Five Occupants Of SUV Injured After Drunk Driver Collides Head-On With Their Vehicle

According to South Carolina law, charges of driving under the influence (DUI) apply when a person operates a motor vehicle while impaired by alcohol or drugs.  The same charges apply whether the substance that is causing the impairment is alcohol, an illegal drug, a prescription medication which contains warnings that patients should not drive after taking it, or a substance that has not yet been categorized legally as a controlled substance but which impairs a person’s ability to drive.  The latter category includes so-called research chemicals as well as substances labeled as household products (such as “bath salts” or “cleaning chemicals”) but actually intended for recreational use.  Regarding alcohol, a person is considered too drunk to drive if his or her blood alcohol content (BAC) is at least 0.08 percent at the time of the traffic stop or collision, but any quantity or concentration of controlled substances is sufficient for charges of DUI to apply.  If you were injured in an accident where the at fault driver was under the influence of drugs, contact a Columbia car accident lawyer.

Christmas Eve Collision Leaves Five People With Severe Injuries

On Christmas Eve, Jenni Dodge Smith was driving in the southbound lanes of Fourth Avenue in Conway.  According to news reports, Conway was under the influence of drugs at the time, but the reports did not indicate which substances they were.  She crossed into the northbound lanes and collided head-on with a Ford Expedition SUV that was driving north.  All five occupants of the SUV suffered injuries serious enough to require hospitalization.  Smith, 28, is facing felony charges for DUI resulting in bodily injury.

Your Rights After an Accident Involving Multiple Injured People

All drivers in South Carolina must carry liability insurance, which pays for the medical expenses and vehicle damage that the insured driver causes.  Each liability insurance policy covers a maximum payout amount per person and a maximum payout amount per accident.  If you are one of five people injured in the same accident, then unless the at fault driver carries much more insurance coverage than the minimum amount that the law requires, it is unlikely that the driver’s insurance will be enough to cover all your medical bills.  In this case, you should file a claim with your own underinsured motorist insurance, if you have such an insurance policy.  Whether or not you have underinsured motorist coverage, a personal injury lawyer may be able to help you get enough insurance settlement money to pay all your accident-related medical expenses.  Car accident lawyers only encourage injured people to file lawsuits when they are sure that they will not be able to get enough compensation for the injured person through insurance settlements.

Let Us Help You Today

The personal injury lawyers at the Stanley Law Group can help you if you suffered serious injuries in a drug-related car accident where multiple people got injured.  Contact The Stanley Law Group in Columbia, South Carolina or call (803)799-4700 for a free initial consultation.

Sources:

wmbfnews.com/2022/12/29/conway-woman-faces-felony-dui-after-christmas-eve-head-on-collision-injures-5/

wbtw.com/news/grand-strand/conway/conway-woman-charged-with-dui-in-christmas-eve-crash-that-injured-5/