On January 11, 2012, the Muncie Star Press reported that 21-year-old Ball State University student Jennifer Miller crashed a car into one of four decorative glass domes on campus. Miller told police that she had been drinking at a gathering in a nearby apartment before being given the keys to a friend’s car. A portable breath test indicated her blood alcohol content was 0.18 percent, more than twice the legal limit, the Press reported.
On January 16, 2012, the Evansville Courier & Press reported that 27-year-old Curtis White was “extremely intoxicated” and traveling all over the roadway when he was arrested on a preliminary charge of driving while intoxicated with a prior DUI conviction. White was reportedly going 20 miles per hour on the Lloyd Expressway and traveling on a flat tire.
These are two arrests in the past month that represent the sort of embarrassing, unwanted public attention you can expect a DUI arrest to garner. However, neither of these ended up being car accidents that injured other motorists. While we have primarily focused on not driving drunk this weekend, if you are hosting a Super Bowl party this Sunday, you should also know that you could be held liable if a guest from your party gets into an accident after leaving.
In Indiana, the people injured or the families of people killed in drunk driving accidents can not only be entitled to compensation from the negligent driver, but also from the host of a party or other person who provided alcohol to an obviously intoxicated person under Indiana’s social host law. Similarly, bars, restaurants, liquor stores or other establishments that provide alcohol to already intoxicated people can also be sued under the Dram Shop Act.
While hosting a party is a great way to avoid driving after consuming liquor yourself, it is critical to remember that doing so will not absolve you should one of your guests get into a drunk driving accident. In fact, by hosting, you assume the responsibility of making sure that none of your guests get behind the wheel while intoxicated.
We certainly hope that everyone is able to have a fun and festive time with the Super Bowl in Indianapolis this Sunday, but most importantly, we hope everybody is able to do so safely and responsibly.
Doehrman Chamberlain – Indianapolis car accident lawyers
