There are always parties that happen, whether it is a simple weekend night and people want to relax from a long stressful week, or a holiday that brings all sorts of individuals together, or an event that would warrant a group to spend time together and drink for a while. Although many people are responsible with their alcohol intake and who can drink at such events, that is not always the case. In some instances, hosts serve alcohol to underage patrons or to those who have clearly had more than enough to drink. These guests can then leave the party and get involved in any number of accidents, causing harm not only to themselves but to many others as well. There are certain laws that have been put into place to protect victims of such accidents and to hold the necessary parties reliable. Our team of attorneys at Normandie Law Firm has ample experience handling such cases and we can make sure that you are fairly compensated if you’re hurt due to an intoxicated individual.
Laws of Party Hosts and Alcohol
In California, there have been updates to old laws that held certain parties liable in the event of any incidents involving those intoxicated coming from a party, home, bar, club, or other establishment. Now, party hosts may be held legally liable if they serve alcohol to minors and others – if they charge any money for the drinks or for entry to the event, which could make the event an unofficial “night club.” Previously, hosts and owners could not be held liable for the actions of a drunk person leaving their properties; all responsibility would be placed on the drunk person.
Now, however, if a party host charges any money, the host could be found liable for ensuing injuries from an accident if the individual was underage. This is due to many reasons, but chief among them is the knowledge that a person should not be imbibing or receiving alcohol if he or she is underage, and that there is a responsibility from the host to not provide any underage person with alcohol.
If you need more information on the laws concerning alcohol and parties in social situations, contact our law firm today.
Accidents from Drinking
There are many types of accidents that can result from overconsumption of alcohol at a party. Of course, the most common issue and the one that can lead to the most trauma is drunk driving. Underage individuals may be able to legally operate a car, but they cannot intake any alcohol. Underage drinking and car crashes have been linked for years. Drunk drivers may do the following:
- Run stop signs
- Run red lights
- Drift into other lanes
- Change without signaling
- Ignore the flow of traffic or the right of way for other cars and pedestrians
- Turn left into oncoming vehicles
- Speed
- Fall asleep or pass out while behind the wheel
- Have slowed or reduced reaction times
Other incidents involving inebriated individuals could include slip and falls, fights, motorcycle accidents, bike crashes, and more. If the drunk person causes harm or is hurt as a result of his altered state, the party host could be found liable for the damages of any hurt person.
Injuries could range from broken bones to head trauma, from dislocations to internal organ damage, and from paralysis to death. It all depends on the type of accident and several other factors.
Legal Action
If a party host provided an underage individual with alcohol and the individual then went and caused an accident or was involved in an incident that brought you harm, you could hold the host liable. You can thus file a claim against both the inebriated person and the host.
You may also be able to sue a business if the bartender served an underage person liquor and allowed him to freely drink the establishment or allowed him to leave without alerting authorities.
Further, if you are the parent of an underage person who was harmed in some kind of accident wherein he was not liable, you could potentially take action against the host as well for allowing your child to consume liquor or even for charging for access to it.
In some tragic cases, deaths occur from some of the aforementioned accidents. An individual could pass away from alcohol poisoning, or he could be involved in a fatal car crash. There are numerous ways that deaths can happen, and if they do, you could file a wrongful death lawsuit to seek compensation for your damages.
Our law firm can help you choose the best option if you plan to sue for monetary compensation.
Statute of Limitations for a Personal Injury Lawsuit
If you wish to file a personal injury claim against the responsible host if alcohol was served to an underage person at a party and an accident occurred, you only have two years from the date of the injury to take action. If you do not file a lawsuit within this timeframe, you will be prevented from pursing compensation in the future.
The two-year limit can be circumvented if you were also underage at the time of the accident, in which case the statute would kick in when you turned 18. You may also have been rendered mentally or physically unable to file a claim after an accident, which would allow you to take action after you return to health. Further, the defendant may have left the state for a certain period of time, which would suspend the statute until he returned.
If you are uncertain of how much time you have left on your claim, call our firm for more help.
Earnings from a Lawsuit
A claim against a host could earn you various types of compensation for your damages. Our lawyers will strive to bring you the compensation you deserve, including the following:
- Coverage of medical bills, such as hospitalization, physical therapy, medication, future treatments, and more
- Lost wages from the past and future if you missed work
- Property damage for any damaged goods and items
- Pain and suffering damages if you were afflicted with emotional stress, PTSD, anxiety, fear, and more
- Wrongful death damages, such as pre-death medical bills and pain and suffering, funeral and burial costs, loss of consortium, loss of expected savings and inheritance, and more
Our goal is to make sure that you are wholly covered in the event of an accident. The host should not be exonerated if he gave or sold liquor to an underage person and the person then got into an accident of some kind.
How We Help
Normandie Law Firm in Los Angeles is one of the premier law groups in the city, and we have years of experience handling such claims. Our attorneys are highly knowledgeable about the law and have recovered millions of dollars for our clients. We handle a variety of cases, and our wide range of experience means that we will be more than well-equipped to deal with your case. Our aggressive lawyers will work around the clock to secure you what you deserve, and if we need to, we will take your case to court.
Call our offices today for a free legal consultation with an attorney. We invite you to ask any questions you want and we will tell you how much we believe your claim is worth, as well as who is wholly responsible for the damages. We will also give you more information about our zero fee guarantee, which allows you to undergo legal representation with no payment to our firm at all. We won’t get paid unless and until we win, and the money will come out of the settlement or verdict we win for you. If we lose, we take no payment whatsoever.
For more help, give us a call at Normandie Law Firm.
