One in three traffic deaths involves an impaired driver. More than 530 people a year die in drunk driving crashes in Illinois alone.

Our DUI accident lawyer in Peoria, IL knows that driving under the influence or DUI doesn’t just mean driving over the legal limit, with a blood alcohol concentration (BAC) of 0.08% or higher. You can also be cited for DUI if your BAC is between 0.05% and 0.08% if you seem impaired to the officer. Car accidents are much more likely to happen even if only a minimal amount of alcohol is consumed before a driver gets behind the wheel of their car.

Serious injury in a car accident can not only leave you with large medical bills, it can also disrupt your life, harming your job, activities and even relationships. If you were in an accident caused by a driver charged with a DUI it is important to know your legal options. Consultation with an experienced DUI attorney can give you opportunity to get the compensation and justice you deserve.

DUI accidents are not caused by drunk drivers alone. DUI can also be a charge when the driver has not had any alcohol. Per Illinois law, a DUI charge also includes driving while under the influence of “any amount of a drug, substance, or compound in such person’s blood, other bodily substance, or urine.…”

If you are involved in a car accident and one of the drivers was charged with DUI, be sure you understand your rights. Talk to a skilled Peoria DUI accident lawyer today to learn if you have a case. Our Peoria-based team at the Law Office of Jeff Green will ensure we get the compensation you deserve for your injuries.

When you are involved in an accident with a drunk driver, the consequences can be very tragic—even deadly. From the physical pain resulting from the crash to the mental anguish and lingering consequences of some crash-related injuries, costs can become astronomical. Physical therapy and rehabilitation, medical expenses, the negative impact emotionally on the ability to live a normal life—all contribute to the costs of being involved in an accident with an impaired driver. And certainly, when there is a loss of life, no amount of money can take away the pain of the loss of a loved one.

As soon as you start drinking, alcohol begins to be absorbed into your bloodstream. Alcohol reaches every area of the body, including the brain, and immediately starts to affect you mentally and physically. The more you drink, the more it impairs your judgment, thinking skills, and motor function. Even moderate drinking can negatively affect reaction times, due to the effects of alcohol on the brain.

As drinking continues, your speech can become slurred, your vision is impaired, and motor functions are severely impacted. Because of the effects on the brain, your judgment becomes more and more impaired the more you drink. You may feel “fine” or think you are acting normally, but your body and chemistry tell the real story.

Generally speaking, the body takes one hour to metabolize a drink consisting of a maximum of 1.5 oz. of liquor, 5 oz. of wine, or up to 12 oz. of most beers. However, it can be hard to measure your intake based on the number of drinks you have had. Some drinks are served in much larger glasses than an average standard serving size, so “one” drink can contain the alcohol equivalent of two or three drinks. A person’s body size, metabolism, and other individualized factors also make it unwise to gauge effects based on number of drinks.