DUI Accident Lawyer in Iowa
The crime commonly known as driving under the influence (DUI) or driving while intoxicated (DWI) in many other jurisdictions is known as operating while intoxicated (OWI) in Iowa. A person who is arrested for OWI in Iowa can face criminal charges that are punishable by possible imprisonment and fines.
A driver charged with drunk driving in Iowa can also be held liable for any damages caused as a result of operating while impaired in a separate civil case. OWI convictions can certainly solidify a victim’s claim that the driver was negligent, but it is important to understand that motorists who are acquitted or have their criminal charges reduced or dismissed can still be held civilly liable even if they avoided criminal penalties.
Did you suffer serious serious injuries or was your loved one killed by a drunk driver anywhere in Iowa? Need an Injury Lawyer Iowa represents clients in Iowa City, Sioux City, Waterloo, Cedar Rapids, Des Moines, Ames, Davenport, and many other surrounding areas of the Hawkeye State.
Iowa OWI Laws
Like many other states in the nation, Iowa imposes a blood alcohol concentration (BAC) limit of 0.08 for most operators of motor vehicles. A person who has a BAC of 0.08 or higher will be arrested for OWI.
It is important to note that the BAC limits can be lower for other kinds of drivers. For example, a commercial motor vehicle can be arrested for OWI if he or she has a BAC of 0.04, and a “zero tolerance” policy for minors (people under 21 years of age) makes BACs of 0.02 or higher subject to punishment.
Dramshop Laws in Iowa
In order to obtain a liquor license in Iowa, a business is required to obtain a dramshop insurance policy. A dramshop (or dram shop) is a term that refers to a vendor of alcoholic beverages, with a dram being the unit that alcohol was once sold in (roughly a teaspoon).
Iowa Code § 123.92 establishes that victims of drunk driving crashes in Iowa have the right of action to pursue damages from any licensee or permittee that served alcohol to a person who was visibly intoxicated or the vendor should have known was intoxicated. Establishments that are subject to dramshop claims will frequently argue that they had no way of knowing a patron was as intoxicated as he or she ended up being, but Need an Injury Lawyer Iowa can conduct a thorough investigation to secure the evidence necessary to pursue such claims—including possibly obtaining bar tabs or credit card bills that indicate exactly how much alcohol a negligent driver consumed at the premises in question.
Dramshop laws in Iowa apply only to licensed vendors of alcoholic beverages, as the state does not impose any similar type of liability on so-called social hosts—the term used to describe parties who serve alcohol to guests at private functions. Still, Iowa dramshop laws are often extremely valuable in cases in which negligent drivers do not have sufficient insurance policies or enough personal wealth to pay judgments stemming from drunk driving crashes.
Find a DUI Accident Attorney in Iowa
If you sustained severe injuries or your loved one was killed in a crash caused by a drunk driver in Iowa, it is in your best interest to retain legal counsel as soon as possible. Need an Injury Lawyer Iowa helps victims and the families of those killed in OWI accidents all over Black Hawk County, Polk County, Linn County, Woodbury County, Scott County, Johnson County, and many other nearby areas of the Hawkeye State.
You can contact our firm 24/7 to take advantage of a free, no obligation consultation and have our experienced personal injury attorneys review your case and answer all of your legal questions. You also do not need to worry about paying us one cent unless you obtain a financial award.
