Can a Drunk Driver Face Civil and Criminal Charges?
Whenever there is an intoxicated driver involved in a car injury case, there are both criminal and civil aspects that should be explored and coordinated to obtain the best result for a plaintiff. When an intoxicated driver causes a wreck and harms somebody, there will often be a criminal prosecution of the driver as well as a civil action based on the injuries that they caused to the other party.
While coordinating criminal and civil actions can be difficult, better evidence can be developed with the right communication between the civil attorney and the district attorney. The reason better evidence can be developed is that the district attorney has an ability to subpoena that the civil attorney often does not have access to before a lawsuit is filed. In addition, a criminal district attorney also needs the civil attorney’s cooperation to help develop the damage and witnesses. In these cases, they can use that mutual need to develop the case together.