Wausau Drunk Driving Accident Lawyer

Award Winning Wausau Drunk Driving Accident Attorneys

A drunk driving accident can change your entire life in an instant. It can cause severe injuries that leave you with permanent impairments. You could face high medical bills as you also miss time from work.

When a drunk driver causes an accident that leaves you or a family member injured in Wausau, you may have a legal claim against the drunk driver, and in some cases, other parties. You may be able to get compensation for the costs of your injuries and other losses. At Nicolet Law Accident & Injury Lawyers, our Wausau drunk driving accident lawyers can work to get you the financial recovery you need.

What to know about our law firm

drunk driving accident

Since Nicolet Law Accident & Injury Lawyers opened in 2007, we have grown to more than 20 team members located at 12 locations throughout Wisconsin and Minnesota. We operate a regional law firm devoted to clients who need our legal help during some of the most vulnerable times in their lives.

Our team members live and work in the communities that we serve. Our family is here to help your family through every stage of your legal case. Working with accident victims during difficult times is one way that we can help our friends and neighbors.

After a drunk driving accident in Wausau, an attorney from our firm will investigate how your injuries have disrupted your daily life. We want to help your family by handling an insurance claim or lawsuit while you concentrate on regaining your health.

Injured in Wausau? Get Nicolet.

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Why you should consider hiring our law firm

Our firm is dedicated to helping you deal with insurance companies and the liable party while trying to recover from your injuries. We know that a “one-size-fits-all” approach is ineffective and does not adequately meet your needs.

More specifically, we provide you with:

  • Clear and prompt communication
  • Answers to your questions as they arise
  • The knowledge of what to expect at every stage of your case
  • A plan tailored to your individual needs
  • A local attorney whom you can trust to advocate for your interests
  • Our ability to handle tough and complex drunk driving accident cases
  • Peace of mind that we are taking care of your legal issues

We have been representing clients injured in drunk driving accidents since we opened our first office. You can count on us to guide you through the legal process and seek the best possible outcome.

You pay nothing upfront or out of pocket for our help

When you are struggling to recover from your injuries after a drunk driving accident, we know that you may have significant financial concerns. We do not want your ability to afford quality legal representation to be an issue.

Our law firm takes personal injury cases like yours on a contingency-fee basis. This fee arrangement ensures that you don’t pay any money upfront or out of pocket. We accept no fees unless you receive compensation for your injuries from those responsible for causing them.

Additionally, we offer all our clients:

  • Free consultations
  • Visits and communication in a way that is most convenient for you
  • Management of medical bills, insurance company requests, and more

We vow to make this experience as easy for you as possible. This approach allows you to focus on your physical and emotional health during this challenging time.

What we can do for you after a Wausau drunk driving accident

When we handle your case, we will provide you with various services to guide you through the legal process. You can count on us to obtain evidence in your case and work toward a successful resolution. Here are some ways that we can help:

We can investigate your accident and gather information

After a drunk driving accident, we take prompt action to gather and safeguard essential evidence.

We can use the following information to support your case:

  • The police report
  • Witness statements
  • Security camera footage
  • Photos of the damage to your vehicle
  • Your medical records and healthcare expenses
  • Photos of the accident scene and your condition

We will deploy our private investigators to get to the bottom of your case and understand exactly how it occurred. We can also work with local law enforcement agencies to secure the other party’s blood alcohol concentration (BAC) levels at the time of your collision. This could prove that they drove while intoxicated. We can use that information to prove they caused your accident.

We can negotiate a fair settlement

A drunk driving accident lawyer from our law firm will document your injuries and other accident-related losses so that we can seek fair compensation.

To negotiate a settlement, we will:

  • Present the insurer with evidence
  • Identify the liable party’s insurance policy
  • Prove fault for your collision
  • Present the value of your damages
  • Counteract bad faith insurance practices

We can represent you at trial

In some cases, we are unable to reach a reasonable settlement. We will not hesitate to file a lawsuit and pursue compensation in court if the insurer refuses to offer you a fair settlement.

