Drunk Driving Accidents · Sugar Land, TX
Hit by a drunk driver? You may be able to recover more than an ordinary crash allows — including punitive damages, and sometimes from the bar that overserved them. You pay nothing unless we win. Uzoma Sudarma fights for Fort Bend County families.
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Injured by a drunk driver in Sugar Land? These cases are different from ordinary crashes: fault is often clearer, punitive damages may be on the table, and in some cases the bar or business that overserved the driver can be held responsible too. No fee unless we recover.
Drunk driving claims — what's different
The legal limit in Texas — but a driver can be impaired below it
Gross negligence can support punitive damages beyond your losses
A bar that overserved an obviously intoxicated patron may share fault
Your civil claim is separate from the driver's criminal case
A DWI conviction can help your civil claim, but you don’t have to wait for one — or get one — to recover. The two cases run on separate tracks, and we handle yours.
If an impaired driver caused a crash that injured you, you almost certainly have a claim. Like any car accident case, it turns on negligence — but drunk driving cases carry two advantages most crashes don’t: the conduct is often clearly reckless, which opens the door to exemplary (punitive) damages, and there may be more than one party to hold responsible.
Depending on the facts, potentially liable parties include:
You do not need to wait for the criminal case to finish, and you don’t need a conviction to bring your claim. Your civil case is entirely separate — it uses a lower standard of proof, and it’s the only route to compensation for your medical bills, lost income, and pain. Criminal restitution rarely comes close to covering what a serious crash actually costs.
Most consultations take just a few minutes, and there’s no obligation. We’ll tell you honestly whether you have a claim worth pursuing — and who may be responsible.
Drunk driving crashes come with an extra layer: a criminal investigation running alongside your civil claim. What you do next protects both your health and your case. If you missed some of these steps, don’t panic — an attorney can often help reconstruct the evidence.
Report the suspected impairment — a police DWI investigation matters.
Get checked promptly and follow all treatment — even if you feel fine.
Photograph the vehicles, damage, plates, road conditions, and injuries.
Note any sign the driver had been drinking, and where they came from.
Avoid apologizing at the scene — the facts can look different later.
Don't give the other insurer a recorded statement before you get advice.
Save the police report, medical bills, pay stubs, and receipts.
Don't wait for the criminal case — your civil claim is separate.
Get medical care right away, even if you feel okay. Adrenaline masks injuries, and conditions like concussions and internal trauma often surface days later. A gap in treatment is one of the first things an insurer uses to argue you weren’t really hurt.
Dram shop claims depend on bar receipts, card records, and security video — all of which can be gone within weeks. If the driver was drinking at a business beforehand, tell us right away so we can preserve it.
Tell us what happened — we’ll review your case at no cost, usually within one business day.
No fee unless we win · or call (832) 680-2380
Texas sets firm deadlines for drunk driving claims. For most personal injury claims, you have two years from the date of the crash to file a lawsuit (Tex. Civ. Prac. & Rem. Code 16.003). If a loved one died, a wrongful death claim generally must be filed within two years of the date of death. Waiting for the criminal case to conclude is a common and costly mistake — the civil clock runs regardless.
Texas also has a dram shop law (Tex. Alco. Bev. Code Ch. 2). A bar, restaurant, or club can be liable if it served alcohol to a patron who was already obviously intoxicated to the point of being a clear danger, and that intoxication caused your injuries. There is also social host liability when an adult serves alcohol to a minor under 18. These claims can matter enormously when the driver’s own policy isn’t enough to cover a catastrophic injury.
Because drunk driving is often gross negligence, Texas may also allow exemplary (punitive) damages — compensation meant to punish the conduct rather than just reimburse your losses. Texas uses modified comparative negligence, called proportionate responsibility, so you can recover as long as you were 50% or less at fault.
Texas only requires drivers to carry $30,000 in bodily injury coverage per person. A serious crash runs past that almost immediately. When the driver was drinking at a business beforehand, that business may be a second source of recovery — and it usually carries far more insurance than the driver does.
Under Texas Alcoholic Beverage Code § 2.02(b), a dram shop claim requires proof of two things:
A “provider” under § 2.01 is anyone who sells or serves alcohol under a license or permit — bars, restaurants, clubs, icehouses, stadiums, event venues — or who otherwise sells alcohol to an individual.
This is not an ordinary negligence claim you can shape however you like. Under § 2.03(c), for anyone 18 or older, the statute is the exclusive cause of action against a provider. The elements above are the whole ballgame.
Texas gives employers a safe harbor in § 106.14. A business escapes liability for its server’s conduct only if all three of the following are true:
All three have to hold. If training was never actually required, or the server on shift that night never went, or management pushed volume regardless — the shield fails. Proving that means reaching training records, scheduling, point-of-sale data, and manager communications. It is the single biggest reason these claims are won or lost in the first few weeks.
