Chicago Bar Sued According to Dram Shop Laws

 Posted on July 14, 2012 in Personal Injury

A driver who was injured in a crash earlier this year is suing not only the driver who was driving the out-of-control vehicle, but also the bar that sold the driver alcohol while he was already intoxicated, according to the chtribune. The injured driver, Stanislaw Walkosz, "says Sam Cafi was negligent when he sped through a red light while intoxicated and hit the car he was driving, according to the lawsuit filed in Cook County Circuit Court," according to the Tribune. This is not the first lawsuit that defendant Cafi is facing in relation to this March 10 collision. The crash also killed 28-year-old Ryan Osowski, of Darien, and his mother filed a suit naming both Cafi and Trio Sports Bar & Grill LLC, the establishment that served an already-intoxicated Cafi. The collision occurred when Cafi, traveling at high speed, hit Walkosz's car, causing the Cafi's car to "flip several times and stop in the westbound lanes of 95th Street," according to the Tribune. Cafi was charged with several counts of felony driving under the influence. The laws allowing the injured to sue the bar that served them are known as Dram Shop Laws. These laws vary wildly from state to state, but in many states they "hold commercial vendors of alcohol (bars, taverns, and package stores) responsible for injuries caused by drunk patrons," according to Lawyers.com. In most cases the time limit for filing such a suit is short. In Illinois, the Dram Shop laws are rather strict, and prescribe that every person who is injured in Illinois—in person or property—by any intoxicated person, has a right to sue any person or business licensed under the laws of Illinois to sell liquor that sold to that injurious person. This means that any established licensed to serve or sell liquor in Illinois has a responsibility greater than in some states to monitor the amount of alcohol its patrons have imbibed. If you or someone you know has been injured in an accident caused by a drunk driver, or are seeking representative for an accident in which you were driving impaired, don't go through it alone. Contact a dedicated Chicago-area injury attorney today.