Drivers typically always learn about the dangers of intoxication and their driver’s education courses. They will also receive frequent reminders about the perils of drunk driving due to public awareness campaigns and even plot lines on popular television shows.
Despite how well-known the hazards of drunk driving have become, there are still many people who get behind the wheel when they have had too much to drink. These drivers may sometimes cause crashes. Drunk drivers are a leading cause of many kinds of collisions, including pedestrian crashes.
Occasionally, the drivers who get behind the wheel after drinking will not have enough insurance to compensate the people affected by the collisions they cause. In one specific scenario outlined in Florida law, you may be able to hold a business responsible for a drunk driving crash.
What Florida’s dram shop law says
A dram shop law is a state statute that places liability for drunk driving collisions on the businesses that serve alcohol. In a situation where a driver doesn’t have enough insurance or personal property to compensate the people they hurt, a dram shop claim can connect the victims of that crash with more compensation from an insurance policy carried by a business or the company’s financial resources.
Although there are more grounds for dram shop claims in other states, Florida limits such claims to one specific scenario. If the staff members at a bar or restaurant serve someone who is under the age of 21, the business may be liable if that underage drinker leaves and then causes a crash.
Provided that your collision was caused by a minor under the influence of alcohol and that they purchased the alcohol at a licensed business, you could have the basis for a dram shop claim.
Drunk driving crashes can be quite expensive
The faster someone drives prior to a crash, the greater the potential for catastrophic injuries and property damage. Disinhibited drunk drivers can cause some of the worst collisions. Even when those drivers have decent insurance coverage, the people affected may have far more expenses than what insurance will cover.
Learning more about your secondary options for compensation, like dram shop claims, can help you recover your losses caused by a drunk driving collision.