St. Louis Dram Shop Claim
Dram Shop Injury Claim in St. Louis - Call 314.448.0934 or 866.840.3636
Pursuant to Missouri Revised Statute 537.053.2, bars and nightclubs in St. Louis have a duty to not knowingly serve intoxicating liquor and/or alcohol beverages to a visibly intoxicated person by the drink or consumption. The history of this statute is interesting and the courts have struggled with interpretation of what "visibly intoxicated" means in the context of a St. Louis dram shop injury claim. Visibly intoxicated can be inferred from circumstantial evidence such as:
- uncoordinated physical action
- physical dysfunction
- mental dysfunction
- cognitive dysfunction
- impaired memory
- impaired perception
- impaired comprehension
- unsteady gait
- slurred speech
- blurry eyes
- inability to safely drive a car
When a bar or nightclub over-serves alcohol to a customer who is already intoxicated, that customer then presents a danger to the citizens of St. Louis if he or she gets behind the wheel. When a serious car accident or fatal car accident involves a drunk driver, your lawyer must thoroughly investigate whether a dram shop claim exists against a bar or nightclub. Dram shop claims are notoriously difficult to proscute, and unless evidence is gathered immediately after the incident, the injury victim may lose the case.
Dram Shop Claim for Compensation
Bar and restaurant owners have a duty to properly train and supervise the employees that serve alcohol to customers. Programs such as TIPs and ServeSafe are designed to teach servers and staff how to recognize when a customer is approaching legal intoxication and how to diplomatically refuse further beverage service to that customer. The problem is that many servers and bartenders are not certified in these training courses or disregard the training all together.
Car accidents involving a drunk driver often result in serious injury or fatalities. Dram Shop claims for compensation depend upon the evidence gathered by your attorney. Critical evidence can include receipts from the bar or nightclub, testimony from persons who witnessed the defendant consuming alcohol, post-crash blood alcohol content reports, and security tapes from the establishment.
St. Louis Dram Shop Lawyer
The
St. Louis dram shop lawyers at Schultz & Myers aggressively investigate and sue local bars that over-serve customers and which result in a serious or fatal
car accidents. Bars or restaurants that are in violation of the training, education, and statutory requirements of the Missouri Department of Health, Missouri Alcohol Control, and Section 537.053.2 must be brought to justice.
Many lawyers do not fully understand dram shop liability and what evidence to look for to maximize compensation in a dram shop case. Our lawyers have obtained settlements in excess of $2,000,000 for dram shop liability claims. The lawyers at Schultz & Myers investigate every single serious car accident case involving a drunk driver to determine whether a dram shop claim may also exist for our clients.
Contact at St. Louis dram shop lawyer by calling (314) 448-0934 and discuss your claim with a lawyer immediately.