Do I Need a Lawyer If a Drunk Driver Hit Me in Studio City?

Brian Liu, Esq. — Founding Partner

Local Studio City Injury Attorney · UCLA Law

Brian Liu is a founding partner at L&F Brown. He previously lived in Studio City and knows the Ventura Boulevard corridor and surrounding neighborhoods firsthand. He graduated from UCLA Law School and has spent his career representing injured clients across Los Angeles.

Studio City's active restaurant and bar scene on Ventura Blvd and throughout Tujunga Village means that drunk driving crashes happen in the neighborhood, particularly on weekend evenings and late nights. If a drunk driver hit you on Ventura Blvd, the US-101, Coldwater Canyon Ave, Laurel Canyon Blvd, or anywhere else in Studio City, you have a strong legal case and the potential for significantly higher compensation than in a typical accident. You absolutely need a lawyer to pursue it fully.

The Special Power of a Drunk Driver Claim

A claim against a drunk driver in California carries unique legal advantages that do not exist in ordinary negligence cases. The most important is the potential for punitive damages. California law allows courts to award punitive damages against defendants who acted with malice, oppression, or fraud. Driving under the influence is generally considered the kind of conscious disregard for others' safety that supports a punitive damages claim.

Punitive damages are intended to punish particularly egregious conduct and deter similar behavior in the future. They are separate from and in addition to your compensatory damages for medical bills, lost wages, and pain and suffering. In serious injury cases involving drunk drivers, punitive damages can increase the total recovery substantially.

What a Drunk Driver Accident Lawyer Does

An experienced Studio City drunk driver accident lawyer takes several steps that are specific to DUI crash cases.

Your attorney obtains the DUI arrest report and any breath or blood test results from the criminal case. They investigate whether the drunk driver was served alcohol at a Studio City restaurant or bar before the crash, which may trigger California's Dram Shop liability rules and create a claim against that establishment. They document all evidence of the driver's intoxication from the scene, including the LAPD North Hollywood Division or CHP arrest report, field sobriety test results, and witness observations.

They also handle the coordination between your civil case and any criminal prosecution, ensuring that evidence from the criminal case is preserved and available for use in your civil claim.

Dram Shop Claims Against Bars and Restaurants

California's Business and Professions Code creates liability for licensed alcohol vendors who sell alcohol to someone who is visibly intoxicated, who then causes injury to a third party. If the drunk driver who hit you was overserved at a Ventura Blvd bar or restaurant before the crash, that establishment may face civil liability for contributing to your injuries.

These dram shop claims can add another source of insurance coverage and another defendant to your case, increasing the total recovery available.

No Upfront Costs

L&F Brown handles drunk driver accident cases in Studio City on a contingency fee basis. If your injuries required treatment at Valley Presbyterian Hospital in Van Nuys or beyond, you are already dealing with significant financial strain. Pursuing the maximum compensation you deserve should not add to that strain, and with L&F Brown it will not.

Contact L&F Brown's Studio City team immediately after any drunk driver crash. The sooner we begin, the sooner we can secure the criminal arrest records and evidence your civil case depends on.