In one devastating moment, your world was shattered. One second, you were driving home on I-20, heading back from a friend’s house in Fort Worth, or just running an errand in your Arlington neighborhood. The next, you were engulfed in the horrifying chaos of screeching tires, shattering glass, and crushing metal.
Now, you are left to pick up the pieces. You are likely struggling with physical pain, emotional trauma, and a mountain of unexpected bills. You may be unable to work, care for your family, or even get through the day without reliving the terror of the crash.
What makes this reality even more unbearable is knowing it never should have happened. The collision that turned your life upside down was not an “accident.” It was the direct result of a selfish and reckless choice—the choice of another driver to get behind the wheel while intoxicated.
You are not just a victim of a car crash; you are the survivor of a violent, preventable crime. And while you may feel isolated in your struggle, you are not alone. An experienced Arlington, TX car accident attorney can help you seek justice, hold the negligent driver accountable, and pursue the compensation you need to move forward.
National and DFW drunk driving statistics are a stark reminder of a crisis that unfolds on our roads every single day.
A National Crisis with a Heavy Toll on Texas
To understand the scope of the problem in our own Tarrant County communities, we must first look at the national picture. The latest statistics from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) are staggering and paint a grim reality of the danger posed by impaired drivers across the country.
- A Daily Tragedy: Every day in the United States, about 34 people die in drunk-driving crashes. That’s one person killed every 42 minutes.
- A Staggering Death Toll: Last year alone, 12,429 people were killed in traffic accidents involving a driver with a Blood Alcohol Concentration (BAC) of .08 g/dL or higher.
- A Persistent Threat: Drunk drivers are a factor in approximately 30% of all traffic crash fatalities in the nation.
These numbers are more than just data points on a chart. They represent grandparents, parents, siblings, and children whose lives were cut short. They represent families, like yours, that have been forever altered by one person’s flagrant disregard for human life. When you were hit by a drunk driver, you became part of a statistic you never wanted to join.
A Closer Look: Drunk Driving on Dallas-Fort Worth Roads
The statewide and local data from the Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT) brings this national crisis into sharp focus right here at home. The DFW metroplex, with its sprawling network of major highways like I-30, US-287, and SH-360, is a hotspot for these preventable tragedies. The sheer volume of traffic, combined with a culture that sometimes overlooks the dangers of drinking and driving, creates a perfect storm for devastation.
The Alarming Reality in Our Community
In Texas, the choice to drive impaired is a leading cause of traffic fatalities. According to TxDOT data from the past decade, more than 37% of all traffic deaths in our state involved a driver who was under the influence of alcohol or drugs. That’s over 14,000 lives lost in a decade—thousands of stories like yours, echoing across every county in Texas.
Disturbingly, after a slight downward trend, these fatalities began to increase again in 2020. Even as the pandemic reduced overall traffic, the rate of deadly drunk driving crashes went up, showing just how deeply ingrained this dangerous behavior is. For victims like you, this trend is not just a news headline; it is the lived reality of a problem that is getting worse, not better.
The Most Dangerous Times to Be on Tarrant County Roads
Have you ever found yourself wondering why this happened to you, at that specific time and place? The data reveals terrifying patterns. The most dangerous time to be on the road in Texas is between 2 a.m. and 3 a.m. on Saturday and Sunday morning. This is the hour when bars have closed and impaired individuals make the fateful decision to drive home, turning our local roads and highways into danger zones.
Whether the crash that injured you occurred during this peak window or in the middle of a weekday afternoon, the cause is the same: a driver made a conscious choice to endanger everyone around them.
Who is Causing and Suffering from This Epidemic?
The data also provides insight into the demographics most commonly associated with these incidents. In Texas, fatal DUI crashes are most prevalent among males between the ages of 19 and 35. Nationally, the 21-to-24-year-old age group has the highest percentage of drunk drivers involved in fatal crashes, and men are four times more likely to be a drunk driver in a fatal crash than women.
Tragically, the most vulnerable among us often pay the highest price. Last year, a quarter of all children (age 14 and younger) killed in motor vehicle crashes died in drunk-driving wrecks. In more than half of those cases, the child was a passenger in the drunk driver’s own vehicle. This is a heartbreaking illustration of how the recklessness of one individual ripples outward, causing unimaginable pain to the innocent.
The Aftermath: The True Cost of a Drunk Driving Crash
The statistics only tell part of the story. They cannot fully capture the depth of the pain, the chaos, and the financial ruin that follows a drunk driving collision. Your life is now divided into “before” and “after.” The journey ahead is not just about physical healing; it’s about navigating a complex and overwhelming new reality.
The Physical and Emotional Toll
The physical injuries from these high-impact crashes are often severe and life-altering. You may be facing:
- Traumatic Brain Injuries (TBI): Even a seemingly minor concussion can have long-term cognitive and emotional effects.
- Spinal Cord Injuries: These can lead to partial or full paralysis, requiring a lifetime of care.
- Broken Bones and Fractures: Requiring surgeries, plates, and screws, followed by months of painful rehabilitation.
- Internal Organ Damage: Life-threatening injuries that may not be immediately apparent at the scene.
