Being hit by an impaired driver can leave you angry as well as injured. The crash was preventable, yet you may be the one facing surgery, missed work, a damaged vehicle, and an insurance company already looking for ways to limit what it pays.
Our Southfield drunk driving accident lawyers represent people injured by intoxicated drivers. We investigate the crash, preserve evidence of impairment, pursue the driver's insurance, and examine whether another party may share responsibility. Kajy Law Firm handles motor vehicle accidents exclusively. Call 248-702-6641 for a free consultation, 24/7.
Table of contents
- What Should You Do After Being Hit by a Drunk Driver in Southfield?
- A DUI Arrest Does Not Automatically Decide the Injury Claim
- Michigan No-Fault Benefits and the Claim Against the Drunk Driver
- Michigan Dram Shop Claims Can Add Another Responsible Party
- The Dram Shop Notice Deadline Is Short
- Who May Be Liable for a Southfield Drunk Driving Crash?
- How a Southfield Drunk Driving Accident Lawyer Protects the Value of Your Claim
- Southfield Roads and Evidence After an Impaired-Driving Crash
- Common Injuries in Drunk Driving Crashes
- What Compensation May Be Available?
- When a Drunk Driving Crash Is Fatal
- Results and Experience With Michigan Motor Vehicle Claims
- Why Choose Kajy Law Firm After a Drunk Driving Crash?
- Frequently Asked Questions About Southfield Drunk Driving Accident Claims
- Talk With a Southfield Drunk Driving Accident Lawyer Today
What Should You Do After Being Hit by a Drunk Driver in Southfield?
Your medical care comes first. After that, the strength of the claim can depend on evidence that may disappear quickly, including video, witness accounts, alcohol-service records, electronic vehicle data, and information collected by police.
A drunk driving arrest can be important evidence, but you do not have to wait for the criminal case to end before protecting your civil claim. We can begin investigating the collision, identifying insurance, and preserving evidence while prosecutors handle any criminal charges separately.
If you were hit by a drunk driver in Southfield, the police investigation may contain evidence that matters to your civil claim. Our lawyers can obtain the crash report, seek available body-camera or dash-camera footage, and examine the evidence that bears on fault and impairment as part of seeking justice after a drunk driving accident.
A DUI Arrest Does Not Automatically Decide the Injury Claim
A criminal drunk-driving case and your civil injury case are separate. The state prosecutes the driver for violating criminal law. Your civil claim seeks compensation for the injuries and losses caused by the crash.
| Proceeding | Who brings it | Main purpose |
| Criminal DUI case | State or local prosecutor | Determine criminal guilt and penalties for the impaired driver |
| Civil injury claim | The injured person | Recover compensation for injuries and losses caused by the crash |
| Dram shop claim | The injured person | Pursue a licensed alcohol seller when Michigan's statutory requirements are met |
Evidence from the criminal investigation may help, but we still build the civil case independently. That can include:
- Police reports and officer observations
- Breath, blood, or other chemical-test evidence when available
- Body-camera and dash-camera footage
- Witness statements
- Bar, restaurant, or store receipts
- Surveillance video
- Cellphone and electronic vehicle data
- Crash-scene and vehicle evidence
A Southfield DUI accident lawyer can use this evidence to show not only that the driver had been drinking, but how the driver's conduct caused the collision and your injuries.
Michigan No-Fault Benefits and the Claim Against the Drunk Driver
Michigan no-fault insurance may pay certain benefits without requiring you to prove the other driver was intoxicated. Depending on the coverage and facts, PIP benefits can address accident-related medical expenses, wage loss, replacement services, and other covered losses.
The liability claim against the drunk driver is different. It may pursue noneconomic damages such as pain and suffering after a car accident when Michigan's requirements are met, as well as economic losses that are not paid through no-fault coverage.
Our Southfield car accident representation includes both sides of that process. We identify the correct PIP insurer, document your injuries and wage loss, and build the third-party case against the impaired driver while helping you understand PIP insurance in Michigan.
Michigan Dram Shop Claims Can Add Another Responsible Party
A Michigan dram shop claim may allow an injured person to pursue a licensed bar, restaurant, or alcohol retailer that unlawfully sold alcohol to a visibly intoxicated person who later caused the crash.
