Could Club Have Prevented Fatal Atlanta Car Accident?

Investigations into a fatal car accident in Atlanta last week that killed a 24-year-old man are determining whether the club that the drunk driver worked at, could have done anything to prevent the accident.

Last week, Christa Scott who worked as a waitress at the Midtown Bar was allegedly driving a car under the influence when her vehicle rammed into a car being driven by 24-year-old Jordan Griner. Griner took the full impact of the accident, and was declared dead on arrival at the hospital. It would take emergency rescue personnel more than 30 minutes to extricate him from the mangled wreckage. Griner was an intern at Gov. Sonny Purdue’s office.

Scott’s blood alcohol level was registered at .229, which is close to three times the legally allowed limit. Investigators are now looking at whether the bar that Scott worked at could have prevented her from driving with that amount of alcohol in her and whether they knew how intoxicated she was while serving her. There is some speculation that the club had stayed open till past closing hours. The club typically quits serving patrons at about 2 AM, and shuts its doors at approximately 2:30 AM. There is speculation that Scott might have been drinking at the club, and could have consumed large amounts of alcohol before she left her workplace in a car. That would make the club liable under Georgia’s laws. However, investigations have not confirmed any of this yet.

Georgia’s dram shop laws allow for any establishment that serves alcohol -including bars, pubs, restaurants and clubs- to be held liable in the event of any injuries or deaths caused by intoxicated patrons who cause an accident. It sounds simple, but it really isn’t all that easy. For these dram shop laws to be successfully used to hold an establishment accountable, an Atlanta car accident lawyer would have to prove that staff at the bar served a very intoxicated person even after knowing the person would soon drive home. These types of cases are very fact-intensive and it is imperative that a dram shop victim, or his family in the case of a dram shop case death, contact a lawyer very quickly in order to properly investigate the case and ensure that evidence is not destroyed by the bar.

Robert J. Fleming has been handling wrongful death cases, dental malpractice, bus accidents, car accident cases and premises injury cases for individuals and families who have been harmed, injured or died as a result of the carelessness or negligence of another for more than 20 years. He practices in and around the Atlanta area including handling lawsuits in Fulton, DeKalb, Clayton, Gwinnett, Cobb and other counties and nearby cities including Alpharetta, Austell, Avondale Estates, Chamblee, College Park, Conyers, Duluth, Decatur, Doraville, Hapeville, Johns Creek, Jonesboro, Lawrenceville, Norcross, Peachtree City, Riverdale, Roswell, Sandy Springs, Stone Mountain, and Smyrna. If you have been seriously injured in a car accident and would like quality legal representation, contact Robert J. Fleming directly on (404) 525-5150 or contact us online.