Our client was stopped at a red light at an intersection when they were smashed into from behind by a drunk driver. The police report estimates the drunk driver’s speed at 80 mph. This was maybe the worst property damage we have ever seen in a rear-end crash.
The drunk driver was arrested and charged with Driving Under the Influence. Their blood alcohol concentration was tested and found to be 0.23 mg/DL, or almost three times the legal limit. It is worth pausing here to discuss the science. The drunk driver’s blood alcohol was drawn and tested at 1:14 AM, at least two hours after the crash. The body eliminates ethanol from the bloodstream at a rate of 10 – 35 mg/dl per hour, depending on how experienced a drinker you are.1 A moderate drinker’s kidneys will eliminate alcohol at approximately 15 mg/DL per hour and a binge-drinker or alcoholic will be closer to the upper end of that range.
Our client was rushed to INOVA Fairfax Hospital by ambulance. Our client reported to the ER physicians that they did not remember the accident and had to be extricated by the EMTs. Xrays revealed that our client had broken the 8th, 9th, and 10th ribs on the right side of their ribcage. They also had a pneumothorax (collapsed lung). Our client reported that they were unable to move at the ER without significant pain. A laceration to our client’s skull required 13 staples to close.
Our client continued to experience dizziness following the accident and had to continue seeing a physician until the dizziness began to subside.
The case settled for:
$82,500