Last August, a state representative from Bridgeport was involved in a serious car accident. Despite laws against it, she fled the scene, leaving an injured victim behind. The driver of the car she hit was serious injured in the collision. She has racked up more than $11,000 in medical expenses to treat the back injuries and concussion she suffered in the crash. Now, the victim is suing the lawmaker, claiming she was intoxicated at the time of the crash.

The lawsuit, filed in Bridgeport Superior Court, claims that the lawmaker’s drunk driving directly caused the car accident. The state representative has declined to comment on the case, but her father has told news reporters that his daughter did not drink before the crash. He is also named as a defendant in the lawsuit.

Unfortunately, despite widespread knowledge of the destruction it can cause, people continue to drive while intoxicated. What these people often fail to realize, however, is that doing so puts themselves and others in serious danger. As we saw in this accident, drunk driving can lead to serious injuries or worse for victims.

If a person is injured in a drunk driving accident, he or she can choose to sue the negligent driver by filing a personal injury lawsuit, as the victim in this case did. Through a personal injury claim, a victim can seek compensation for medical expenses and other damages related to the car accident. An attorney can help walk a drunk driving accident victim through the process of filing a civil lawsuit.

Source: Norwich Bulletin, “Connecticut lawmaker sued over hit-and-run accident,” April 2, 2013