Injuries Caused By Drunks

Connecticut, like most states, permits a person injured by a drunk to sue the seller of the alcohol if the drunk was intoxicated at the time of the sale. That right was created by statute long ago. More recently the Connecticut Legislature raised the cap on the monetary damages the injured person could receive in such a claim. What the Legislature did not do, and refuses to do, is require sellers of alcohol to carry insurance for such claims. Many bars that are the worst offenders have no insurance. Routinely, these bars rent the space they are in and have no assets. It is ironic that we require doctors and drivers of cars to have insurance to cover their mistakes, but a bar that serves a drunk and then puts that person on the road is not required to have insurance. Some have argued that it would be prohibitive for some bars to carry this kind of insurance. Good. If a bar has a history of putting drunks on the road, then the public is better off without them. Michael J. Quinn, Esq.