DUI Accidents In California: What Are Your Rights As A DUI Victim?

Although hundreds of car accidents occur in Los Angeles and all across California every day, we never seem to be prepared for car crashes when they happen to us.

DUI accidents, aka drunk driving, are one of the most devastating accidents, as they usually involve at least one car traveling at an unreasonably high speed, running red lights, reckless driving, swerving, and many other maneuvers of impaired drivers that can cause catastrophic injuries or even fatalities to other drivers and pedestrians.

Fact: roughly 10,000 Americans die every year as a result of DUI accidents. In hundreds of thousands of other drunk driving accidents, even when there are no fatalities involved, victims are left severely injured or disabled for the rest of their lives.

Here at the JML Law, our best car accident attorneys in Los Angeles receive at least dozens of phone calls from victims of DUI accidents every week, asking all kinds of questions. More often than not, it seems that DUI victims have no idea what their rights are.

That is why we invited our Los Angeles car accident attorney to outline what your basic legal rights as a DUI victim are. Hint: it extends far beyond the right to seek compensation for your injuries, damages, and losses.

What are your rights as a DUI victim?

In Los Angeles and all across California, victims of DUI accidents have a wide range of rights that must be respected by their own insurance company, primary treating physician, the at-fault driver, his/her insurer, lawyers, and other parties involved in the legal process.

1. One of the most basic rights of a DUI victim is to be treated fairly. As a victim of a car accident, you have a right to be treated with respect to your privacy
2. Also, you have a right to be free from harassment, abuse or intimidation
3. Being reasonably protected against the at-fault driver is also one of your legal rights, and that includes your right to seek legal representation from the best DUI accident attorney in Los Angeles or elsewhere in California
4. As a DUI victim, you also have the right to have your safety and the safety of your family members prioritized when it comes to determining the amount of bail and release conditions for the impaired driver that left you injured or disabled
5. You also have the legal right to ensure that your confidential information or records are not disclosed to the at-fault party and/or his or her lawyer
6. Upon request for interview or deposition, you have a legal right to refuse to give recorded statements prior to consulting with your car accident attorney;
7. You also have a right to be given reasonable notice of all legal proceedings related to your case
8. DUI victims have a right to be heard at any proceeding upon request, including but not limited to pleas, sentencing, release decisions, and other proceedings
9. You have a legal right to a speedy and fair trial and a prompt settlement or verdict
10. Victims of DUI accidents who suffered injuries and damages also have the right to seek and obtain restitution from the at-fault party if he/she was convicted of a crime regardless of the sentence or disposition
11. Victims of car accidents have the right to seek and obtain financial compensation.

You may be entitled to seek compensation even if the at-fault party was not insured at the time of the accident. If that is the case, consult with our Los Angeles car accident attorney at the JML Law. Call our offices at 818-610-8800 or send us an email to get a free consultation.