Philadelphia Injury Attorney Blog

Since 1979, the Philadelphia personal injury law firm of Reiff and Bily has been representing individuals who have been involved in accidents or assaults by individuals who were visibly intoxicated and continued to be served intoxicating substances by bars or establishments known as Dram Shops. The current laws of Pennsylvania allow for Dram Shops to be held liable for injuries caused or suffered by intoxicated persons. The theory behind the Pennsylvania Dram Shop Law is to protect not only the public at large but also to protect the individual consuming the alcohol.

Currently Pennsylvania is in a minority of jurisdictions that allows intoxicated patrons to recover for damages caused by their own intoxication if the bar or restaurant that served them had knowledge that they were intoxicated. Often Pennsylvania’s Dram Shop law comes into play when an intoxicated person causes a serious car accident or the person is injured in a bar fight.

Continue reading "Pennsylvania’s Current Dram Shop Law Makes It Unlawful To Serve Liquor or Malt or Any Brewed Alcoholic Beverages To Any Person Visibly Intoxicated" »

Posted by Jeffrey M. Reiff | Permalink | Email This Post

Posted In: Dram Shop

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Driving is a privilege, not a right. Too many drivers do not take the proper responsibility to handle their motor vehicle in a safe manner. It is a sad fact that far too often a driver is intoxicated and causes an accident that results in serious injury or death to the other party. The Philadelphia auto accident attorneys at the law firm of Reiff and Bily have been researching and successfully handling drunk driver cases since 1979.

The Pennsylvania Department of Transportation (PennDot) reports that in 2005, drunk driving was responsible for 12,590 crashes, 313 of them being fatal. One alarming concern was that 22% of driver deaths between the ages of 16 to 20 (under the legal age of 21) were drunk drivers. Of the age group 21-35, 50% of driver deaths were drunk drivers. In total, 580 people died in alcohol-related crashes. On average, each day there was 36 alcohol-related traffic crashes with 1.6 people killed and 29 injured. Most alcohol-related crashes occurred between midnight and 4 AM on the weekends.

A Pennsylvania uninsured motorist accident is common, in general, but especially so for drunk drivers. Often, drunk drivers do not have insurance or not enough insurance coverage for damages. Often drunk driving could be avoided with help from others. It is always a good idea to have a designated driver and never drive after drinking. Some bars and restaurants have a breath alcohol content (BAC) machine, which will tell you if you are over the legal limit. The key to stop drunk driving is prevention; prevent someone who has had too much to drink from getting behind that wheel.

Continue reading "Dram Shops and Drunk Drivers – Death From A Bottle" »

Posted by Jeffrey M. Reiff | Permalink | Email This Post

Posted In: Dram Shop , Insurance Claims , Personal Injury

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