle with an alcohol concentration equivalent to at least eight-hundredths (0.08) gram of alcohol but less than fifteen-hundredths (0.15) gram of alcohol per: (1) one hundred (100) milliliters of the person’s blood; or (2) two hundred ten (210) liters of the person’s breath. A violation of this statute is a class c misdemeanor, i.e. punishable by among other things less than one year in jail. We think this is too lenient. It is no secret that drivers with this much alcohol in their blood are dangerous because they cause drunk driving accidents. In these drunk driving accidents, innocent Hoosiers suffer wrongful death and serious personal injury such as spinal cord injury, broken bones and brain injury. As the rate of drunk driving remains at a constant level, it is clear that this punishment is not effective at deterring drunk driving.

If a driver operates a vehicle with an alcohol concentration equivalent to at least fifteen-hundredths (0.15) gram of alcohol per (1) one hundred (100) milliliters of the person’s blood; or (2) two hundred ten (210) liters of the person’s breath; they commit a commits a Class A misdemeanor. Still the punishment is less than a year in jail.

While it is true that if the drunk driver causes serious bodily injury or death, the punishment is enhanced to a C felony, punishable up to 8 years in jail, rarely will the drunk driver spend any more than four of those years in jail. Four years can seem like a long time, but I have yet to know a family that is not shocked at the leniency the criminal justice system shows to one who chooses to drink and drive, knowing the potential consequences, when the drunk driving accident kills or seriously injures a loved one. If we are to deter this kind of behavior we must use a multifaceted approach including alcohol awareness for teens, parents talking to their kids about the dangers of alcohol, effective treatment and strong punishment to make people think twice before they get behind the wheel after drinking.

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Make the Right Choice: DUI or DD?

John Young — Mon, 04 Apr 2011 14:50:00 +0000

At Young and Young, we travel all over the State of Indiana from our Indianapolis offices representing Hoosiers who have been seriously injured in drunk driving accidents. We are your Indiana Drunk Driving accident Lawyers. Our lawyers aggressively pursue drunk drivers for our clients. We know that drunk driving accidents cause serious and severe injuries including spinal cord injuries, brain injuries, paralysis, broken bones, blindness , burns and even wrongful death. Our purpose is to force the drunk driver to compensate you and your family for your serious injuries. Having represented thousands of seriously injured Hoosiers, we know that these injuries can cause you to have huge medical bills, including future medical bills, lost wages , pain and permanent injury to your body and its ability to function. The person who chooses to get behind the wheel after having too much to drink is obligated to do what all our mothers taught us when we were very young. If you make a mess, it is your responsibility to make up for all the harm you cause. We make sure that the drunk driver makes up for all the harm he causes by making up for your medical bills, both past and future. We make sure the drunk driver makes up for your lost wages and the pain he causes and the permanent problems you have with your body. It is, after all, only fair, you did nothing wrong.

We now report the unfortunate news that a Noblesville man was arrested and charged with driving while under the influence causing death. Brent Ward was arrested for causing the death of his girlfriend. The preliminary reports regarding Mr. Ward’s alcohol level is that he was twice the legal limit for operating a vehicle. We know Mr. Ward did not intend to harm his girlfriend, but he chose to get behind the wheel while he was intoxicated. He knew, or he should have known that this was a stupid choice. Now he will live with his choice for the rest of his life, while his girlfriends family prepares to bury her.

In closing we want to say to you Butler Bulldog fans, celebrate wisely. Do not drink and drive. If you must drink, appoint a designated driver, call a cab, walk, but do not turn what is likely to be a grand celebration into a tragedy for either yourself or for an innocent Hoosier family.

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Indiana Serious Injury Attorney Looks At Jim Kittle’s Drunk Driving Admission

John Young — Fri, 18 Mar 2011 13:36:01 +0000

He is a man from a wealthy and prominent Indiana family. He runs a very successful furniture business. He is the former head of the Indiana State Republicans. He had hopes of high political office. Now Jim Kittle is the center of attention for another reason. He chose to get behind the wheel after drinking alcohol. This is not merely an allegation, Mr. Kittle has accepted a plea agreement and has admitted his mistake. The plea deal does not call for jail time. This is Mr. Kittle’s first offense and jail time likely will not be of benefit to either Mr. Kittle or society. I recognize that everyone makes mistakes. I recognize that jail will not likely do any good in this situation. That being said, I want to take this situation as an opportunity to reinforce the message: DO NOT DRINK AND DRIVE.

Mr. Kittle you were lucky. No, that’s not really the point. Some Hoosier family, maybe mine, maybe yours, was lucky when you decided to get behind the wheel after too many. Hoosiers were lucky because the harm you could have caused did not happen. You could have caused the wrongful death of my mother. You could have caused a drunk driving accident that caused a spinal cord injury to my son and paralyzed him and his life. Your drunk driving accident could have brain injured a bright and energetic Hoosier who would then no longer be able to live their life as they wanted to. You could have caused broken bones to an innocent child. And for what?

Mr. Kittle, did you stop to think that any of the people you could have hurt would probably have to had to go on disability and be taken care of by the Medicare system. So, all of society would have had to pay to support the Hoosier you could have wrecked in an instant of bad judgment. I have heard you speak. I know you are a social and fiscal conservative. Your drinking and driving is consistent with neither fiscal conservatism nor social conservatism. Your actions are hypocritical. These are harsh words, I know, but they pale in comparison with the harsh realities of the devastation you could have inflicted with your careless actions. Now is the time to do the right thing. Do not hide in shame. Stand up, speak to the people. Tell the people what you have done, why it is wrong and what you are doing to make sure it never happens again. Maybe an act of selflessness such as this will help another Hoosier avoid the mistakes you have made. Now is your time to be a man. HOOSIERS: DO NOT DRINK AND DRIVE!

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