To advance your lawsuit, we will:

  • File your case before the applicable deadline
  • Call on witnesses (like accident reconstruction specialists) to testify on your behalf
  • Advise you during depositions
  • Object to unfair legal proceedings
  • Prove the severity of your injuries and the cost of your damages

Our law firm can ensure that you understand your rights as a drunk driving accident victim.

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We can seek compensation for your drunk driving accident in Wausau

Wausau Drunk Driving Accident Lawyer

With our firm’s help, you could seek compensation for your economic and non-economic damages. We can also use your case’s evidence to determine the overall value of your case.

Some things we will consider when calculating your case’s value include:

  • Your estimated recovery period
  • The treatments you needed and will need in the future
  • The severity of your condition and its impact on your life
  • The impact of the accident on your mental health
  • Your ability to work and live independently

We will calculate and pursue these damages:

Economic damages

Economic damages include compensation for concrete financial losses, such as:

  • Medical bills for treating your injuries
  • Car repair or replacement costs

We can use your medical bills, car repair estimates, and information from your employer to support a claim for economic damages. Typically, these are easier damages to document than non-economic damages.

Non-economic damages

These damages do not relate to your monetary expenses, but, instead, your physical and emotional hardships. While these losses may be challenging to calculate, they are still compensable.

Examples include:

  • Pain and suffering
  • Disability
  • Scarring
  • Disfigurement
  • Loss of enjoyment of life
  • Loss of consortium
  • Emotional trauma

We can seek damages if you lost a loved one

Some drunk driving accidents end in loss of life. If you lost a loved one to a drunk driving accident, surviving family members may be able to pursue a wrongful death action. This allows you to hold the drunk driver (or any other liable parties) financially responsible for your loved one’s passing.

Compensation available for beneficiaries may include:

  • Final medical expenses for the deceased
  • Loss of the decedent’s financial support
  • Loss of companionship
  • Funeral and burial expenses

You may be able to collect both economic and non-economic damages in a wrongful death case.

We can file your case within the applicable deadline

Time Deadline I drunk driving accident in Wausau

Under Wisconsin Statutes § 893.54, you generally have three years from the date of your drunk driving accident or loved one’s passing to file a lawsuit. Filing an insurance claim and negotiating a settlement often takes time and does not extend the deadline. So, acting quickly can help secure your right to compensation.

If you fail to file your case in court before the statute of limitations expires, you risk being unable to get any compensation for your injuries. This may leave you unable to hold the drunk driver who caused your accident accountable for their actions. You also may be left with countless medical bills and other losses that will go uncompensated.

Review some of our previous case results

Since we started serving our community, we have recovered more than $40 million for our clients. We have over thousands of five-star reviews, and our firm has been featured in Reader’s Digest, Forbes, and HuffPost.

Here are some of our success stories:

We secured $815,000 for a drunk driving accident claimant

When our client was involved in a collision with a drunk driver, the insurance company didn’t offer them anything. After investigating our client’s situation, interviewing witnesses, and calculating their losses, we were able to secure $815,000.

We won $1.2 million for our injured claimant

When our client got into a car accident, the insurance company offered them $50,000. Yet, we knew their case was worth much more. So, after a tough legal fight, we were able to recover $1.2 million in damages.

We recovered a seven-figure award for our client

Our firm knows firsthand just how devastating motorcycle accidents can be. So, when the liable insurer offered our client only $650,000 following their collision, we knew this wouldn’t even cover a fraction of their losses. After examining our client’s past, present, and future damages, we recovered $1.1 million––nearly double what they were initially offered.

The Wisconsin Department of Transportation (DOT) reports that 2,492 vehicle crashes took place in Marathon County in 2020. However, an average of 3,194 accidents took place in the county between 2015 to 2019. Eight of the accidents that occurred in 2020 were fatal. At the time of publication in early August 2021, there have been 10 fatal accidents in Marathon County.

