Everyone is aware of the potential consequences of a car accident. Those involved can be killed or seriously injured resulting in a lengthy hospital stay. However, many people are not as aware that the recovery from such an accident doesn’t end with a patient’s release from the hospital but can last for years afterward. One young man in Connecticut claims that he still has pain from a drunk driving accident that happened almost three years ago.

The man, who was 18 at the time of the accident, had pulled over to talk with friends but was still sitting in the driver’s seat of his car. According to reports, he noticed a car jump the median and strike a different car before hitting him. He says he was in agony on impact and briefly thought he could be paralyzed.

While not paralyzed, his hips were broken and his back injured. He remained in the hospital for five days but spent an additional four months bedridden, being cared for by his parents. His parents also claim that he sank into a depression as a result of his injuries. Due to continued pain years after the accident, he still cannot participate in some of the activities that he used to love.

He and his family claim that the punishment for the drunk driver was too lenient; in 2012, the 47-year-old driver, with previous DUI convictions on her record, pleaded no contest to charges stemming from the drunk driving accident. She was sentenced to four months in prison and three years of probation. While the family did not receive the justice they felt they deserved in criminal court, they can seek help with the financial burdens created by the accident in a Connecticut civil court. If they can prove the woman’s negligence caused the accident, they could receive a monetary award to cover medical bills, lost wages, pain and suffering as well as other damages permitted under state law.

Source: New Haven Register, Repeat DUI offender leaves Trumbull man in daily pain, Michelle Tuccitto Sullo, Jan. 4, 2014