Brooklyn Drunk Driver Accident Attorney

Hurt by a drunk driver in Brooklyn, NY? Contact the top drunk driver accident lawyer in Brooklyn, New York today for a free consultation and fight for the compensation and justice you deserve.

A drunk driver made a choice before they ever got behind the wheel. You made none of the choices that put you in the emergency room, out of work, or planning a funeral.

Every hour after a DWI crash in Brooklyn matters, because the driver’s insurer is already assigning an adjuster, ordering the police report, and looking for any angle to cut what they owe you.

Grigor Law Injury & Car Accident Lawyers represents people hit by impaired drivers across Brooklyn, from Bay Ridge and Sunset Park to Bed-Stuy, Flatbush, and Coney Island. Our Brooklyn drunk driver accident attorneys have handled these cases since 2015 out of our Ridgewood office, and we know how Kings County juries respond to a defendant who chose to drink and drive.

We move fast to lock down evidence, identify every liable party, and put your case in position for the full recovery a drunk driving victim deserves.

Call (718) 249-7447 for a free case evaluation. You pay nothing unless we win.

Why Hire an Attorney For Your DUI Injury Claim Now?

When a drunk driver hits you, the insurer on the other side begins building a defense the same day. Adjusters are trained to reach out quickly, gather statements that weaken your claim, and close cases at the lowest possible cost.

Drunk driving accident cases are more legally complex than standard car accidents. They can involve multiple defendants, the driver, the bar that served them, a liable employer, and unlock punitive damages that ordinary crashes do not. We know exactly how to pursue every avenue of recovery from the moment you call us.

Evidence also vanishes fast. Bar surveillance footage gets overwritten within days, and blood alcohol content (BAC) results must be formally requested from the NYPD before they are sealed. Call Grigor Law at (718) 249-7447 for a free same-day case evaluation, our Brooklyn drunk driver accident lawyers come to your hospital room, home, or rehab facility.

What to Do After a Drunk Driving Crash in Brooklyn

The decisions you make in the first hours after a crash directly shape the strength of your claim. Before anything else:

• Call 911: Tell the responding officer you suspect the driver is impaired so they can administer a field sobriety test and document BAC results in the official police report.

• Get medical care: Go to the emergency room even if you feel fine, adrenaline masks serious injuries, and a same-day medical record links your injuries directly to the crash.

• Document the scene: Photograph vehicle damage, road conditions, and your injuries. Note nearby businesses that may have exterior security cameras.

• Refuse a recorded statement: The other driver’s insurer will call within hours. Decline politely and route all communication through our office from that point forward.

Who Is Liable in a Brooklyn Drunk Driving Crash?

The drunk driver bears direct responsibility, but New York law allows us to pursue every party whose negligence contributed to your injuries. Liable parties can include:

• The intoxicated driver

• The bar, restaurant, or store that served them alcohol

• Their employer, if they were on duty at the time
  The vehicle’s registered owner under New York Vehicle and Traffic Law §388.

• A rideshare company like Uber or Lyft

A pattern we consistently see in Brooklyn drunk driving claims is that the responding officer’s report often leans on the field sobriety test alone, without the BAC result attached yet. We follow up directly with the precinct and the DA’s office to get the toxicology results into the file, because a documented BAC number is what turns a disputed liability argument into a settled one.

Can You Sue the Bar That Overserved the Driver?

New York’s Dram Shop Act (General Obligations Law §11-101) gives you the right to sue any establishment that served alcohol to a visibly intoxicated person who then caused your injuries. We subpoena bar receipts, credit card records, and surveillance footage from the hours before the crash to prove that a bar’s negligence put you at risk.

What we see in dram shop investigations out of Brooklyn is that a bar’s own point-of-sale records, not just a bartender’s memory, are usually the clearest proof of over-service. We request those transaction logs and any security footage in the first week, before a restaurant’s standard retention policy cycles them out.

What If the Driver Was Working or Using Uber or Lyft?

If the drunk driver was on the job at the time of impact, their employer can be held liable under respondeat superior, the legal principle that employers are accountable for their employees’ negligent acts performed during work. In rideshare crashes, Uber and Lyft carry commercial policies exceeding $1 million, and the applicable policy depends on whether the driver had the app active at the time of the collision.

Can You Step Outside No-Fault After a DUI Crash?

New York is a no-fault state, meaning your own Personal Injury Protection (PIP) coverage pays up to $50,000 for medical bills and lost wages after any crash, regardless of who caused it. But PIP has strict limits, and most drunk driving victims need far more than that.

You can file a personal injury lawsuit directly against the drunk driver if your injuries meet New York’s “serious injury” threshold under Insurance Law §5102(d). Qualifying conditions include:

• A bone fracture
• Significant permanent disfigurement
• Permanent limitation of a body organ or member
• disability preventing daily activity for at least 90 of the first 180 days after the crash.

DUI collisions routinely produce injuries that clear this threshold, unlocking your right to sue the driver directly for full compensation.

What Compensation Can You Recover?

Economic and Non-Economic Damages

A personal injury lawsuit allows you to demand every category of loss, not just your medical bills.

• Medical expenses: Emergency care, surgery, hospitalization, physical therapy, and all projected future treatment

• Lost wages: Income missed during recovery and any long-term reduction in earning capacity

• Pain and suffering: Physical pain, emotional distress, and the loss of daily activities that defined your life before the crash

• Property damage: The cost to repair or replace your vehicle and personal belongings

Punitive Damages in New York Drunk Driving Cases

Punitive damages go beyond compensation, they punish defendants for conduct so reckless that a financial penalty is warranted. New York courts regularly award them in DUI cases, especially when the driver had an elevated BAC or a prior drunk driving record. Our Brooklyn car accident lawyers use the possibility of punitive exposure as direct leverage when negotiating with the insurer.