Fatal vehicle accidents rose significantly during 2020, including in Wisconsin, according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), due in large part to risky behaviors like drunk driving. Per WSAW-TV, DOT officials report the same increased numbers in unsafe driving habits on Wisconsin roads.

Drunk driving accidents in Wausau

Wisconsin County TSC Crash Mapping notes that between January 2021 and August 2021, Marathon County alone saw four fatalities caused by drunk driving. Many accidents (including drunk driving and otherwise) clustered near the intersection of Mountain Drive and County Road NN. Another cluster of these accidents occurred at or near the intersection of S. 6th Street and Forest Street.

These were not the only areas that experienced multiple accidents involving impaired driving.

Multiple drunk or drugged driving accidents in just one year also happened at or around these locations:

  • N. 5th Street and E. Wausau Avenue
  • Merrill Avenue and W. Strowbridge Street
  • S. 3rd Street and W. Thomas Street
  • Hwy 29 and Camp Phillips Road
  • Ross Avenue
  • Interstate 39 south of Wausau
  • Near the Central Wisconsin Airport

Impaired driving accidents in Wisconsin

According to the DOT, although alcohol-related crashes have decreased in recent years, alcohol remains the greatest contributing factor for drivers involved in fatal car crashes in the state. In 2015, there were 5,174 alcohol-related vehicle crashes in the state of Wisconsin. An alcohol-related accident resulted in the death of one person about every three hours on Wisconsin roadways.

Marathon County is not immune from these statistics. In 2012, the Wisconsin DOT reported 115 crashes involving drivers who had been drinking. Those accidents resulted in seven fatalities and 68 injuries.

Incidents of impaired driving in Wisconsin are greater than the national average, according to the Centers for Disease Control & Prevention (CDC). In one survey, 3.1 percent of Wisconsin adults reported driving after drinking too much, as opposed to 1.9 percent of adults nationwide. Deaths in drunk driving accidents in Wisconsin also are higher than the national average.

Wausau Drunk Driving Accident FAQs

Wausau, Wisconsin, is a beautiful city located at the junction of Highways 29 and 51/39. Wausau is a beautiful place to settle and enjoy the woods of Wisconsin within driving distance of the Twin Cities. Unfortunately, between its own population of over 130,000 and the traffic between it and the Twin Cities, Wausau sees its share of drunk drivers and drunk driving accidents.

In the United States, 28 people die in drunk driving accidents every day. The latest data from the National Highway Transportation Safety Administration reports that over 10,000 people were killed in drunk driving accidents around the U.S. in just one year. According to the Wisconsin Department of Transportation, close to 5,000 drunk drivers were in Wisconsin car accidents in one year.

If you were in a drunk driving accident near Wausau, you are not alone. Contact the Wausau drunk driving accident injury attorneys at Nicolet Law Accident & Injury Lawyers. In the meantime, we have compiled the answers to some of the most frequently asked questions of victims of drunk driving accidents to help you as you seek recovery after your accident.

Q: What Should I Do After A Wausau Drunk Driving Accident?

A: If you are involved in a drunk driving accident in Wausau, there are a few important steps you should take as soon as possible to protect your health and legal rights. While you may feel very confused and frightened in the wake of a drunk driving accident, if you follow these steps, you may be able to minimize your injuries and protect your right to compensation for the injuries and impacts you are unable to avoid.

