Drunk driving is dangerous, and in Montana, it is against the law. Violators of the state's drunk driving laws can be criminally sanctioned with fines, jail time and other penalties. Victims of drunk driving accidents and collisions can help prosecutors ensure that drunk drivers are stopped. But, drunk driving accident victims also have civil options for pursuing their own losses against the reckless and dangerous drivers who cause their harm.
For example, a Billings woman who caused her victim serious injuries in a drunk driving pedestrian accident recently appeared in criminal court. The woman offered pleas to some of the charges she faces and may learn her fate as the court determines what penalties she should be assessed. However, despite the ongoing criminal matter associated with this crash, her victim may have legal rights in addition to participating in the criminal trial.
Victims of drunk driving accidents can file lawsuits against the parties who cause their harm in civil courts. Civil causes of action, like negligence, wrongful death, and others, can be used as the bases of lawsuits for injuries and deaths caused in drunk driving collisions. The purpose of a civil lawsuit is not to send a dangerous driver to jail, but to require the dangerous driver to compensate his victim for the losses he caused through his conduct.
In the story presented in this post, the pedestrian accident occurred in 2014. Montana personal injury causes of action are subject to statutes of limitation that cut off when a victim may file a lawsuit to pursue compensation for his damages. Readers who have been harmed in drunk driving accidents and other violent vehicle collisions are encouraged to investigate their legal rights to pursue civil action and seek financial recompense for their accident-related losses.