Attorney review: Jami S. Oliver, Founder. Admitted in Ohio, 1993.* About Jami
Oliver Law Office is a woman-led personal injury firm with locations in Dublin and Columbus, Ohio.*
Attorney Jami S. Oliver and her team have the skills, knowledge and determination needed to hold drunk drivers liable for the full amount of the damage they have caused.*
Why are drunk driving crashes so serious?
Drunk driving crashes are frustratingly common and tend to be among the most serious, often causing catastrophic injury or wrongful death to people in the other vehicle or to pedestrians.*
Car accidents are nearly always preventable. They happen because someone failed to drive with the proper attention and care, and nowhere is that truer than with drunk driving.*
Every driver knows that drinking and driving is dangerous, criminal and morally reprehensible. Yet every day, people choose to drive after having too much to drink.*
How many people die in drunk driving crashes in Ohio?
According to the Foundation for Advancing Alcohol Responsibility, Ohio saw 351 deaths in 2019 because of drunk driving.
Over 30% of all traffic fatalities in the state were caused by drinking and driving.
These facts are in line with data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (the CDC) that show 3,637 Ohioans lost their lives in crashes involving a drunk driver over a ten-year period from 2003-2012.
Perhaps most alarming, while fatal drunk driving crashes have dropped nationwide by 5.7% over the last ten years, they actually increased by 3.4% in Ohio during that same period.
Why is drunk driving so dangerous?
Alcohol harms every critical function a driver needs to drive safely.*
- It dulls the senses, including vision and hearing, and causes blurred vision, double vision and vertigo. It also dulls reflexes and impairs judgment, so drunk drivers are more likely to underreact or overreact to changes in traffic.*
- Drunk drivers drive too slow or too fast, drift out of their lanes into other lanes or oncoming traffic, and drive on the wrong side of the road, even on the highway.*
- They are less likely to brake before a collision, which increases the force and the disastrous effects of a crash. Alcohol also raises the chance that a driver falls asleep at the wheel.*
The more alcohol a person drinks, the more it impairs their ability to drive.*
This fact is borne out by the statistic showing that 69.7% of drunk drivers involved in fatal accidents in Ohio in 2019 had a blood alcohol content (BAC) of .15% or more, which is nearly twice the legal limit of .08% BAC.
Can a drunk driver be made to pay punitive damages in Ohio?
Yes. Ohio law allows juries to award punitive or exemplary damages when the defendant acted with malice, such as by willfully or intentionally taking actions highly likely to cause injury.*
Punitive damages are meant to punish the defendant, or to set an example to others of conduct that society will not tolerate. They can be as high as double the compensatory damages awarded in a personal injury or wrongful death case.*
Punitive damages have to be proven in a separate phase of a trial, by “clear and convincing evidence.” That is a higher standard than the “preponderance of the evidence” needed to prove liability for compensatory damages.*
Oliver Law Office is always willing to take this extra step, and put in the additional effort to pursue justice and compensation for injury victims and their families.*
Can a bar be held liable for a drunk driving crash in Ohio?
Yes. Under Ohio’s “dram shop liability,” a bar, nightclub or other business that sells alcohol can be held liable if it overserved the drunk driver.*
To hold the business liable, the plaintiff (the injured party) must prove by a preponderance of the evidence that:*
- The establishment knowingly sold an intoxicating beverage to a noticeably intoxicated person or a minor
- The individual’s intoxication was the “proximate cause” of the personal injury or wrongful death that followed in the drunk driving crash
Proximate cause is a complicated legal doctrine. It means it was foreseeable that overserving the drunk patron, or serving a minor, could lead to a crash, and that no other factor intervened to cause the accident.*
In appropriate cases, Oliver Law Office seeks justice and compensation from every responsible party in a drunk driving crash. That could include the driver, their employer, and the business that sold or overserved alcohol to a noticeably intoxicated person or a minor.*
What results has Oliver Law Office obtained in vehicle cases?
These results come from crashes on the road.*
$2.5M
Judgment for automobile striking a bicyclist resulting in death
$5M
Settlement arising out of a death of a pedestrian by a distracted driver
Past results do not guarantee a similar outcome. Every case is different.*
“My experience with the Oliver Law Office, from start to finish, was excellent.”
How can a Columbus drunk driving accident lawyer help you?
Our Columbus auto accident lawyer can help you get justice and compensation while you concentrate on healing and getting your life back in order.*
Spend your time after a crash focusing on yourself and your family, and let Oliver Law Office focus on getting you the justice and compensation you are owed under the law.*
Call our experienced Columbus drunk driving accident lawyer today for a free consultation, to talk about how we can help.*
What else do people ask about drunk driving accidents?
What is the legal blood alcohol limit in Ohio?
The legal limit is .08% blood alcohol content (BAC).*
What are compensatory damages?
Compensatory damages are meant to compensate the injured person for losses and harm, such as medical expenses, lost income, pain and suffering, loss of quality of life, or loss of companionship with a family member.*
