Experience
Uninsured Drunk Drivers
Drunk and Drugged Driver Laws
Resources
Compassion
During the past 30 years Bart Costello has represented hundreds of people injured by drunk and impaired drivers in Colorado, accumulating an impressive number of successful settlements and verdicts for our clients.
If you have suffered an injury in a collision caused by a drunk or impaired driver – or if someone you love was seriously hurt or even died from injuries from a DUI crash – you need timely, thorough and correct information about how to best move forward in your life. And you will need a strong advocate to obtain compensation and justice for what happened. It is vital that you obtain representation from an accomplished and experienced Colorado DUI/DWAI attorney.
Experience
Bart Costello has worked at both the Boulder District Attorney’s Office and the Denver Public Defender’s Office, and has experience in a wide variety of criminal and civil cases. While acting as a Deputy Public Defender, Bart Costello tried a number of DUI/DWAI cases to juries, gaining valuable experience in the complicated criminal aspects of DUI/DWAI cases. To be successfully represented, anyone injured by a drunk or impaired driver has to retain an attorney who really knows the criminal system. This includes understanding restitution laws. The State of Colorado is responsible for bringing criminal charges, which may already be in process. However, that process is criminal in nature and does not compensate the victim of a DUI/DWAI injury for the many subtle losses in such a case. A person injured in a DUI/DWAI case can bring a civil claim against the insurer of the involved drunk or impaired driver, and the insurer will then defend that claim.
The attorney that you choose to represent you needs to have extensive experience with collisions cases and insurance law, and must know how to effectively present your case in settlement negotiations as well as in Court.
Uninsured drunk drivers
If the DUI/DWAI driver is uninsured, or underinsured, and you have Uninsured Motorist Coverage in your own policy, or other applicable policy, you can have insurance coverage. In this situation, even if the insurer is “your own company”, that insurer has no incentive to comprehensively cover your losses. These Under-insured Motorist claims can become very difficult. It becomes even MORE IMPORTANT that you hire an experienced attorney.
Speak with and hire an experienced Boulder drunk driving attorney as soon as possible. Only an attorney can advise you how best to protect your rights and preserve the evidence for your case. A skilled attorney will help safeguard you early on in dealing with insurance companies. You need a highly qualified attorney who will effectively act as an intermediary on your behalf with your insurance company.
Drunk and Drugged Driver Laws, including legal Marijuana in Colorado
In Colorado, it is illegal to operate a motor vehicle with a blood alcohol concentration of 0.05% or higher. It is likewise illegal to drive while under the influence of marijuana and some prescriptions drugs. In 2012, the Colorado Department of Human Services collected 23,519 drug and alcohol evaluations. Of the total evaluations, 1,045, or nearly 5 percent, involved marijuana. Also in 2013, there were 103 fatalities involving a drugged driver, and 36 of the 288 drivers tested for drugs had cannabis only in their system. Similar to alcohol, there is an established impairment level in Colorado of five nanograms of active tetrahydrocannabinol (THC)—the active psychoactive component of marijuana—per milliliter of whole blood.
Resources
The Law Office of Bartley Costello Jr. has not only the knowledge but also the resources to hire the experts needed to best prove your case: traffic accident reconstructionists, toxicologists, life care planners, functional capacity experts and others.
After your first conversation and being retained, The Law Office of Bartley A Costello Jr. will begin the following:
- collect information about the accident itself
- obtain the names of all witnesses
- obtain the name of the insurance company(ies) for all involved vehicles
- obtain photographs of the collision scene and all involved vehicles (if possible)
- obtain copies of police reports, ambulance records, emergency room records, hospital and treatment reports
Compassion
The Law Office of Bartley A Costello Jr. will become part of your care team. They will look after your and your family’s best interests. In addition to the obvious medical problems that you (or a family member) might be suffering in the wake of a DUI/DWAI crash, other daily obligations like child care, work, bills, yard and house maintenance, and medication costs may begin to feel overwhelming. Talk to us about your needs.
No one deserves to suffer due to the actions of a drunk or impaired driver. Let our 30 years of experience help you today. Call or contact us today.