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Drunk drivers are often less seriously injured than their victims

On Behalf of | Jan 20, 2025 | Drunk Driving Accidents |

If you have recently been involved in a collision caused by a drunk driver, you might have learned that they suffered only minor injuries, if any, while your injuries may be serious. That can be puzzling and — if we’re being honest – seem unfair. In fact, they and their insurance company might even be using their lack of serious injuries to question your medical condition.

It’s not an uncommon scenario that a drunk driver walks away from a crash they caused while their victims suffer catastrophic or even fatal injuries. There’s a fairly simple explanation for why that happens. It all has to do with how the human body reacts to imminent danger.

Understanding deceleration injuries

If an unimpaired driver or passenger realizes, even for a split second, that a crash is imminent, their body will brace for it. Their muscles tense up. A driver may hold on tight to the steering wheel or hit the brake. A passenger may grab onto a door handle or reach back to try to shield a child in the back seat.

This can cause “deceleration injuries.” These are injuries suffered when the body tenses up in a moving vehicle just before a collision causes it to come to a sudden stop. The movement of the vehicle and the bodies in it quickly decelerate. If a body has tensed up, it’s less able to absorb the energy caused by the crash than if it were relaxed. That often worsens the extent of their injuries.

A driver who’s drunk or impaired by certain types of drugs is less likely to realize that a crash is imminent, so they don’t tense up. Even if they do realize what’s about to happen, their reactions will be slower and their body is more relaxed than if they were sober. Either way, they’re less likely to suffer deceleration injuries.

This is one reason why it’s imoortant not to let anyone compare the extent of your or a loved one’s injuries with that of an impaired driver. If a drunk or drugged driver was responsible for your crash, you have the right to seek the compensation you need to cover medical treatment and other financial losses – both in the short and long term. You may be entitled to non-economic damages as well. This is separate from any criminal charges the other driver faces – although it always helps if they plead guilty or are convicted.

It’s a lot to deal with. Getting experienced legal guidance as soon as possible can help you secure the compensation to which you’re entitled.