Being injured in a crash caused by any driver can make a person angry. When the driver was drunk or otherwise impaired, however, their lack of concern for others’ safety on the road can be particularly aggravating.
If that drunk driver suffered minor injuries in the crash compared to your own, that can feel especially unfair. Further they and their insurer may be using their lack of serious injury to try to wrongly minimize your own.
In fact, it’s not uncommon for a drunk or drugged driver to escape from a crash with far less serious injuries than their victims. That’s because sober motorists are more likely to suffer “deceleration injuries.”
What causes deceleration injuries?
When a person who is not under the influence of alcohol or other substances that act as depressants realizes that a crash is about to occur, their muscles tense and their body braces for impact. This happens reflexively and can occur within a split second. If the body has tensed up, it has less ability to absorb the energy of the crash. This can lead to more serious injuries than if it hadn’t tensed up.
Oftentimes in a crash, the vehicle comes to a sudden stop. However, the body continues to move, which can cause organ, muscle and brain damage. This movement is minimized by seat belts and airbags, which is one reason these are both so important.
Meanwhile, the drunk driver may not have even realized they were about to crash. Even if they did, they were likely in a more relaxed state. The same is true if they were under the influence of a depressant of some kind – like sleeping medication, anti-anxiety drug or marijuana. This is why most people have heard of more than one instance of a drunk driver walking away from a crash that seriously injured or killed others.
It’s crucial not to let insurers try to compare a victim’s injuries to those of an impaired driver. Getting legal guidance as early as possible can help a crash victim to more effectively fight for the compensation to which they’re entitled.