Quite often, the accident victim also has the right to sue the bar, store, or party host that served the intoxicated driver before the accident. This is referred to as a Dram Shop Case. In a Dram Shop Case in Michigan, the injured person must identify and notify in writing the establishment that sold or served the drunk driver the alcohol within 120 days of the accident. The failure to meet this deadline with destroy this claim. Therefore, it is important to contact an attorney immediately to investigate this case for you.

The number of these types of alchol related accidents is discussed in the Southeast Michigan Traffic Crash Facts of 2007, which was published by the Southeast Michigan Council of Governments in May, 2008. Its report was published in cooperation with the Michigan Department of Transportation and several other state and federal agencies. The statistics are staggering.

Overall Analysis

There were a total of 12,185 alcohol related crashes in the state of Michigan in the year 2007. Of these 5101 were in the South Eastern Michigan region. The crash percentage involving alcohol was at 3.6% and this figure was only slightly lesser than what it was in 2006.

An alcohol-involved crash is defined as a traffic crash where a driver, pedestrian, or cyclist had been drinking prior to the crash as reported by police, the coroner, or other accepted authorities. Alcohol-involved crashes no longer include crashes where drugs other than alcohol were a factor.

Over 79 percent of all traffic crashes that did not involve alcohol did not result in any injuries, compared to just over 60 percent of alcohol-involved crashes. Alcohol-involved crashes were 11 times as likely to be fatal as non-alcohol-involved crashes. Drivers between the ages of 16 and 44 accounted for more than 64 percent of had-been-drinking (HBD) drivers in 2007.

Over 2.2% alcohol related accidents were fatal. This amounts to 110 crashed resulting into a fatality. About 37% of the accidents resulted in some form of injury.

December had the most alcohol-involved crashes (474) as well as the most crashes overall. April saw the fewest alcohol-involved crashes (387). Alcohol-involved traffic crashes increase on the weekends, the opposite of the pattern shown by all crashes. Saturdays had the most alcohol-involved crashes (1,135) and Tuesdays saw the fewest (496)

Livingston County Analysis

Livingston County recorded a figure of 235 alcohol related accidents in 2007 against 217 in 2006. The alcohol related crash percentage in Livingston County was also at 2.4% against 4.3% in 2006. Wayne County has the lowest percentage of alcohol-involved crashes in the region. Monroe County had the highest percentage of alcohol-related crashes nearly six out of every 100 crashes in Monroe County in 2007 involved alcohol.

An analysis of Alcohol-Involved Traffic Crashes by County from 2005-2007 is shown in this graph.

Biggest Livingston County Cities

Brighton
Pinckney
Howell
Fowlerville
Hartland

Choosing the Best Lawyer For Your Accident Case

It is important to choose a Michigan car accident lawyer as soon as possible after your accident. This will guarantee that your claims are properly submitted in a timely manner. It will also assist the attorney in performing a prompt investigation of the accident so that witnesses can be located and interviewed, photographs can be taken, and the vehicle can be preserved for an inspection. A delay in hiring a lawyer can affect the ability to prove and win your case.

If you would like more information about your rights after a Michigan car accident, you should request our FREE book, "The Ultimate Michigan Car Accident Handbook" by clicking on the book link. We will send it out immediately along with other important information.