Drunk Driver Hit Me. Do I Need a Lawyer?

Attorney Explains Difference Between Criminal and Civil Trials

Video Transcript:

If you're injured by a drunk driver, does the DA work to get you damages? We ask California attorney Richard Richardson in this AskTheLawyers™ Quick Question.

Richard Richardson:

The prosecutors actually represent the state and the jurisdiction where they work at; so they want to hold the person accountable for breaking the law. In doing that, one of the ancillary objectives is to make sure that the victim has their medical treatment and hospital bills paid for, but oftentimes the defendant that hits the person doesn't have the financial ability to completely pay for the lost wages, time off work that may last over a year, permanent injuries. That's when the civil litigation attorney comes in; you may have an underinsured motorist policy that you didn't know about and that the prosecutor definitely won't know about. You may also have a homeowner's policy that covers it; there may be assets that the defendant has that we never disclose. All these things are things that you could rely upon to make a victim whole, and a good civil litigation attorney can find some of those things. Otherwise they will be looked over.

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