First thing first that you should not drive any vehicle when you are drunk. The reason is simple you are not in your senses and can hit someone or your car to a tree or road sides. If you are still got into an accident while you are drunk, there are several things that you should know on how to protect yourself from going to jail.
Let me share some of the points that you will protect you and let you know what are your legal rights if you ever get in drunk driving accident.
1. Stay Right There After an Accident
It is highly recommended that you should not leave that spot or place where you had an accident. I suggest to wait for the law enforcement officers and discuss the incident with them. If you leave the place, they can charge you for hit and run that is considered as a serious crime.
And if someone got injured from your car, you will be in serious trouble. So stay right there and wait for the police and answer their questions honestly. Moreover, if you leave that place, it is not possible for you to prove that it was other driver’s mistake.
2. Hire Professional Drunk Driving Accident Lawyer
After you got into drunk driving accident, it is recommended to contact an experienced and professional drunk driving accident lawyer. He will help you in collecting evidences, file insurance claims, and can talk with the other driver’s insurance company. Moreover, if the situation is not good, he can even file a personal injury lawsuit.
So getting help from a professional lawyer is a must and it should be done as quickly as possible. Because there is time limits for insurance claims and personal injury lawsuits. So if you wait and think to hire a lawyer later, you will miss that opportunity that can save you some bucks.
Interesting Fact: Every Day 32 people dies in the United States in Drunk-driving accidents.
3. Call The Police
Another thing you need to do is to call the cops on the accident sight. They will come and will talk with you politely because you didn’t run and also call the cops and told them everything. Moreover, it is important to let the law enforcement officer to create a complete report about what happened. This will be your good evidence report that will help you later.
It is also possible that the police will give other drive a breathalyzer test to know their blood alcohol content (BAC). If police found it over legal limit, they will immediately arrest them. This is the good thing because it will help you in filing a personal injury lawsuit against other driver. All detailed reports and tests will help you get insurance coverage easily.
4. Get Medical Attention
No matter how minor the injuries are, you must get a medical attention as soon as possible. If there is an ambulance on the incident spot, go to the van and ask for medical attention. It is recommended because there are some injuries like whiplash, that will not hurt in start but will hurt a lot in coming days or weeks.
Furthermore, if you see the doctor late, it is also possible that your insurance company says your injuries are not serious and they are not because of accident. So it is suggested to go to doctor as soon as possible and get full evaluation and get the documents to cover the expenses in insurance.
5. Cooperate With Police And Law Enforcement Officers
Last thing is when the police and law enforcement officers arrive at the accident place, it is good for you to cooperate with them. They will ask for you personal information like name, address, and phone number so don’t hesitate to tell them. Also answer them correctly because later they will know how you are and can take you to jail.
Moreover, you must be careful for what you are saying to the law enforcement officers because they can use that against you in the court. So try to answer correctly and be positive and relax yourself while answering.
Further important thing is if you are injured, the police will ask you to sign a release form. I suggest to not sign that release form until you have talked with your lawyer and know what is in that form.