After a Wausau accident, to the extent you can:

  1. Get off the road so that you don’t impede traffic or end up in any further collisions.
  2. Call an ambulance to make sure that you and everyone else at the scene get the medical attention necessary. Some serious injuries don’t cause immediate pain because of shock or adrenaline. But, left untreated, these injuries can cause further complications and greater damage than if they had been treated immediately.
  3. Call the police. Persons involved in accidents involving an injury or death or any damage to personal property that amounts to at least $200 are required to call the police. It is also to your advantage to call the police to get an official accident report since that will help you prove who was responsible for the accident and how the accident occurred to support your later claim.
  4. Take photos of the scene. You can use photos of your injuries or damage to the vehicles as evidence in your later claim.
  5. Exchange contact information with other drivers. It is advisable to address other drivers involved in the accident and their insurance companies later when it’s time to negotiate a settlement. Of course, in the case of a drunk driver, you might be unable to communicate. This is all the more reason to call the police, as they can extract the other driver’s identification information for you to use later to contact the other driver and their insurer.
  6. Get contact information and statements from witnesses. Witnesses of your accident can be crucial to providing third-party evidence of what happened in the accident and how. Witnesses are often one of the most important pieces of evidence in any case where you must prove you were not at fault.
  7. Call your insurance company. Make sure that you don’t blame anyone (yourself included) for what happened. Call your insurance company only to report the facts of the accident so you can make them aware of what happened.
  8. Call a Wausau drunk driving accident injury attorney. An experienced drunk driving accident injury attorney is trained to help victims of car accidents recover compensation for the damages they have suffered. You should get in touch with an attorney as soon as possible to learn about your legal options and start the claim process.
  9. Get medical treatment and collect evidence. Seek all the medical treatment you need to recover from your accident. While going through treatment, keep track of your bills and other paperwork to use as evidence of medical costs you demand as part of your claim.

Q: What Laws Apply In Wausau Drunk Driving Accident Cases?

A: Drivers in Wausau over the age of 21 are not allowed to drive:

  • With a Blood Alcohol Concentration (BAC) of 0.08 or more
  • Under the influence of any intoxicant
  • With a detectable amount of any restricted substance in their blood
  • Under the influence of any controlled substance or drug

Drivers under the age of 21 are allowed to drink under the supervision of an adult of 21 years or older. However, drivers under the age of 21 may not drive with any amount of alcohol in their system. Drivers with three or more operating while intoxicated offenses are not allowed to drive with a BAC of 0.02 or more.

Wausau drivers who disobey the laws may be fined and punished. For a first-time offense, the fine can be anywhere from $150 - $300, and a license can be revoked for six to nine months. Penalties only go up from there and eventually include incarceration.

Of course, if a drunk driver causes an accident, they can separately be held civilly liable to victims for their resulting injuries and impacts.

Q: What Damages Can I Claim After A Wausau Drunk Driving Accident?

A: If you are a victim of a Wausau drunk driving accident, there are several types of damages (compensation) that you can claim. Your lawyer will calculate an approximate amount of damages they believe that you deserve based on the expenses and impacts you have experienced as a result of the accident. These damages will be calculated from both economic and non-economic costs to you and your loved ones.

These might include:

  • Medical expenses. These expenses could involve emergency room costs, surgery expenses, and costs for ongoing therapy or medications, among other medical expenses
  • Lost income for any time from your job you missed after the accident to recover
  • Loss of earning capacity if your injuries prevent you from returning to work with the same earning capacity
  • Loss of life enjoyment, for certain activities that you can no longer enjoy (sports, for example) because of your injuries
  • Property damage to your car and other property
  • Loss of consortium (or loss of relationships), because of the stress of the accident and injuries
  • Pain and suffering from your injuries
  • Emotional trauma and distress

While you are recovering, do your best to collect bills and all other records related to these expenses and impacts to use as evidence in your claim. Evidence will help your lawyers as they pursue recovery on your behalf.

Q: How Do You Prove Who Is At Fault In A Wausau Drunk Driving Accident?

A: In Wausau, a driver must be proven to be at least 51 percent responsible to be held fully responsible for the accident. In the case of a drunk driver, this is typically not too hard to prove, particularly if police took a breathalyzer of the other driver. You need to show that the other driver was drinking before the accident, that they were impaired, and that their impairment caused the accident. The impairments of alcohol, even below the .08 BAC level, are so severe that it is often not difficult to attribute an accident to alcohol impairment.