The key phrase is visibly intoxicated. A high blood alcohol level later in the night does not automatically prove that a server or retailer should have recognized intoxication when alcohol was sold.
We look for evidence from the time alcohol was served, including surveillance footage, receipts, tabs, timestamps, witness statements, employee testimony, and observations about the driver's speech, balance, behavior, or appearance.
The Dram Shop Notice Deadline Is Short
Michigan's dram shop statute, MCL 436.1801, generally requires written notice to the alcohol seller within 120 days after you enter an attorney-client relationship for the purpose of pursuing the claim. It also imposes a separate two-year filing period for the dram shop action.
That means a potentially valuable claim against an alcohol seller can be lost even while the ordinary auto claim is still being investigated.
Our lawyers identify possible alcohol-service claims early, determine which businesses may have served the driver, and take the steps necessary to preserve records and meet the dram shop requirements when the evidence supports such a claim.
Who May Be Liable for a Southfield Drunk Driving Crash?
The drunk driver is usually the starting point, but the facts may point to additional insurance or another legally responsible party. We examine each possible source rather than assuming the driver's policy is the only one available.
| Potential source | When it may apply |
| Drunk driver's liability coverage | The impaired driver caused the crash and has applicable auto liability insurance |
| Uninsured or underinsured motorist coverage | The driver's coverage is missing or too low and an applicable policy provides this protection |
| Employer or company coverage | The driver was working and Michigan law supports liability beyond the individual driver |
| Vehicle owner | A separate legal basis makes the owner responsible for allowing or entrusting use of the vehicle |
| Licensed alcohol seller | Evidence supports a Michigan dram shop claim based on unlawful service to a visibly intoxicated person |
We do not add parties simply because they have insurance. We follow the evidence and Michigan law to determine who actually bears responsibility.
How a Southfield Drunk Driving Accident Lawyer Protects the Value of Your Claim
Insurers do not automatically pay full compensation because a driver was drunk. They may still dispute causation, the seriousness of your injuries, the amount of your wage loss, or whether treatment was related to the crash.
They may also argue that you contributed to the collision.
We compare those allegations with the physical evidence. Video, vehicle damage, electronic data, roadway measurements, medical records, and witness testimony can show whether the insurer's position fits what actually happened.
Our lawyers also document the losses that are easy to understate on paper, including reduced earning ability, future treatment, lasting physical limitations, and the ways a serious injury has changed your daily life.
Southfield Roads and Evidence After an Impaired-Driving Crash
Impaired-driving crashes can happen anywhere, but the location can determine what evidence is available. A collision near Telegraph Road, Northwestern Highway, Greenfield Road, or Evergreen Road may leave nearby surveillance footage or witnesses from businesses and intersections.
A freeway crash on I-696, M-10, or M-39/Southfield Freeway may involve Michigan State Police, while crashes on Southfield streets may be investigated by Southfield Police.
Those distinctions are useful because the responding agency may hold reports, video, photographs, witness information, and other evidence. We obtain the records that can help reconstruct the collision instead of mentioning a local agency merely for geographic flavor.
Serious injuries may also generate emergency and follow-up records from Henry Ford Providence Southfield Hospital or other Metro Detroit providers. Those records can connect the injuries and treatment to the crash from the earliest hours afterward.
Common Injuries in Drunk Driving Crashes
Impaired drivers may speed, cross the center line, run signals, fail to brake, or strike another vehicle at an angle that gives the occupant little time to react. The resulting injuries can include:
- Traumatic brain injuries
- Spinal cord and back injuries
- Broken bones
- Internal organ injuries
- Knee, shoulder, and joint injuries
- Facial injuries and scarring
- Serious soft-tissue injuries
- Permanent disability
We use medical records, imaging, specialist opinions, work restrictions, and evidence of your day-to-day limitations to show how the injuries have affected your life. When future care or earning capacity is disputed, appropriate medical or financial professionals may help explain those losses.
What Compensation May Be Available?
