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Anybody who has suffered hurt as a result of the negligence of another person has the right to be compensated for their injuries. This holds true particularly for those individuals who have been hurt by drunk drivers, as well as other wrongdoers acting under the influence of alcohol. It’s not a new topic to most people that the intake of alcohol significantly elevates the risk of causing harm to other people, and as such, there should be a strict accountability when they misuse alcohol.

It isn’t a new and unheard of issue that when someone is served an excess amount of alcohol, they lose their sense temporarily. It can make a person to negligently cause harm and injure someone else as a result of drunk driving or other accidents which are alcohol-related (e.g., stumbling or causing another person to suffer a fall). For reasons like this, some states have made it a law that whenever an intoxicated person injures another person, the injured victim can sue whichever business served alcohol irresponsibly to the defaulter and started it all. The laws that allow such lawsuits against bars, restaurants and other establishments like it are called “Dram Shop Laws.”

Even though a victim cannot directly sue the business that serves alcohol to the intoxicated defaulter, the defaulter can still be sued. In truth, some states permit appropriate penalties (punitive penalties), to be assessed against an intoxicated defaulter in a lawsuit. This means that victims might be entitled to an additional monetary compensation. Punitive damages are sometimes permitted in Florida.

In Florida, businesses or individuals who sell alcohol are not held liable for injuries or damages caused by people they serve. However, there are exceptions to this. They will be held liable if they sell to minors or if they sell to individuals who are habitually addicted to alcohol. They will be strictly liable for damages or injuries caused by minors. The implications and consequences of these should not be overlooked.

Whether you are a person that was injured or suffered damages or even the person who was served the alcohol, you can still seek legal advice. It also doesn’t matter if you are the person or you own the business that served the alcohol. Dram law violations should be taken seriously. A Florida personal injury attorney can be of great assistance in cases like this.

In every case, a Florida personal injury attorney will work to investigate the facts surrounding an accident to determine all possible sources of compensation. This usually includes investigating to see if the intoxicated persons were negligently served alcohol. It helps their clients to maximize the recovery of damages. These might include physical, emotional, or financial expenses that can be associated with lost income, property damages, medical bills and more.