Holiday Drunk Driving in Arizona — Your Rights if a DUI Driver Hits You

The holiday season — Thanksgiving through New Year’s — is the deadliest period for drunk driving in Arizona. Office parties, family gatherings, New Year’s Eve celebrations, and bowl game tailgates all involve alcohol. And every year, impaired drivers destroy families who were simply driving home.

Arizona’s DUI Penalties Are Among the Toughest

Arizona takes DUI seriously — mandatory jail time even for first offenses, heavy fines, ignition interlock devices, and license suspension. But criminal penalties don’t compensate the victims. That’s where civil claims come in.

Your Civil Claims After a DUI Crash

If a drunk driver injures you, you have multiple avenues for recovery:

Personal injury claim against the driver. The DUI violation establishes negligence per se. You don’t have to prove the driver was careless — the law violation does that automatically.

Punitive damages. Because drunk driving is a conscious, reckless choice, Arizona courts allow punitive damages — additional compensation designed to punish the wrongdoer. These can significantly increase the total recovery.

Dram shop claim. If the driver was overserved at a bar, restaurant, or holiday party venue, the establishment may share liability under Arizona’s Dram Shop Act. These claims access the establishment’s insurance — often much larger than an individual’s policy.

UIM claim. If the drunk driver has minimum or no insurance, your own uninsured/underinsured motorist coverage fills the gap.

What If a Loved One Was Killed?

Wrongful death claims in DUI cases are among the most compelling cases in personal injury law. A jury hearing that a driver chose to get behind the wheel drunk and killed someone’s parent, child, or spouse will award substantial damages. The Law Badgers have recovered $1,050,000 in a wrongful death case and we fight every one of these cases with everything we have.

Protect Your Family

Designate a sober driver. Use rideshare. Stay overnight if you’ve been drinking. And carry adequate UIM coverage — because you can’t control what other drivers do.

If a drunk driver ruins your holiday, call the Law Badgers at (833) DTF-IGHT. We’re available 24/7.