Dram Shop Act

In 1999 Arkansas passed something known as the Dram Shop Act. This act makes businesses furnishing alcohol responsible for damages inflicted by people who patronized their business. If a drunk driver injured you, you may be able to file suit against entities other than the driver who injured you. However, doing this can prove difficult without help.

At Oliver Law Firm we can help. It is a personal responsibility to refrain from driving drunk, and from getting too intoxicated. However, responsibility lies with the alcohol vendor to stop serving alcohol to a customer whose judgment has clearly become impaired due to alcohol. Unfortunately, laws have to be passed to enforce this responsibility, because individual financial gain can outweigh a sense of responsibility for community safety. In a dram shop case it is important to connect the driver to the bar where he or she was served, and ascertain their level of intoxication while at the bar.

In order to do this it is important to review video of the DWI suspect, and to have a toxicologist review all information available to determine blood alcohol content when the driver was served. Oliver Law Firm will put in the work necessary to provide the strongest dram shop case possible, and subsequently get a fair settlement for your injuries.

The Arkansas Dram Shop Act doesn’t apply if the alcohol distributor wasn’t aware of a patron’s level of intoxication, or if they didn’t think the patron was going to drive. This allows irresponsible alcohol vendors several defenses. However through the hard work of Oliver Law Firm it is possible to establish clear irresponsibility on the part of alcohol vendors. If you feel someone who was irresponsibly served alcohol injured you please contact Oliver Law Firm.