As the holidays approach, there are many different parties that people in Tennessee attend. There are parties with friends and families, work parties, parties for charitable organizations and other groups. These are usually festive occasions where there is plenty of food and in many instances alcohol. People tend to consume alcohol at these types of parties to help them loosen up or unwind. This by itself is not a bad thing, but the choices people make after consuming alcohol can have lasting effects.
It could simply be that the people just embarrass themselves in front of friends or co-workers, but some of the choices could affect others more permanently. If people decide to get behind the wheel and drive after consuming too much alcohol, they could cause car accidents, which injure others or potentially even kill them.
In 2016 in Tennessee, there were a total of 6,244 car crashes involving an alcohol-impaired driver. This is slightly down from 2015 when there was 6,546 crashes. In Knox County there were 406 alcohol-impaired crashes, slightly up from 2015 when there were 400. These accidents resulted in 245 fatalities state-wide, which again was slightly down from 2015 when there were 261 fatalities. Of those fatalities 14 occurred in Knox County in 2016. In 2015 that county saw 14 fatalities due to drunk driving.
Fatal accidents can be extremely difficult for the family and friends of the victims as they try to move on. In most situations, the family and friends will never fully fill the void left behind. While the family will never be able to bring the loved one back, they may want to seek compensation to at least fill the financial void left behind. This is especially important when the victim was the primary income-earner for the family.
There are many alcohol-related car crashes in Tennessee each year. Losing a loved one is always very difficult, and the family and friends of the deceased will have a difficult time moving forward. A drunk driving accident is also very costly, so it is important that the victims are compensated properly. Experienced attorneys understand how devastating these accidents can be and may be able to help one pursue the compensation they need.
Source: tn.gov, “Tennessee Traffic Crash Data,” accessed Dec. 11, 2017