Compensation depends on the injuries, insurance coverage, fault, and the parties legally responsible. A claim may include:
- Medical expenses and other covered no-fault benefits
- Past and future wage loss when recoverable
- Pain and suffering
- Disability and loss of normal life
- Scarring or disfigurement
- Other economic losses caused by the crash
A dram shop claim may create an additional source of recovery when a licensed alcohol seller violated Michigan law and that violation contributed to the crash.
We examine all applicable insurance before evaluating settlement options. A serious case should not be valued only by the drunk driver's first policy limit if other lawful sources of recovery exist.
When a Drunk Driving Crash Is Fatal
The legal process changes when a drunk driving crash is fatal: the case becomes a wrongful death matter governed by Michigan's Wrongful Death Act, with calculating wrongful death settlements becoming an important part of evaluating the family's potential recovery.
The personal representative of the deceased person's estate brings the civil case. Damages may include funeral and burial expenses, loss of financial support, loss of society and companionship, and other losses allowed by Michigan law.
Our Southfield wrongful death attorneys also examine whether a dram shop claim, commercial policy, uninsured or underinsured coverage, or another source of compensation may apply.
Results and Experience With Michigan Motor Vehicle Claims
Kajy Law Firm has handled more than 5,000 cases and recovered more than $100 million for clients. Car, truck, and motorcycle accident cases are all we do.
Our published recoveries in Michigan impaired-driving claims and other serious crashes provide examples of the motor vehicle cases our team has handled. Past results do not guarantee a particular outcome, but they can show whether a firm has experience developing claims where serious injuries and multiple insurance issues are at stake.
We also prepare each case around its own evidence. A drunk-driving arrest is powerful context, but the value of an injury claim still depends on proof of fault, injury, losses, available coverage, and any additional responsible parties.
Why Choose Kajy Law Firm After a Drunk Driving Crash?
People injured by drunk drivers choose Kajy Law Firm for focused motor vehicle experience, substantial results, and direct client support.
- Car, truck, and motorcycle accident cases are all we do.
- 5,000+ cases handled and $100M+ recovered for clients.
- 150+ years of combined experience.
- Experience with Michigan no-fault, uninsured and underinsured coverage, and dram shop claims.
- Free consultations and 24/7 availability.
- No fee unless we win your case.
- Home or hospital meetings when your injuries make travel difficult.
We keep you informed and move quickly when a dram shop claim or other evidence has a short preservation deadline.
Frequently Asked Questions About Southfield Drunk Driving Accident Claims
Can I sue a drunk driver even if the criminal case is still pending?
Yes. Your civil injury claim is separate from the criminal prosecution. You do not have to wait for a conviction before protecting your claim. We can preserve evidence and pursue insurance while the criminal case proceeds on its own schedule.
What if the drunk driver was not convicted?
A criminal conviction is not required before you can pursue a civil claim. The two cases use different legal standards and serve different purposes. We investigate the crash evidence independently and determine what it can prove about fault and impairment.
Can I sue the bar that served the drunk driver?
Possibly. Michigan's dram shop law may permit a claim against a licensed alcohol seller that sold alcohol to a visibly intoxicated person who later caused the crash. These claims have special proof and timing requirements, so they should be investigated early.
What if the drunk driver was uninsured?
An uninsured motorist claim may be available if an applicable policy includes that coverage. If the driver's liability limits are too low, underinsured motorist coverage may also become important. We review all potentially applicable policies and any other legally responsible parties.
How much does a Southfield drunk driving accident lawyer cost?
Kajy Law Firm handles accepted drunk-driving injury cases on a contingency fee basis. Your consultation is free, and you do not pay an attorney fee unless we obtain a recovery for you. We explain the fee agreement and case costs before you hire us.
Talk With a Southfield Drunk Driving Accident Lawyer Today
You did not choose to share the road with an impaired driver, but you can choose who protects your interests afterward.
A Southfield drunk driving accident lawyer at Kajy Law Firm can preserve the evidence, identify every viable source of insurance, investigate a possible dram shop claim, and build the case around the full impact of your injuries.
Call 248-702-6641 for a free consultation. We are available 24/7, and you pay us nothing unless we win your case.