Were you injured by a drunk driver in Decatur, GA?

At Andrew R. Lynch, P.C., we have spent more than 16 years helping injured clients in Decatur pursue full recovery after impaired-driving crashes.

If a drunk driver injured you in Decatur, you can file a claim to recover your medical bills, lost wages, and other losses. Andrew R. Lynch, P.C. is a Decatur, GA DUI lawyer representing people hurt by impaired drivers. Our firm handles the investigation, the insurance company, and the paperwork while you focus on treatment. The first consultation is free, and we work on contingency, so you pay no fee unless we recover money for you.

DUI Lawyer Decatur, GA

A DUI injury claim lets someone hurt by an impaired driver recover money for the harm done. The claim runs against the drunk driver, and in some cases against a business that over-served alcohol before the crash. It covers the same losses as any serious wreck, from emergency care to long-term rehabilitation and lost income.

Alcohol-impaired driving contributes to hundreds of deaths on Georgia roads every year, and many more crashes leave survivors with lasting injuries, according to state impaired-driving data. A Decatur DUI accident attorney gathers the proof, deals with the insurers, and pushes for the full value of the claim so you are not left paying for another driver’s choice. The driver’s insurance company will look for reasons to pay less, so the case is stronger when someone starts building it early.

Types of DUI Accident Cases We Handle in Decatur

Impaired driving produces some of the most preventable injury claims we see in and around Decatur. A drunk or drugged driver can wreck any kind of vehicle, and the injuries range from broken bones to permanent disability. Impaired driving is a leading cause of traffic deaths, according to CDC impaired-driving data, and it drives many of the cases we take on.

Car accidents. Most impaired-driving crashes involve passenger cars. We handle rear-end, head-on, and intersection wrecks where a drunk driver ran a light or drifted across the center line, and we deal with the insurer directly.
Truck accidents. An impaired commercial driver can cause catastrophic damage in seconds. We might pursue both the driver and the trucking company when alcohol or drugs played a role in the wreck.
Motorcycle accidents. A rider stands little chance against a car driven by someone impaired. We handle claims for motorcyclists struck by drunk drivers on Decatur streets and the highways nearby.
Bicycle accidents. Cyclists are easy to miss for a driver whose reactions are dulled by alcohol. We represent riders hit by impaired drivers on local roads and in bike lanes.
Rideshare accidents. An impaired rideshare driver, or a drunk driver who strikes a rideshare passenger, raises its own coverage questions. We sort out which policies apply and pursue every source of recovery.
Wrongful death. Some DUI crashes are fatal. We help surviving family members hold the impaired driver accountable and bring a claim for their loss.
Brain injuries. A high-speed impaired-driving crash often causes a traumatic brain injury. We work with treating providers to document the injury and the care it will demand for years.
Spinal cord injuries. A damaged spinal cord can mean permanent paralysis and a lifetime of medical needs. We build claims that account for future treatment, equipment, and lost earning power.
Catastrophic injuries. Catastrophic injuries cause permanent impairment and high long-term costs. We handle these cases and account for the ongoing medical care and lost income they bring.
Dram shop claims. A bar or restaurant that keeps serving a visibly drunk patron can share the blame. We investigate whether a business over-served the driver who hurt you, which can add another source of recovery when the driver’s coverage falls short.

Why Choose Andrew R. Lynch, P.C. as My DUI Lawyer in Decatur, GA?

A Founder Who Understands Drunk Driving Loss

For our founder, drunk driving cases are personal. In 1996, Andrew Lynch‘s teenage sister was killed by a drunk driver, and that loss set the course for his career. He has spent more than 16 years representing people hurt by impaired drivers. He graduated cum laude from Georgia State University College of Law before training through a selective trial advocacy program limited to thirty students each year. That background is exactly what you want from a personal injury lawyer in Decatur, GA. Our firm handles DUI injury cases on a contingency basis, so there are no attorney fees unless we recover for you.

Results in Impaired-Driving Injury Cases

Across Georgia, we have secured more than $100 million dollars for people hurt by negligent drivers, and our drunk-driving results include:

$10.1 million for a client who suffered a traumatic brain injury in a DUI crash
$420,000 in a DUI collision claim
$84,000 in a DUI-related car wreck

These are past results, not a prediction for any new case, and they reflect the effort we put into building an impaired-driving claim.

The firm’s work has earned recognition as a Georgia Super Lawyer and a place on the National Trial Lawyers Top 100 in Georgia since 2013. We prepare each DUI claim as if it will be tried, and that readiness often shapes how an insurer values the case before it ever reaches a courtroom.

What Is Important to Understand About a DUI Injury Case?

Damages, Liability, and Compensation for DUI Injury Cases

Liability in a DUI case is often clear. A driver who chooses to drink and get behind the wheel rarely has a strong argument that the crash was someone else’s fault. Even so, Georgia’s modified comparative negligence rule under O.C.G.A. § 51-12-33 still applies, and the driver’s insurer may try to shift part of the blame onto you to cut what it pays. As long as your share of fault stays below 50 percent, you can still recover, though the amount drops by your percentage of blame.

Georgia law allows several kinds of damages after an impaired-driving crash. Economic damages cover medical bills, future care, and lost wages. Non-economic damages cover physical pain and the way an injury changes daily life. DUI cases also open the door to punitive damages, which exist to punish and deter rather than to compensate. A court may allow them when a driver’s conduct showed conscious indifference to consequences, and driving drunk is one of the clearest examples in Georgia law. Nationwide, an impaired driver kills someone about every 44 minutes, NHTSA reports.

What Are Important Aspects of a DUI Injury Case?

Evidence of impairment is the heart of a strong DUI claim, and much of it is created in the hours right after the crash. Proving impairment usually rests on a few sources:

The police report and any DUI arrest of the driver
Breath or blood testing that shows the driver’s alcohol level
Witness accounts of how the driver acted before the crash
Video from traffic cameras, nearby businesses, or a dashcam

Georgia also recognizes social host liability and dram shop claims, which can bring a bar or a host into the case when they served someone who was already visibly impaired. Police crash reports help establish what happened, and we request them through GDOT crash records and local agencies early, before evidence goes missing.

What Is the DUI Injury Case Timeline?

Georgia’s statute of limitations gives you two years from the date of injury to file a lawsuit under O.C.G.A. § 9-3-33, and missing that deadline usually ends the claim. A claim against a government entity can carry a much shorter notice deadline. An impaired-driving crash also has a criminal side that may run alongside your civil claim, though that process does not change your two-year civil deadline.

A typical case moves through these stages:

Medical treatment until your condition stabilizes
Investigation, including the police report and any chemical test results
A demand to the driver’s insurance company
Negotiation, and a lawsuit if the offer falls short
Settlement or trial

Many claims settle. When an insurer refuses to pay what a case is worth, we prepare the claim for a DeKalb County courtroom.

What Should You Bring to Your DUI Injury Consultation?

A first meeting is more productive when our attorneys can review evidence and documentation. Helpful items include:

Any police or incident report from the crash
Photos of the vehicles, the scene, and your injuries
Medical records and bills tied to the crash
The at-fault driver’s insurance information, if you have it
Contact details for anyone who saw the crash

Bring what you can. We can request most records once we take the case. The consultation is free, and it usually takes under an hour.

Reach Out to Andrew R. Lynch, P.C. to Schedule a Consultation

A drunk-driving crash is not something you should have to sort out alone. We offer a free consultation and take DUI injury cases on a contingency basis, which means no fees unless we recover for you. Contact us to talk through what happened and what your claim may be worth.

Decatur DUI Lawyer