Sandusky Drunk Driving Accident Lawyers
You Deserve the Best After Being Hit by a Drunk Driver
Murray & Murray brings reliable legal representation to people throughout Sandusky and Ohio who have been hit by drunk drivers. We know that after a violent crash by an irresponsible driver, you will be stressed and exhausted. To hopefully help you get the rest you need and deserve, we would like to offer our legal services to you as well.
Our law firm has been designed to be able to handle drunk driving accident claims from start to finish. Using our connections with local law enforcement agencies, medical providers, crash investigators, and other law firms, we can get right to work on pinpointing liability and calculating your damages accurately. First founded in 1931, we are one of the most experienced law firms in all of Ohio, and we believe we are easily the hardest-working lawyers in Sandusky.
See the Murray & Murray difference for yourself. Call (419) 664-3711 now or fill out our online contact form.
Ohio Drunk Driving Statistics
The Ohio State Highway Patrol reported in 2019 that 597 individuals were killed in OVI-related crashes; an all-time high compared to the previous 5 years. In 2020, over 4,800 individuals were pulled over for operating a vehicle while intoxicated.
Useful Evidence After a Drunk Driving Accident
Pursuing a maximized compensation amount after a drunk driving accident requires clear and convincing evidence of liability. Simply saying that the other driver was drunk behind the wheel will not provide a strong foundation for your claim. Instead, you will want to consider various types of proof that you can bring to our drunk driving accident attorneys if you have already collected it. If you have not, then we can use our 90+ years of legal experience to check for evidence that might have otherwise been overlooked.
Three sources of useful evidence in a drunk driving accident claim are:
- Eyewitness statements: Drunk drivers exhibit erratic driving behaviors due to their intoxication, which slows their reaction time, worsens their ability to judge distances, blurs their vision, and more. When a driver is moderately or severely intoxicated, it becomes more and more obvious to others that they are. Other drivers that witnessed your accident might be able to provide valuable testimonies about what they saw, such as the drunk driver speeding, swerving, and so forth.
- Police reports: Some of the most useful information to use in a drunk driving accident claim comes from local law enforcement officers who report to the scene of the crash. They have been specially trained to identify intoxication in drivers, so any input and insight they provide are taken seriously by responding insurance companies. We will want to check any police reports related to your crash to see if the officers noted signs of intoxication in the other driver. Afterward, other police reports may mention the driver’s blood alcohol concentration (BAC) level.
- EMT reports: There may also be useful information to ascertain through the review of reports created by emergency medical technicians who first arrive at the scene of your car accident. They will often make reports similar to those of law enforcement officers. Within their notes could be mention of the liable driver’s intoxication, such as their inability to respond to basic safety instructions.
Criminal Conviction Used in an OVI Accident Claim
To keep the criminal justice system free from outside influence, its courts are intentionally kept separate from civil courts that handle injury claims. The separation does not mean that what happens in one court cannot be useful to the other. Specifically, if the driver who hit you is convicted of drunk driving by a criminal court, then you can use that conviction as evidence of liability in your car accident claim.
For the most part, criminal OVI (Operating a Vehicle While Intoxicated) cases are concluded only weeks or possibly a few months after the defendant’s initial arrest. Ohio has a two-year statute of limitations on personal injury claims. With this in mind, we can likely wait to see how the criminal court handles the liable party’s defense case before filing your claim.
Murray & Murray is Standing By – Call (419) 664-3711
The sooner you get our Sandusky drunk driving accident attorneys on your side, the sooner you can let yourself rest and relax. We are committed to doing more than you might expect from a law firm to make your life easier after being hit by a drunk driver. No matter how much compensation you need for your medical bills, missing wages, emotional pain, and other damages, we are willing to fight for them in and out of court.
Start your claim today by contacting us online and arranging a free consultation.
Bad Injury? Great Lawyers!
Ohio Expertise, National Excellence.
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Dennis E. Murray Jr."Placing that final piece to reveal the entire picture is what drew me to this profession. When a client trusts me to tell their story and bring them justice, that gives me the same satisfaction." -
Charles M. Murray"No different than most kids, I dreamt of being a hero as a child—and there was no bigger hero in my life than my father. He often told us stories about the people who were relying on him to resolve their tragedies; I always knew that was the kind of person I wanted to be."
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Margaret M. Murray"I work to be an advocate for my clients and help them in the best and most meaningful way possible. Presenting a case to the court and having the clients understand just how much we care about their very personal and individual claims is very important to me."
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James L. Murray"The relationships with my clients are built through hours of listening and working together. That is what makes my job worthwhile. It is a great thrill when I get to tell clients that we’ve won a case and that they will be able to rebuild or improve their lives as a result of our hard work together."
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Florence A. Murray"Fairness has always been my driving force—knowing that no one ever deserves or wants to be in a situation where they need an attorney. I believe that one of the greatest joys in life is interacting with and helping other people, and it’s this knowledge that I take with me to my practice every day."
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Nolan E. Murray"I treat each case and client as unique and strive zealously to advocate for the very real and personal issues facing them. At Murray & Murray, providing first-rate counsel is not an ambition, it is an expectation."
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Kelly E. Murray"My focus is on providing steadfast support to our clients by leveraging the strength of nearly 100 years of success to ensure that justice is not just an aspiration, but a tangible reality for those we represent."
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Dennis E. Murray Sr."After over 50 years of practicing law, I still remember my first class-action lawsuit for the civil rights of women and persons of color. That’s my dedication—to give 100% effort to every moment that I work on each case."
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William H. Bartle"Working with my clients to prepare for trial and seeing them through the entire process from beginning to the very end gives me as much satisfaction today as it did when I began my career."
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Donna Jean A. Evans"I’ve been involved in many complex litigations for both class action and individual suits, giving my all to each case. It’s why I love my job; it allows me to fight for the victim."
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Joseph A. Galea"My goal is to treat every client – whether a potential client calling for help, a newly-signed client, or a long-time client – the way I would want my friends and family to be treated if they had to hire an attorney. That goal is present in every case I work on. I want clients to know they’re being cared for – and that I am thinking about their cases even when I’m not in the office, because I know how important that case is."
The Murray & Murray Difference
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Longstanding History and Experience
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Maximize Our Clients Outcome
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Stake Our Reputations on Our Cases
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Passionate About Evolving the Law
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Committed to the Community