You and your attorney will, however, still need to collect evidence, such as the police report. After an insurance company receives a claim, they will also start investigating fault for the accident.

Both parties are likely to investigate fault in a Wausau drunk driving accident case in a few many ways:

  • Reading through the police report
  • Gathering witness statements
  • Viewing any photo or video evidence from the scene
  • Hiring an accident reconstruction specialist to reconstruct the scene and show how the accident occurred.

Your lawyers may also hire other experts, like medical experts, to prove the severity of your injuries and other impacts on your life. In the end, the more evidence you can collect, the better chances you have of recovering the full amount you deserve.

Q: How Do I Settle With The Insurance Company for the Money I Need?

A: Working with an insurance company can be stressful for any victim of a Wausau drunk driving accident. Insurance companies tend to aim to settle for the least amount possible so they can increase their profits. You may be tempted to take the first offer an insurance company makes to get things over with.

But it most often is not in your best interest to settle with the insurance company right away. An experienced Wausau drunk driving accident injury lawyer can likely help you negotiate a much higher settlement. The best thing to do when trying to settle with your insurance company is to hire a lawyer to help you get the compensation you need.

Your lawyer can help relieve your stress by taking care of the legal proceedings for you while you focus on healing. They will negotiate with insurance companies and relay potential settlement amounts to you for consideration. They will advise you on how much they think you should be able to recover and about considerations to take into account before accepting an offer. Ultimately, of course, the decision of whether or not to settle is yours.

Q: How Much Compensation Can I Recover Through a Wausau Drunk Driving Accident Claim?

A: The amount you can recover through a Wausau drunk driving accident claim will vary significantly depending on the circumstances. After calculating your damages, your lawyer estimates the value of your case and helps you put together a demand package.

If someone you loved died in a drunk driving accident, you can potentially recover compensation through a wrongful death claim against the drunk driver, which can help account for the expenses and impacts you suffer as a result of losing your loved one.

In many cases, drunk driver accident victims recover hundreds of thousands of dollars in compensation. Again, while it depends on the exact circumstances of your case, the damage is often high in drunk driving cases and can lead to very high compensation amounts.

Q: How Long Will My Wausau Drunk Driving Accident Claim Take?

A: A Wausau drunk driving accident claim can take months to years to resolve, typically taking much longer if it has to go to trial. Most claims will not go to trial, as victims can negotiate fair settlements with the help of their lawyers. In other cases, you cannot come to a settlement and must file a lawsuit.

If you file a lawsuit, your lawyers will put together all the evidence you have been able to gather and evidence they can gather once the litigation starts to build the strongest case possible.

Q: How Can I Afford a Lawyer for My Wausau Drunk Driving Accident Claim?

A: Most drunk driving accident injury lawyers work on a contingency fee basis. This means that they will not take any payment from you unless and until they obtain compensation on your behalf. When they succeed in getting a settlement or court award of damages on your behalf, they take their fee from a predetermined percentage of the settlement amount or damages.

Once you decide to pursue a claim, your lawyer will take care of everything and fight for maximum compensation. In the end, what you have to pay depends largely on how strong your case is and how well they do their job.

For questions about your Wausau drunk driving accident, reach out to Nicolet Law Accident & Injury Lawyers for guidance. We will answer all your questions and provide you with a free consultation.

Russell Nicolet Attorney
Russell Nicolet, Drunk Driving Accident Attorney

If you suffered injuries in a Wausau drunk driving accident, you are not alone. We are available 24/7 to talk with you about your drunk driving accident and the injuries that it has caused you and your family. We provide a free consultation where we can discuss your case and answer your questions, ensuring that you understand your legal rights and options.

Call Nicolet Law Accident & Injury Lawyers at any time to discuss your case. You can reach us at (715) 226-6288 or write to us using our contact page for more information. We are here for you and your family after a drunk driving accident in Wausau.

Wausau Office
408 3rd Street
Suite 303
Wausau, WI 54403
Phone: 715-226-6288