Tampa Drunk Driving Accident Attorney
Drunk driving is a serious problem in Florida and needs to stop until there are no more victims. It is not an innocent mistake. It happens when a driver makes a deliberate and reckless choice to get behind the wheel after having too much to drink, knowing full well that others are needlessly being exposed to danger. This reckless behavior contributes to many fatal and injury accidents every day and those drivers should be held fully accountable for any losses the impaired driver causes in a crash. They should not be able to just walk away from the loss of life, loss of quality of life, or property loss that they created.
Drunk or buzzed driving is a personal issue to Martin J. Hernandez. In fact, from 2000 to 2004, Mr. Hernandez was a prosecutor for the Office of the State Attorney in Tampa, Hillsborough County, Florida, prosecuting numerous drunk drivers for their offenses. His brother was an injured victim of a rollover accident caused by a drunk driver and two of his employees are survivors of DUI accidents having each lost a sibling to a drunk driver. He is also familiar with the methods and the law enforcement officer used to prosecute these crimes in criminal court and uses them in representing the victims of DUI to prosecute the impaired drivers in civil court.
If you have been injured as a result of a drunk driver getting behind the wheel, we can help you obtain justice and compensation for your injuries.
Call Tampa drunk driving auto accident injury lawyer Martin J. Hernandez today for a free consultation. – 813-755-9500
According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA, 10,511 people were killed in drunk-driving accidents in 2018, which represents 29% of all driving fatalities.
In 2004, 39 percent of fatal crashes in the United States were alcohol-related. The legal limit for blood alcohol concentration in the United States for drivers 21 years of age or older is .08 g/dL (grams per deciliter) or higher. Additionally, research by the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety suggests that the risk of being killed in a solo vehicle crash for drivers with a BAC between .05 and .09 is 11 times higher than drivers without any alcohol in their system. Moreover, medical research shows individuals are considered ‘impaired’ at .05 g/dL.
There is a greater likelihood of getting hit by a drunk driver around Tampa Bay (Hillsborough and Pinellas counties) than anywhere else in the state as these two counties represent one-sixth of the DUI convictions in the state of Florida and more than Miami-Dade, Broward, and Palm Beach counties together. Now, being involved in an auto accident with a drunk driver is adding insult to injury as this was a senseless crime that could easily have been avoided.
Injured by a Drunk Driver?
Martin J. Hernandez is a previous prosecutor who knows how to pursue and prosecute DUI drivers. Proud sponsors of MADD, our firm recovered the following recent settlements or judgments in alcohol-related offenses:
- In 2018, we recovered $2.5 million for a family of 6 that was seriously injured by a drunk driver with a blood-alcohol content of 0.17%. Helped in the criminal prosecution of the drunk driver to put him away for 15-years.
- In 2017, we obtained a judgment after a trial for $10.6 Million for an occupant of a motor vehicle accident that was seriously injured by a drunk driver. This impaired driver won the criminal case but lost the civil case and the right to drive for 20 years.
- In 2017, we obtained a judgment after a trial for $281,103 for the driver of a motorcycle who was struck by an impaired driver.
- In 2013, we recovered $1million from a bar who allowed a known alcoholic to drive home after he was over-served alcoholic beverages to the point his blood alcohol level was 0.35%;
- In 2011, our firm recovered $1.5million when a drunk motorcyclist t-boned another vehicle.
- In 2010, our firm recovered $1million when a drunk and drugged driver killed our 20-year old client in an auto accident.
Importantly, not only will our firm represent you on the civil side, our firm will guide you through the criminal process as well. We will go to court with you if you wish and speak on your behalf to the judges and state prosecutors. Moreover, if the court allows us, we shall pursue punitive damages against the drunk or drugged driver.
Additionally, here are some Florida statistics about DUIs in the State of Florida:
2011 DUI Statistics– According to Florida DMV records there were 33,625 DUI convictions in Florida in 2011. Of the 55,722 DUI tickets issued in Florida in 2011 – 9,328 were issued by the FHP, 23,649 were issued by police departments in Florida, and 21,868 were issued by Florida Sheriff’s departments.
2010 Florida DUI Convictions in the large Florida Counties
- Hillsborough County (Tampa) – 3,256
- Miami-Dade – (Miami) – 2,274
- Duval County – (Jacksonville Area) – 2,222
- Pinellas County (St Petersburg) – 1,824
- Palm Beach County (West Palm Beach) – 1,561
- Orange County (Orlando) – 1,383
- Brevard County (Melbourne) – 1,072
- Broward County (Fort Lauderdale) – 985
If you or a loved one was killed or injured in an auto accident that was caused or contributed by a drunk or drugged driver, contact the law firm of Martin Hernandez PA today. – 813-755-9500
The Hernandez Firm’s lawyers handle personal injury drunk driving accident cases throughout the entire Tampa, South Tampa & West Tampa area. Areas we service include Town ‘n’ Country, Brandon, Riverview, West Tampa, West Chase, Hyde Park, Culbreath, West Shore, Palma Ceia, Gulfview, 33635, 33615, 33634, 33626, 33625, 33508, 33509, 33510, 33511,33568, 33569, 33578, 33579 & all of Hillsborough County and the state of Florida.
- Personal Injury
- Auto Accidents
- Motorcycle Accidents
- Tractor-Trailer Accidents
- Truck Accidents
- Drunk Driving Accidents
- Criminal Defense
- Pedestrian Accidents
- Bicycle Accidents
- Slip and Fall Accidents
- Wrongful Death
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