If you were in a car accident and there was any alcohol in your system at the time, you need to contact an experienced local attorney right away. An alcohol-related car crash could have both civil and criminal consequences. If you were injured and are confident that another driver was the at-faulty party, then a Jersey City personal injury lawyer will guide you through the insurance claim process and, if necessary, represent you in a personal injury lawsuit. However, with a little alcohol in your system, you may face contributory negligence claims, which need to be addressed quickly. If others are blaming you for the accident and saying you were intoxicated at the time, you need a Jersey City DUI attorney to defend you against these allegations.

At Bhatt Law Group, we offer the personal injury and criminal defense representation you need following simple or complex collisions. If you were involved in an alcohol-related car crash, contact one of our Jersey City car accident lawyers right away through our online form or by calling (201) 798-8000 to schedule a free consultation.

How a Personal Injury Lawyer Can Help

If there was alcohol involved in a car accident in any way, whether you or the other driver had a blood alcohol concentration (BAC) above zero percent, or both, you need to work with an experienced personal injury attorney who has handled these types of issues before. If the other person was drinking and driving, this may be additional evidence of their fault. You could use evidence of the other driver’s BAC during an insurance claim or personal injury lawsuit in order to gain or increase your compensation.

At Bhatt Law Group, our attorneys will help you:

• Gain evidence of the other driver’s fault, including a police report and BAC test results
• Calculate an objective value for your claim
• File your insurance claim
• Cooperate with the insurance adjuster
• If your claim is approved, negotiate a higher settlement amount
• If your claim is denied, file an appeal
• Discuss your options in regard to filing a personal injury lawsuit

If the other driver was over the legal limit – 0 percent for drivers under 21 years, .08 percent for drivers over 21, and .04 percent for commercial drivers – then this may also be evidence of recklessness, or gross negligence, and can support you in asking for punitive damages.

How a Criminal Defense Lawyer Can Help

Bhatt Law Group can help in a variety of ways, if you had alcohol in your system at the time of the accident. Even when you were not at fault for the accident, the other driver may still try and use your BAC as evidence that you were in some way responsible. Under New Jersey’s modified comparative negligence rule, this could be a problem. If you were less than 50 percent at fault, you may still recover compensation. However, it may be reduced by your percentage of fault.

If you were intoxicated and caused the accident, then a criminal defense attorney is absolutely necessary. When no injuries occurred, only property damage, you may be charged with only driving while intoxicated (DWI). For a first offense, you can be punished with up to 30 days in jail, fines, and a driver’s license suspension for up to 12 months.

However, when an alcohol-related car crash leads to injuries, you could be charged with assault by auto. If you violated the DWI statute at the time you caused the accident, and if the crash resulted in another person suffering serious injuries, then this is a third-degree offense, punishable by up to five years in prison.

No matter the specific criminal charges you face, a Jersey City DUI attorney from Bhatt Law Group will thoroughly review your situation and build you the strongest defense under the law. Our top priorities will always be to protect your rights and to obtain the best possible outcome in your case.

Contact a New Jersey Lawyer After an Alcohol-Related Accident

The truth is, if you were part of an alcohol-related accident, you may not be sure of what comes next. If you had a BAC over zero, then you may be wondering if you can recover compensation for your injuries or whether you are about to get into trouble with the law. If the other person was clearly drinking and driving, you may have questions about how to hold them responsible. Whatever your situation, Bhatt Law Group is prepared to handle it. We have years of experience working on both personal injury and criminal defense cases.

Contact us today at (201) 798-8000 to schedule your free, initial consultation.