DUI Accidents

Increased penalties and police focus has helped to reduce the number of drunk driving cases each year, but alcohol related accidents are still a frightening reality in Maryland. In 2018 the Maryland Highway Safety Office reported that impaired driving is the cause of 1 out of every 10 auto accidents. Impaired driving includes driving under the influence of alcohol (DUI) and also includes driving while impaired (DWI) by drugs such as prescription medication, illegal narcotics or to a lesser extent marijuana. Despite only accounting for 10 percent of all car, truck or motorcycle accidents, impaired driving accounts for a staggering 33 percent of all fatal accidents. If you or a loved one has been injured by a drunk driver you deserve to be compensated for every single penny of damages that the negligent driver has caused. The roads are dangerous enough with all the distracted drivers on their cell phones that there is simply no excuse for getting behind the wheel while under the influence of alcohol or drugs.

Impaired driving accidents are so dangerous because they often happen at high speeds and are extremely unpredictable. Drunk drivers have a limited ability to stay in their lane and can unexpectedly swerve into oncoming traffic, fail to stop at red lights or stop signs and even drive on the wrong side of the road. These accidents almost always cause serious injury when more than one car is involved, and the victims routinely have done absolutely nothing wrong. Benjamin Herbst is a Maryland personal injury attorney that specializes in drunk driving accidents, and knows the ins and outs of the state laws regarding DUI and DWI. He is ready and willing to fight tooth and nail against the insurance companies to make sure his clients receive the compensation they deserve. Benjamin will fight to recover medical bills, loss of wages, pain and suffering and even punitive damages if the facts of the drunk driving case warrant it. He is available 24 hours a day and will travel to meet with you or your family at any convenient location.

Contrary to popular belief not all drunk driving accidents occur at night, which means that everyone who gets in a car is at risk from being injured by a drunk driver. Only 56% of all DUI or DWI related accidents occur between the hours of 8 p.m. and 4 a.m. We have seen impaired drivers cause accidents at 8 or 9 in the morning when the streets are filled with kids going to school or camp, or workings driving in for the morning commute. The bottom line is that if you get in a car you could encounter a dangerously impaired person out on the road. Most of the impaired drivers that cause accidents are male, and about half are ages 21-34, but any driver could be impaired at any time. Our advice is to avoid anyone that seems to be driving erratically and never follow an impaired driver. Try to remember as much identifying information as you can and then call 911 to report the vehicle.

A recent study in Maryland concluded that almost all drivers (80+ percent) were aware of the penalties of drunk driving or impaired driving, but only 1 in 4 actually thought it was likely they would get pulled over if they drove while under the influence. These are scary statistics, and with all the distracted and impaired drivers out on Maryland roads sometimes it’s simply not enough to click in your seatbelt and trust that your car can protect you. More than 25 percent of people killed in drunk driving accidents were wearing their seatbelt, so this alone is simply not enough. Even in accident cases involving a drunk driver the insurance companies will try to avoid paying what they should by saying that you or someone in your car was partially at fault for the accident. Benjamin Herbst is the type of Maryland accident attorney that will not stand for this type of behavior from the rich insurance companies. He will not hesitate to file a lawsuit against these companies such as State Farm, Geico, Liberty and Progressive, and he will not be satisfied unless his clients receive maximum compensation. Benjamin can be reached anytime at (410) 207-2598 and never charges a fee for a consultation.