Liability of Bars for Serving Intoxicated Patrons Who Cause Wrecks

Spread the love

When restaurants, taverns, bars, bartenders and wait staff serve a patron in Rhode Island who is visibly intoxicated and the customer is later involved in a car accident, the establishment can be held legally liable.

Dram shop- Liability of bars for drunk driving

Their responsibilities are based on “dram shop” laws, which refers to places that serve alcoholic beverages including taverns and bars. These RI laws prohibit the sale of alcohol to any visibly intoxicated individual or minor who then subsequently causes injury or death to another because of an alcohol-related accident.

Bar or nightclub culpability for tragic car crash

Most commonly, dram shop liability where wait staff serves intoxicated patrons will involve a drunk driving accident with an injury or fatality. While these laws specifically outline which parties can be held legally liable at the bar or tavern, proving the case can be very challenging when seeking financial compensation. The victim is required to show how the actions or inaction of the defendant directly correspond to the accident. The victim must prove that the venue serving alcohol knew, or should have known, that the patron was intoxicated.

The Need for a Rhode Island negligence attorney

Proving a claim often requires hiring a skilled Rhode Island personal injury attorney who specializes in dram shop liability claims and lawsuits. The RI accident lawyer will often use a variety of tactics to build a solid case for recompense that often includes:

• Hiring an investigator to determine what bars or taverns the drunk motorist was served alcohol prior to the accident
• Accumulating evidence that the driver at fault for the accident acted intoxicated in front of the bartender or server and was still served alcoholic beverages
• Provide testimony from expert witnesses in the alcohol service industry to demonstrate how restaurants, bars and taverns have a legal requirement to safeguard the public by not serving alcohol to intoxicated patrons

Proving Negligence in a car accident

In addition to showing that the servers continue to supply alcohol to an obviously drunk customer, the victim’s Drunk driving victim auto crash attorney might be able to prove negligence by the wait staff, bartenders and establishment in numerous other ways including:

• Did the food service establishment or bar neglect to follow industry standards by not providing alcohol responsibility training to their managers and servers?
• Did the wait staff fail to inspect the patron’s ID properly to ensure they were serving alcohol to a customer of legal drinking age? (serving alcohol to a minor is criminally illegal and civilly negligent)
• Did the wait staff ignore the patron’s staggering walk or slurred speech prior to serving additional drinks while still allowing the intoxicated individual to drive the vehicle that caused the accident?

Any evidence obtained by the Providence Injury law firm can help strengthen the claim for financial recompense and hold all responsible parties accountable including the drunk driver.

Seeking Compensation in a Pawtucket, Woonsocket or Bristol collision

If you have suffered injuries, or a loved one has been killed in a drunk driving collision with a drunk driver, you likely have the right to file a claim or lawsuit for compensation. It is crucial to hire a Woonsocket personal injury attorney who specializes in dram law cases immediately. In many cases, police records from the accident scene do not always show direct responsibility for the accident. The Warwick auto accident lawyer can gather evidence that might be lost as time passes including obtaining facts about the alcohol level of the drunk driver prior to the accident.

Injuries

In all likelihood, the costs of recovery from your injuries are substantial. You may be suffering severe or serious injuries including TBI (traumatic brain injury), spinal column injury, broken bones, lacerations, burns, disfigurement or amputation. Your attorney can help identify every potential source of financial compensation, including receiving recompense from the commercial business that negligently served alcohol. If your spouse, loved one, family member or brother/ sister was killed in a fatal car accident in RI then it is imperative that you speak with to the customer who later caused your injuries.