The Jones Firm represents people across Columbus and central Ohio who were injured by a drunk driver, and families who lost someone to one. A drunk driving crash is not an accident in the ordinary sense. Someone chose to drive impaired, and that choice changes both how the case is handled and what a victim may be able to recover.
This Firm Understands Drunk Driving Crashes Personally
Founder Geoff Jones built his practice after his own mother was killed by an impaired driver. He knows what these families go through, because he has lived it. That experience is why the firm takes drunk driving cases seriously and pursues every avenue of accountability available under Ohio law. You can read more about Geoff Jones and the loss that shaped this firm.
The Criminal Case and Your Civil Claim Are Not the Same Thing
This is the point most victims do not realize. After a drunk driving crash, there are usually two separate legal matters, and they do different things.
The criminal case is the State of Ohio prosecuting the driver for OVI. It can lead to jail, fines, and a license suspension, but its purpose is to punish the driver, not to compensate you. Any restitution ordered in the criminal case is typically limited and rarely covers the full extent of a serious injury.
The civil claim is yours. It is how you actually recover for your medical bills, lost income, and the harm done to you and your family. Waiting on the criminal case to make you whole is one of the most common and costly mistakes a victim can make, because the two run on different tracks and the criminal court is not there to pay your losses.
A Conviction Can Strengthen Your Civil Case
The criminal case can still help. A conviction or guilty plea, the driver’s blood alcohol results, the police investigation, and the citing officer’s findings are all powerful evidence of fault in your civil claim. When a driver has been found to be over the legal limit, establishing that they were negligent becomes far more straightforward, which lets the case focus on the full scope of your damages.
You May Be Able to Hold the Bar or Host Responsible
Under Ohio’s dram shop law (Ohio Revised Code § 4399.18), the drunk driver is not always the only responsible party. A bar, restaurant, or other permit holder that served a visibly intoxicated person, or served alcohol to someone underage, can share liability when that person goes on to cause a crash. A similar principle can apply to a social host who serves alcohol to a minor.
This matters for a practical reason. Drunk drivers are frequently underinsured, and a viable dram shop claim can add a defendant with real insurance coverage, which can be the difference between a token recovery and full compensation. Our page on suing a bar for over-serving a drunk driver in Ohio explains how these claims work and what has to be proven.
Punitive Damages in Drunk Driving Cases
Most car accident claims recover only compensatory damages, meaning money for actual losses. Drunk driving cases are different. Because choosing to drive impaired is reckless rather than a simple mistake, Ohio law (Ohio Revised Code § 2315.21) allows a jury to award punitive damages in cases of this kind of egregious conduct. Punitive damages are meant to punish the driver and deter others, and the availability of them is one reason drunk driving claims can carry more weight than an ordinary collision.
When the Drunk Driver Doesn’t Have Enough Insurance
It is common for the at-fault drunk driver to carry little or no insurance, or far too little for a serious injury. In that situation, your own uninsured and underinsured motorist coverage may step in to cover the gap. Identifying every available source of recovery, including your own policy and any dram shop defendant, is a core part of building one of these cases properly.
Compensation for Drunk Driving Victims
A drunk driving claim can recover the full range of losses, including past and future medical care, lost income and reduced earning capacity, and pain and suffering. When a crash takes a life, the family may bring a wrongful death claim for their losses. Because a serious drunk driving crash can involve a catastrophic injury alongside punitive damages and multiple defendants, valuing these cases takes care and a full investigation.
Ohio’s Filing Deadline
An injury claim from a drunk driving crash in Ohio generally must be filed within two years of the crash, and a wrongful death claim within two years of the date of death. Evidence from the scene and from the criminal investigation is easier to secure early, so it is best to involve a lawyer well before the deadline.
We Support Drunk Driving Victims Beyond the Case
The firm’s commitment to drunk driving victims extends past individual cases. The Jones Firm sponsors a Drunk Driving Accident Survivor Scholarship, reflecting why this work matters to the people who do it here.
