While the legal age for consuming alcohol in the state of Wisconsin is 21, many young people chose to imbibe before officially reaching that milestone. What's worse, in some cases those individuals get behind the wheel of a vehicle to drive. Sometimes this results in a crash involving innocent individuals. Those crashes can lead to serious injuries and even death.
The arrest of a 17-year-old girl, who was allegedly intoxicated and led law enforcement on a high speed chase, has highlighted the issue. The young woman was eventually caught, after police officers caused the car to spin out after tapping its rear-end. Police officers said that the test administered after that stop registered her blood alcohol content at .31.
This is not an isolated incident. In 2013 the number of juveniles convicted of drunk driving was 278. While that number is 143 convictions fewer than in 2009, most readers would likely agree that they are 278 arrests too many.
Regardless of the age of the drunk driver, if he or she does something that contributes to an injury inducing car accident occurring, the driver could face more than just consequences in the criminal court. Those who were hurt in the crash could seek damages from the drunk driver via a personal injury lawsuit.
Depending on the specifics surrounding the case, reaching resolution can be complex and time consuming. To build a solid case both physical evidence as well as witness testimony must be collected. Since these are such vital pieces to a case, the sooner an injured person consults with a lawyer, the better.