Drunk driving is a huge problem here, even during the pandemic
Drunk driving wrecks are the number one cause of fatalities on our Texas roads. They are usually high speed collisions often caused by immature men driving huge pickup trucks. Like almost every vehicle collision, they are 100% preventable.
As a personal injury lawyer who has specialized in motor vehicle collisions for over 40 years, Bill Berenson has represented far too many victims of drunk driving wrecks, including the horrific “affluenza teen” case where his client was tragically paralyzed for life and four people tragically died.
Drunk driving happens all the time in Texas. Alcohol and drug use has unfortunately become part of our culture.
Department of Transportation statistics show that in 2018, there were about 4,000 drunk driving collisions just here in Tarrant and Dallas Counties that took the lives of 127 people.
One of the best ways to prevent DWIs is to sue drunk drivers and the companies that hire them and go after the companies that insure them. That will force the drivers and those that can hold them accountable to force necessary changes, whether it is firing them from their jobs, making them get counseling, or raising their premiums/cancelling their insurance policies.
We must also stop bars, restaurants, and retail establishments from over serving drivers, especially those less than 18 years old, and setting them loose on the roads.
Mothers Against Drunk Driving is vital in this fight
This is why Bill Berenson is an avid supporter of Mothers Against Drunk Driving. This worthwhile nonprofit organization is the only group that raises awareness of the deadly danger of drunk driving, lobbies for stronger laws and enforcement of DWI laws, and provides support to the victims of drunk driving crashes and their families.
MADD was founded by a remarkable woman who lost her daughter to a drunk driver 40 years ago. Since then, MADD has reduced drunk driving crashes by one-half, saved an estimated 370,000 lives, and prevented millions of injuries. This is a cause Bill is happy to support.
For years, Bill has supported MADD financially, served on the advisory board of directors for North Texas (as the only representative from Tarrant County) and attended its events. He was honored to receive its Commitment Award in 2017.
MADD has asked Bill to write blogs for its web site. This is the most recent one. Pandemic has not stopped DWI epidemic
Walk Like MADD was on Saturday
Bill participated in the annual Walk Like MADD. It raised more than $31,000 to support its many programs. Due to the pandemic, this year’s event was virtual so participants could not meet to grieve and pledge to remove intoxicated drivers from North Texas roads.
Bill was the Presenting Sponsor in previous years when the event was held in Fort Worth. Last year, he enjoyed attending the event in Irving and running in the 5K race. The photograph at the top was taken there.
DWIs are a 24/7 problem here in Texas, even now
During this catastrophic pandemic, a problem like drunk driving may seem unimportant to a lot of people. But any time you drive, especially late at night, you could be a victim.
And although fewer people are driving due to the coronavirus, hundreds of drunks are still causing car crashes in the DFW area each month. For example, just this Saturday at 7:00 p.m., a past client of ours and his friend were crashed into by a man who admitted to drinking “at least two” over sized alcoholic beverages.
10 ways to reduce drunk driving wrecks
We have advocated for stronger DWI and traffic safety laws and tougher enforcement of them for years.
These must happen if we are to reduce the number of drunk driving collisions:
- Conduct year-round “no refusal weekends” where drunk drivers cannot decline to have breath samples taken or blood drawn, not just on certain holiday weekends by a few counties;
- Set up sobriety checkpoints on major roads on weekend nights;
- Increase police officer patrols and require them to verify that liability insurance cards they are given are still in force and are not fraudulent;
- Stop insurance companies from excluding drivers from policies;
- Require engine interlocks for all offenders that cannot be evaded;
- Force automakers to install Driver Alcohol Detection Systems and monitoring software to prevent reckless driving;
- Lower the blood alcohol limit from .08% to .05%;
- Require more television, radio, billboard, and social media PSAs and driver’s education materials to increase alcohol and drug crash awareness;
- Increase funding for government DWI prevention programs and MADD: and
- File more criminal proceedings and civil lawsuits, stop allowing so many people to have their criminal charges plead down or dismissed, and publicize stiff jail sentences and high verdicts to send a message that drunk driving will be punished.
Berenson Injury Law gives back to the community
Bill and Berenson Injury Law are active in the Fort Worth and North Texas cities that we serve. Mr. Berenson cares about the safety of our community and believe that it is his civic duty to make this a better place to live. Here is more information about his community service.
Bill moved to Fort Worth after he graduated from law school at Southern Methodist University in Dallas in 1980 – the same year MADD was started – and raised his family here. He also runs and cycles on our roads and wants them to be safer.
Contact Berenson Injury Law to discuss what you can do if you are in a crash
If you or someone you know or love has been injured in North Texas in a motor vehicle crash, Bill and the team at Berenson Injury Law are here to help you. Our personal injury lawyer stands up for car wreck victims and their families.
We are committed to fighting to holding drunk drivers responsible and getting our clients the compensation they deserve.
And if you are worried that you will have to testify in court years from now, we are often successful in obtaining good recoveries of money in these crashes out of court so our clients can get more their money quicker.
Our law firm has settled two DWI crash cases for substantial amounts in the past month, showing how common they are. A husband and his wife were in this truck and the wife was seriously injured when they were hit by a drunk driver on a Houston highway.
And for someone shopping around to hire a good Fort Worth personal injury lawyer wondering if we can get the job done for you, this client just wrote this 5 star review on Google:
“We were in a car accident which was not our fault. The at fault person’s insurance company was doing everything they could to get out of paying for our injuries. We hired Mr. Berenson & it was such a relief to let him deal with the other insurance company. Thank you to Mr. Berenson, Jessica and his team, you all made the process so easy and got us the settlement we deserved. We highly recommend Mr. Berenson.”
Please contact us to learn more about how we can assist you.