You may feel astonished and indignant if you are in a car accident with a drunk driver. You might be outraged if the drunk driver escapes harm in the automobile crash to which you and your loved ones were witnesses. You, the sufferer, maybe in pain and have to recover for a long time. And to rub salt in the wound, many intoxicated motorists often lack licenses and insurance.
Colorado’s dram shop legislation does not restrict liability to intoxicated motorists. Instead, you can seek compensation under the dram shop legislation even if the drunk driver was uninsured. It’s critical to act quickly, though. It’s important to remember that you only have a year to submit a claim under dram shop law. As such, you should consult a Glenwood Springs car accident attorney if a drunk driver has hurt you.
DRAM SHOPS ARE WHAT EXACTLY?
A dram is a small glass used to measure liquor. A dram shop is a bar or liquor store open to the general public. The dram shop legislation in Colorado imposes monetary liability on businesses serving alcoholic beverages. Dram shop responsibility also applies when a homeowner is held financially responsible for providing alcohol to their guests.
WHAT EXACTLY IS LIABILITY FOR DRAM SHOPS?
When a drunk driver causes an accident, blame is typically directed at the offending driver. However, the dram shop law establishes a responsibility toward the victims of accidents caused by inebriated drivers. When serving alcoholic beverages, business owners must use reasonable care. A business can be held financially responsible for drunk driving accidents if it violates its duty of care under the dram shop statute.
A bar may have broken its duty of care to you, the victim, if, for instance, it served alcohol to someone who appeared to be visibly inebriated. Thus, you can hold a business (bar, restaurant, nightclub) liable for damages caused by an intoxicated customer under the dram shop statute.
In Colorado, a law regarding taverns is called the “Dram Shop Act.”
Victims of intoxicated drivers have legal recourse thanks to the Dram shop act. Damages caused by a drunk driver may be claimed against pubs, restaurants, and nightclubs in Colorado, as well as their owners and workers.
There are two main schools of thought on dram shop responsibility. If a bar or club “willfully and deliberately” served someone younger than 21 without verifying their age, it may have failed to meet its obligation to you.
