New Orleans Drunk Driving ATtorNEY

Drunk Driving Accident Lawyer in New Orleans East

Drunk and Drug-Impaired Drivers Put Everyone Around Them at Risk

Alcohol, drugs, and some medications can make drivers slower to react, less aware of traffic, and more likely to make dangerous decisions behind the wheel. When an impaired driver causes a crash, the injuries are often serious because the driver may not brake, steer away, or recognize the danger until it is too late.

Donald D’Aunoy Jr. represents people injured in drunk driving and drug-impaired driving crashes throughout New Orleans East, including accidents on I-10, Chef Menteur Highway, Lake Forest Boulevard, Crowder Boulevard, and neighborhood streets.

Why Impaired Driving Crashes Are Often So Severe

Impaired drivers frequently misjudge distance, ignore traffic signals, drift between lanes, or fail to notice stopped vehicles. Some drive too fast for the conditions, while others react slowly or make sudden overcorrections after realizing they are about to crash.

Common impaired driving crash scenarios include:

• Rear-end crashes with little or no braking
• Head-on collisions caused by drifting into oncoming traffic
• Intersection crashes from running red lights or stop signs
• Sideswipe accidents caused by lane drifting
• Pedestrian, cyclist, or roadside crashes caused by poor awareness
• Multi-vehicle crashes when one impaired driver loses control

These crashes can cause traumatic brain injuries, broken bones, spinal injuries, internal injuries, severe lacerations, and other injuries that require significant medical care.

DWI, Drug-Impaired Driving, and Civil Injury Claims

Louisiana commonly uses the term DWI for impaired driving offenses, but people may also refer to these crashes as DUI accidents, drunk driving accidents, or drugged driving accidents. The impairment may involve alcohol, illegal drugs, prescription medications, or other substances that make driving unsafe.

The important thing to keep in mind is that the criminal case, which is separate from the civil injury case, is run by city or state prosecutors. Your injury claim, which will focus on how the crash affected your health, finances, and daily life, will be handled by the personal injury attorney you hire, not a city or district prosecutor.

A criminal case can help the civil claim if there is an arrest, guilty plea, conviction, toxicology evidence, bodycam footage, or officer testimony, but the injured person generally does not need a conviction to bring a civil claim.

Evidence That May Matter After an Impaired Driving Crash

In impaired driving cases, the related criminal investigation may create additional evidence that is not available in a typical car accident claim. Police may document field sobriety observations, request chemical testing, record bodycam footage, or create reports connected to the DWI arrest. That evidence can be valuable in a civil injury claim, but it still needs to be obtained, reviewed, and connected to the crash and resulting injuries.

Useful evidence may include:

• Police accident reports
• DWI arrest records or citations
• Field sobriety test observations
• Breath, blood, or urine test results
• Body camera or dashcam footage from law enforcement
• Witness statements about erratic driving or the driver’s behavior after the crash
• Surveillance video from nearby businesses
• Crash scene photos, vehicle damage, and skid marks
• Medical records documenting the injuries

Some evidence may disappear quickly, especially video footage, witness details, and physical evidence from the crash scene. Acting early can make it easier to preserve information that may later become important.