King Street Bars, Liable for DUI Accidents and Injuries
Located in Charleston, King Street has become a notorious spot known for its excessive drinking. The area’s high rate of DUI-related accidents can be attributed to overzealous bartenders and their disregard for patrons’ safety. King Street bars, liable for DUI accidents and injuries, are taking dram shop laws seriously.
Consuming alcohol at an establishment can be a fun and exciting experience. It can, however, lead to excess consumption, which brings with it the potential for criminal charges. Bartenders have been known to permit over serving of patrons in violation of applicable laws – creating difficult-to-prove scenarios that often end up in court.
Attorney Gary Christmas Get Results
For over 25 years, Gary Christmas has been fighting for the injured. He has tried many cases in court around damages, liability and insurance coverage. In most cases liability is difficult to prove but Gary has the track record of getting great results for our firm and his clients. He has made case law in SC six times in his career. One being a hand injury that went all the way to the supreme court in Washington, D.C.
Dram Shop Laws
A dram shop is a commercial establishment that sells alcoholic beverages (examples include bars, taverns, and restaurants). While most jurisdictions limit dram shop liability to commercial establishments, some jurisdictions (such as Maine) extend liability to social hosts.
Dram shop laws in most jurisdictions establish liability and negligence basis, for serving serving alcohol to a patron that is visibly intoxicated. They could also be held liable if the patron is under the age of 21.
Dram shop liability laws mean that if a customer buys a drink, leaves that location, and then causes harm, the owner of the place where the drink was served is legally responsible. Such harms may include death, injury, or other damages that result from alcohol-related motor vehicle crashes.
King Street Bars Liability
It can be difficult to prove the fault of a business or social host under dram shop laws because different people have differing tolerance levels. A bartender may not know that someone is drinking on an empty stomach, or may believe based on past experience with a patron that he or she is walking home, rather than driving a car.
What must be proved in a dram shop case varies depending on the state statutes. In Alabama, anybody hurt by a drunk person can sue a person who sold or gave liquor to the drunk person and caused his or her intoxication. The person who gave or sold liquor to the drunk person can be held liable for all compensatory damages, as well as exemplary damages. Alabama follows the rule of joint and several liability, so the alcohol vendor may be held responsible for 100% of the damages.
