Alcohol is an integral part of American life and is one of the most
readily available consumer products on today's market. It's cheap and is
often marketed toward young people as an acceptable part of popular
culture. However, while drinking is a normal accompaniment to most social
events, our society no longer accepts that drunk driving crashes are
unavoidable accidents. More than 100,000 deaths are attributable to
alcohol consumption each year, and the economic costs associated with
alcohol problems total more than $100 billion annually.
For victims who survive a drunk driving crash, the crash itself is just
the beginning. In a split second, their lives are often changed forever,
becoming a daily struggle emotionally, physically and financially. In many
cases, the offender often walks away with only minor injuries or no
injuries at all, receives a slap on the wrist or is sentenced to a few
months in jail. The victim, on the other hand, often sustains serious
injuries that result in paralysis, coma, traumatic brain injury or life in
a vegetative state.
For the families of a loved one involved in a drunk driving collision,
life is suddenly interrupted, and the tragic consequences soon follow.
Life becomes a prison, not only for the seriously injured victim, but,
also, for the care giving family members who must adjust to the day-to-day
challenges of becoming an around-the-clock care giver. Their life gets put
on hold. They lack the energy to maintain normal activities, becoming
overwhelmed with emotion and struggling to cope with the unrelenting
demands of day-to-day life.
Financially, the costs for medical treatment can be astronomical, as the
offender often has no insurance. Prescriptions, therapy and respite care
can become all consuming. In many cases the injured person will end up
permanently disabled and begin receiving disability payments much less
than their regular income.
As if the sorrow that follows is not enough, dealing with the legal
ramifications can be overwhelming. Many victims of these tragic collisions
describe life afterwards as a scream that won't come, forever haunted, a
living hell, because life is never again the same as it was before the
wreck. If you or a loved one has become the victim of a drunk driver, call
Law Offices of Gary Green. We are a corporate sponsor of
Mothers Against Drunk
Driving. MADD's mission is to stop drunk driving, support the victims
of this violent crime and prevent underage drinking. Law Offices of Gary
Green makes a contribution to MADD in honor of every victim it represents
against a drunk driver.
