Drunk Driving Accident Lawyer in Lexington, KY

According to the CDC, roughly ten thousand lives are lost to drunk driving accidents every year, and more than one million drivers are arrested for driving under the influence of alcohol or narcotics.

At The Cagle Law Firm, however, you’re more than just a statistic. If the carelessness of an impaired motorist has hurt you or a loved one, our personal injury attorneys believe you deserve compensation. In order to obtain the needed compensation for medical expenses, you will need an experienced car accident attorney to make your claim including past, present and future medical, lost wages and pain and suffering.

As the numbers above indicate, too many people don’t take the dangers of driving under the influence seriously. When you need a drunk driving accident lawyer in Kansas City, MO, who does take it seriously, look no further than The Cagle Law Firm.

The Effects of Alcohol on Driving Ability in Kansas City

Impaired Vision

The CDC reports that with a blood alcohol concentration of just .02—estimated as roughly two drinks for 160 lb. man—the average person’s vision is already in decline, reducing their ability to track moving objects.

At higher blood alcohol levels, visual impairment only increases. At .05, a driver may experience difficulty focusing their eyes, resulting in blurred vision, while .08 perception diminishes perception, reducing a driver’s ability to notice changes in their environment.

Slowed Reaction Time

Even when a drunk driver does notice a change in their environment, they may not be in any shape to do something about it. At a .05 blood alcohol level, most people will find both their coordination disrupted and reaction time slowed.

Worse yet, at .08 a driver will find it difficult to concentrate and may lack awareness of their speed, increasing the likelihood of a speeding accident. The Cagle Law Firm’s drunk driving accident lawyers know that’s not to be taken lightly when the difference between life and death can be measured in seconds.

Lost Muscle Control

Sometimes it’s not failing to see or react promptly to traffic emergencies that cause drunk driving accidents, but rather a physical inability to operate one’s vehicle as intended.

With as low a blood alcohol level as .08—the bare minimum to be found legally intoxicated—a driver will begin to experience difficulty controlling muscles and maintaining balance. At higher levels, the body struggles to respond to the brain’s commands, resulting in all-around reduced vehicle control.

Poor Judgment

It’s tempting to say that poor judgment is exhibited the moment a person chooses to drink and drive. Like texting while driving, it is an act of carelessness. However, poor judgment doesn’t end when one initially chooses to get intoxicated. The intoxication itself makes things worse.

A .05 blood alcohol level is enough to suspend one’s inhibitions and induce blissful feelings regardless of the seriousness of a situation, while a .08 level interferes with the mind’s ability to reason and even retain short-term memory. Those injured, meanwhile, are left with memories and injuries they can never forget. Our Kansas City drunk driving attorneys won’t forget, either.

Find a Kansas City Drunk Driving Accident Attorney Today

For all the reasons above and more, it’s clear that drinking and driving should never mix. But sometimes drivers choose to climb behind the wheel after driving. When that happens, innocent people are hurt.
When you drive safely, you’re not only protecting yourself and your passengers, you’re protecting everyone else on the road. This includes other drivers and their passengers, as well as pedestrians. Being safe on the road is extremely important, and every driver needs to act responsibly. Each of us makes an agreement through licensing and participating in operating a motor vehicle, that we will each take responsibility and operate safely. Accidents like those caused by texting while driving and drunk driving are completely avoidable when drivers act responsibly.

Drunk driving accidents are responsible for about 28% of all traffic-involved deaths. If you or a loved one were involved in a drunk driving accident, The Cagle Law Firm is here to help with an experienced drunk driving accident lawyer in Lexington, KY.

Why Do Drunk Driving Accidents Occur?

Of course, a drunk driving accident is caused by a driver under the influence of alcohol, but many factors cause drunk drivers to get into accidents. Alcohol affects the body in multiple ways, and most of them affect a person’s ability to drive. This makes it extremely easy for a drunk driver to cause a serious accident that requires you to find a personal injury lawyer.

Here are a few ways alcohol can impair drivers and cause drunk driving accidents.

Reaction Time and Alertness

When you’re driving, you have to stay constantly alert and aware of your surroundings. You need to always be ready for things like sudden stops and other changes in driving conditions. Drunk drivers aren’t alert and do not pay close attention to the road. Once a drunk driver is aware of what’s happening around them, it can take them longer than a sober person to react to it physically. This can make it difficult for drunk drivers to correct themselves and prevent an accident.

Spatial Awareness

Safe drivers focus on staying in their lanes and keeping an adequate amount of space between them and other vehicles. Alcohol can have a major impact on a person’s spatial awareness. Because of this, drunk drivers aren’t able to tell where they are in relation to other vehicles and their surroundings. They could drive dangerously close to other vehicles or not realize they’re swerving into other lanes.

Vision

Clear vision is, of course, essential when you’re driving. However, alcohol can have a huge impact on a person’s vision. This can make a person’s vision extremely blurry. Drunk drivers may fail to understand or observe important road signs or pedestrians. This is especially dangerous at night when many drunk driving accidents occur.

Coordination

Drunk drivers have poor coordination and little control over their bodies. As hand, eye, and foot coordination gets worse, operating a vehicle becomes more dangerous. This can make it difficult to steer a vehicle and work the breaks and accelerator. Poor coordination can also affect a driver’s reaction time.

Contact a Drunk Driving Accident Lawyer in Lexington, KY, Today

Getting hit by a drunk driver can cause serious injuries, emotional trauma, and financial troubles. Drunk driving car crashes are maddening because they are completely preventable. Recovering from one of these accidents can be painful, and the effects are often long-lasting. A drunk driving accident attorney in Lexington, KY, can help get you and your loved ones through it and fight for you to receive the financial compensation you deserve.

It can be hard to know what to do after a drunk driving accident, but The Cagle Law Firm can help. Contact us for a free consultation.
The Cagle Law Firm believes that injured people deserve justice and that the insurance carriers who choose not to treat them fairly deserve to pay a price. If you feel the same way, contact us today for a free consultation with a drunk driving accident lawyer in Kansas City, MO. Don’t suffer alone; let us fight for the compensation to which you are entitled.