Motor Vehicle Accident with Dram Shop Claim

When two Air Force Sergeants accompanied friends to the “soft opening” of Trenton’s Rho Restaurant/Discotecha for drinks, they had no idea that the night would change their lives forever. Because they got separated from one of their friends during the course of the evening, they didn’t know that in the time they were split up, the friend consumed enough alcohol to put his BAC at more than four times the legal driving limit. When the friend offered our two clients a ride home, they accepted, unaware that he was far too impaired to drive.

Shortly after leaving the bar, the driver lost control of the vehicle and crashed into a brick wall. Both passengers sustained serious injuries, including brain injuries, severe orthopedic injuries that required surgery, lacerations that left scars, and the amputation of a fingertip. Their injuries had permanent effects on their health and potentially even on their promising careers.

For these two badly injured victims, getting the compensation they deserved would make a huge difference in their recovery and the course of their future. When they chose us to represent them, we were able to recover upwards of $1,000,000 on their behalf. From the insurance company of the impaired driver who caused the collision, we recovered $50,000 for each client. One client had opted to purchase uninsured motorist coverage when he set up his auto insurance policy. Our New Jersey DUI accident lawyers were able to get him $50,000 from his own insurance company.

Because the driver was impaired by alcohol at the time of this accident, we went after the bar that had served him so much alcohol that he became a danger to his passengers and anyone else on the road. New Jersey law prohibits establishments from serving alcohol to visibly intoxicated customers. Upon further investigation, video surveillance footage of the bar showed that the driver was staggering prior to the accident. Well-trained staff should have been able to see that this customer had already had enough, but instead staff continued serving him more alcohol until closing time when security guards escorted him out of the bar but apparently did not prevent him from getting behind the wheel.

Because of their negligence in overserving the driver who injured our clients, we seek compensation from Rho Restaurant. Within months, the establishment agreed to settle the claim for $925,000. In all, our two clients ended up with a combined $1,075,000. Though nothing can reverse the pain and the losses these two individuals have suffered, the compensation can pay for their medical care, help make up for the missed wages and lost career opportunities, and make the adjustment to their post-accident lives as easy as possible.