Hopefully, you had a positively memorable Labor Day Weekend. But unfortunately, after holiday weekends such as these, our firm sees many clients who have been made victims of drunk driving accidents. While we wish such a negative event had not happened to you, we will drop everything and be here for you if it has. With that being said, read on to discover why drunk driving is more common on Labor Day Weekend and how a seasoned Tampa drunk driving accident lawyer at Merricks Law Group, P.A. can help you recover adequately from yours.
Why are drunk driving accidents more common on Labor Day Weekend?
Holiday weekends such as Labor Day are typically commemorated with gatherings and celebrations that lead to or encourage social binge drinking. Inevitably, drunk driving accidents result when participants of such social binge drinking make the negligent decision to get behind the wheel rather than get a ride from a third party.
While it is always important to have an abundance of caution when driving, you must be particularly careful on Labor Day Weekend and other major holidays. Of note, drunk driving accidents tend to occur between the hours of 6 p.m. and 6 a.m. So it may be best to avoid nighttime driving whenever possible. Also, try to avoid areas that typically get congested with traffic. The holiday weekend may just create a greater influx of traffic in these areas and subsequently increase your chance of a car crash, with or without the involvement of a drunk driver.
Who may I hold liable for my drunk driving accident?
Evidently, you may hold a negligent drunk driver accountable for your accident with a personal injury claim. But there may also be another party you can file your claim against, thanks to Florida’s dram shop and social host liability laws.
For one, dram shop law states that you may hold the owner of a restaurant, bar, or another establishment that serves alcohol liable if they served a patron that was under the legal drinking age of 21 and that patron caused your auto accident to come about. Of note, the same may apply if the establishment knew or should have reasonably known that the patron in question had a history of alcoholism.
Secondly, in a similar way, social liability law states that you may hold the owner of a private property liable if they hosted a social event that served alcohol to a guest that was under the legal drinking age of 21 and that guest provoked your auto accident soon after.
At the end of the day, if you have any lingering doubts about the legitimacy of your legal case, a competent Tampa auto accident lawyer can help relieve them. So whenever you are ready to start, please reach out to Merricks Law Group, P.A.