What If the Drunk Driver Was Uninsured or Fled the Scene?

If the at-fault driver has no insurance or left the scene, your own Uninsured Motorist (UM) coverage is designed to pay your damages. When the driver is insured but their limits fall short of your total losses, your Supplemental Underinsured Motorist (SUM) coverage fills the gap. We identify every available policy and pursue every source of compensation to maximize your recovery.

How Does the Criminal DUI Case Affect Your Lawsuit?

The criminal prosecution and your civil lawsuit run on entirely separate legal tracks. A DUI conviction or guilty plea is powerful evidence of negligence in your civil case and makes it far harder for the defense to dispute fault. We do not wait for the criminal case to resolve, we file your civil claim when the evidence is strongest and timing demands action.

How Long Do You Have to File in New York?

In New York, personal injury victims generally have three years from the date of the accident to file a lawsuit. Wrongful death claims must be filed within two years. But two shorter deadlines catch people off guard:

• 30-day rule: Your No-Fault PIP application must reach your own insurer within 30 days of the crash, miss this and your carrier can legally deny payment for medical bills and lost wages.
• 90-day rule: If a city vehicle or public agency like the MTA was involved, a Notice of Claim must be filed within 90 days, or you will lose the right to sue that government entity entirely.

The criminal case against the drunk driver may drag on for months, but your civil deadlines run from the date of impact, not the date of any verdict. Do not wait.

How We Build Your Drunk Driving Case

Our Brooklyn drunk driver accident lawyers prepare every case as if it is going to trial. Insurance companies know our reputation and pay more to settle when they believe, correctly, that we will take a case in front of a Brooklyn jury rather than accept a lowball offer.

Our process includes:

Filing Freedom of Information Law (FOIL) requests for NYPD bodycam footage and BAC records

• Subpoenaing bar tabs and security footage before they are deleted

• Retaining accident reconstruction experts to document exactly how the crash occurred

• Partnering with medical specialists to project your future care costs and long-term functional losses

• Filing in Kings County Supreme Court and negotiating from a position of fully documented strength

When insurers refuse to pay what your case is worth, we go to verdict.

In our experience handling impaired-driving injury claims, the crashes tend to be more violent than an ordinary rear-end collision because an intoxicated driver rarely brakes before impact. We bring in a treating physician early to document the full scope of a spinal or traumatic brain injury before letting an adjuster attach a number based on an incomplete ER record.

Can You File a Wrongful Death Claim After a DUI Crash?

If a drunk driver killed your family member, The personal representative of their estate can file a wrongful death lawsuit under New York Estates, Powers and Trusts Law §5-4.1. Recoverable losses include funeral costs, the financial support your family depended on, and the conscious pain and suffering your loved one experienced before passing. The two-year deadline moves quickly, contact us as soon as you are ready to talk.

Why Choose Grigor Law?

• Courtroom-first since 2015: Founding attorney Chrissy Grigoropoulos built this firm on the belief that every case is a trial case. Insurers know it, and they pay more because of it.

• No fees unless we win: We work exclusively on a contingency fee basis, no upfront costs, and no attorney fees unless we recover money for you.

• We come to you: Our attorneys travel to your hospital, home, or rehab facility anywhere in Brooklyn, the Bronx, Long Island, or Westchester, you never need to come to us.

• Deep Brooklyn roots: Our Ridgewood office has served the Brooklyn and Queens communities since 2015. We know Kings County Supreme Court, Brooklyn juries, and every defense tactic the local insurers rely on.

Contact a Brooklyn Drunk Driver Accident Lawyer Today

The evidence in your case is at risk right now. Bar footage is being overwritten, the adjuster is building a file, and every day without legal representation is a day the other side gains ground.

Call Grigor Law at (718) 249-7447 or contact us online for a free consultation. Our attorneys serve clients across Brooklyn, the Bronx, Long Island, and Westchester from offices in Ridgewood, the Bronx, and Hempstead.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is It Worth Suing a Drunk Driver in New York?

Almost always yes, drunk driving cases often involve multiple sources of recovery, including dram shop claims against the bar that served the driver and UM or SUM coverage from your own policy, which can significantly increase your total compensation.

Can You Sue a Bar That Served the Drunk Driver?

New York’s Dram Shop Act lets you pursue any establishment that served alcohol to a visibly intoxicated person who then injured you, and we investigate those claims alongside your case against the driver.

What Happens If the Drunk Driver Had No Insurance?

Your own Uninsured Motorist (UM) coverage steps in to pay your damages when the at-fault driver carries no insurance or cannot be identified after a hit-and-run.

Can You Recover Compensation If You Were a Passenger in the Drunk Driver’s Car?

Yes, passengers have the right to recover from the drunk driver’s liability insurance regardless of their personal relationship with the driver.

What If You Were Partly at Fault for the Crash?

New York’s comparative negligence rule lets you recover compensation even if you share some responsibility, your award is simply reduced by your percentage of fault, not eliminated, unless your fault is greater than the other driver’s, a bar that took effect May 26, 2026.

How Much Does Hiring Grigor Law Cost?

Nothing upfront, our fee is a percentage of what we win for you, and you owe us nothing if we do not recover money on your behalf.