- Severe Burns and Disfigurement: Causing immense physical and psychological pain.
Beyond the physical wounds, the emotional trauma can be just as debilitating. It is completely normal to experience anxiety, depression, insomnia, and Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). The sound of screeching tires or the sight of headlights in your rearview mirror can trigger intense panic. Your sense of safety and security has been stolen, and the path to reclaiming it can be long and arduous.
The Overwhelming Financial Burden
While you are trying to heal, the bills keep coming. The financial strain can feel suffocating and includes:
- Soaring Medical Expenses: Ambulance rides, emergency room visits, hospital stays, surgeries, physical therapy, and prescription medications.
- Lost Income: You may be unable to work for weeks, months, or even permanently, destroying your financial stability.
- Future Care Costs: Many serious injuries require ongoing medical treatment, assistive devices, or in-home care for the rest of your life.
- Vehicle and Property Damage: Your car may be totaled, leaving you without transportation.
Nationally, impaired-driving crashes cost the United States an estimated $68.9 billion every year. But for you, this isn’t an abstract number. It’s the stack of bills on your kitchen table, the threatening calls from collection agencies, and the constant worry about how you will provide for your family.
Understanding Your Rights as a Victim in Texas
In the face of such overwhelming challenges, it is crucial to understand that you have rights. The Texas legal system provides a path for you to hold the drunk driver accountable and secure the financial resources you need to rebuild your life.
The Criminal Case vs. Your Civil Claim
First, it’s important to know that there are two separate legal cases that happen after a drunk driving crash.
- The Criminal Case: This is brought by the State of Texas against the drunk driver. The prosecutor will charge the driver with a crime, such as Driving While Intoxicated (DWI). If convicted, the driver faces penalties like fines, jail time, and license suspension. While this provides a measure of public justice, it does nothing to compensate you for your losses.
- The Civil Claim: This is the action that you, the victim, pursue against the negligent driver and their insurance company. The goal of a civil claim is not to punish the driver with jail time, but to recover financial compensation—or “damages”—for the harm you have suffered.
Proving Fault and Seeking Full Compensation
In Texas, to win a personal injury claim, you must prove the other driver was negligent. In a drunk driving case, this is often straightforward. Driving with a BAC of .08% or higher is illegal. When a person breaks a safety law and causes the exact type of harm that law was designed to prevent, it is considered negligence per se. This legal doctrine creates a powerful presumption that the drunk driver is at fault for the crash.
Through a civil claim, you can seek compensation for all of your losses, including:
- Economic Damages: These are your tangible, financial losses, such as all past and future medical bills, lost wages, and diminished earning capacity.
- Non-Economic Damages: These compensate you for the intangible, human losses, such as physical pain and suffering, emotional distress, mental anguish, disfigurement, and loss of enjoyment of life.
- Exemplary (Punitive) Damages: In cases of extreme recklessness, such as drunk driving, Texas law allows victims to seek punitive damages. These are not meant to compensate you for a loss but to punish the wrongdoer for their gross negligence and to deter similar conduct in the future.
Do Not Face the Insurance Companies Alone
You might assume that because the other driver was clearly at fault, their insurance company will do the right thing. This is a dangerous assumption. Insurance companies are for-profit businesses, and their primary goal is to protect their bottom line by paying out as little as possible.
They may try to delay your claim, offer you a quick, lowball settlement that doesn’t cover your future needs, or even try to twist your words to argue that you were partially at fault. You are in a vulnerable position, trying to recover from a traumatic event. The last thing you need is to fight a battle against a powerful corporation with a team of adjusters and lawyers working against you. Your focus should be on one thing: your recovery.
Finding Strength and Justice: How Branch & Dhillon Can Help
You have been through an unimaginable ordeal. You have been hurt, you are suffering, and you are facing an uncertain future because of another person’s criminal decision. You have endured enough. Now is the time to fight back.
At Branch & Dhillon, we provide Aggressive Representation You Can Rely On. We understand the devastation you are experiencing, and we are here to lift that burden from your shoulders.
Our dedicated legal team will immediately take control of your case. We will conduct a thorough investigation, preserve crucial evidence (like police reports and toxicology results), handle all communications with the insurance companies, and meticulously calculate the full value of your claim. We prepare every case as if it is going to trial, sending a clear message to the insurance companies that we will not accept anything less than the maximum compensation you deserve.
While we are aggressive in the courtroom and at the negotiating table, we are compassionate and accessible to you. We believe in direct communication, ensuring you are informed and empowered every step of the way. Let us handle the legal fight so you can focus on healing.
If you or a loved one has been injured by a drunk driver in Arlington, Tarrant County, or anywhere in the DFW metroplex, do not wait to seek the powerful legal representation you need. An experienced Arlington, TX personal injury lawyer from our team can guide you through the process and fight for the justice and compensation you deserve. The time to file a claim is limited under Texas law.
Contact Branch & Dhillon today at (817) 533-3430 or through our online form for a 100% free, no-obligation consultation. We will listen to your story, answer your questions, and explain your legal options. And remember our promise: You pay nothing unless we win your case. We are ready to fight for the justice and the future you deserve.