Section 2.02(c) reaches past licensed businesses. An adult 21 or older who is not the minor’s parent, guardian, spouse, or court-appointed custodian can be personally liable if they knowingly served a minor alcohol, or knowingly allowed a minor to be served on property they own or lease. House parties and graduation parties are squarely covered.
In May 2025, a Bexar County jury returned $831 million against Koozies Icehouse & Grill in New Braunfels and its owner. An 18-year-old was served without an ID check and left with a blood alcohol level nearly three times the legal limit. He flipped his vehicle on a Hays County road, and the debris threw motorcyclist Blas Mendez Jr. roughly forty feet. Mendez was left partially paralyzed. The jury assigned 45% of the fault to the bar, 45% to its owner, and 10% to the driver, and added $300 million in exemplary damages.
The part of that story that matters most to your case is the part that rarely gets reported: the bar has since closed, and the family may never collect most of it. A verdict is only worth the insurance and assets standing behind it. That is why the first thing we do is identify every available policy — the driver’s, the business’s, its owner’s, any liquor liability coverage, and your own underinsured motorist coverage — rather than chasing the biggest headline.
Past results do not guarantee a similar outcome. Every case turns on its own facts.
Drunk driving cases can reach further than ordinary crashes. Texas law allows victims to seek economic damages (your measurable financial losses), non-economic damages (the human toll), and — because impaired driving is often gross negligence — exemplary damages meant to punish the conduct. We document every category of loss and pursue every responsible party, including a bar that overserved.
Emergency care, hospital stays, surgery, and rehabilitation.
Ongoing or lifelong care for lasting injuries.
Lost wages plus reduced earning capacity if you can't return to work.
The cost to repair or replace your vehicle.
Physical pain and the mental anguish that follows a serious crash.
Lasting physical impairment, disfigurement, and scarring.
Loss of enjoyment of life and loss of consortium for affected families.
Punitive damages meant to punish the driver's gross negligence — often available in DWI cases.
Punitive damages and dram shop claims can change what a case is worth entirely. The only way to know what yours may be worth is to have an attorney review the facts — at no cost to you.
When you hire Uzoma Sudarma, you are not a case number handed off to a paralegal — you work directly with a dedicated attorney who knows your name and the details of your crash. Our tagline says it plainly: work with us, win with us. We believe personal injury work should feel personal, especially when someone else’s reckless choice upended your life.
We are rooted in Fort Bend County, and we know how to trace a drunk driver’s night back to the business that overserved them. When you trust US, you gain the power of:
We take drunk driving cases on contingency, so there is no upfront cost and no attorney fee unless we recover for you. That lets you focus on healing while we handle the insurers, the investigation, and the negotiation — and coordinate with the criminal case where it helps. Your first consultation is always free.
Our office sits at 14015 Southwest Fwy, Suite 14 in Sugar Land, close to the highways and roads where many impaired-driving crashes happen. We represent injured drivers, passengers, and pedestrians throughout Sugar Land and the surrounding Fort Bend County communities.
Beyond Sugar Land, we regularly help crash victims in Missouri City, Richmond, Rosenberg, Stafford, and Katy, as well as the greater southwest Houston area. Wherever your accident happened, we are close enough to investigate it promptly.
If you or someone you love was hurt by a drunk driver, call Uzoma Sudarma at (832) 680-2380 for a free consultation. We will explain your options under Texas law in plain language and tell you honestly how we may be able to help — with no obligation and no fee unless we recover for you.
Simple, No-Pressure Process
Tell us what happened. We review your crash, your injuries, and your options at no cost — with no obligation.
We trace the driver's night, pursue every liable party including any bar, and handle the insurers while you heal.
We pursue the maximum compensation you're owed. You pay nothing unless we win — our fee only comes out of your recovery.
Meet Your Attorneys
At Uzoma Sudarma, you’re never handed off to a case manager or lost in a call center. From your first call to your final check, you work directly with a dedicated attorney who knows your name and the details of your crash. Work with us, win with us.
Don't Wait — Bar Records Disappear
You don’t have to wait for the criminal case. Get a free, no-pressure case review — and pay nothing unless we win.
No. Your civil claim is completely separate from the criminal case and uses a lower standard of proof. A conviction can help, but you don’t need one — and you shouldn’t wait for the criminal case to finish, because the two-year civil deadline keeps running. Criminal restitution also rarely covers what a serious crash actually costs.
Sometimes, yes. Under Texas’s dram shop law, a bar, restaurant, or club can be liable if it served alcohol to a patron who was already obviously intoxicated to the point of being a clear danger, and that intoxication caused your injuries. There’s also social host liability when an adult serves alcohol to a minor under 18. These claims matter most when the driver’s own insurance can’t cover a catastrophic injury.
Often, yes. Because drunk driving is frequently treated as gross negligence, Texas may allow exemplary (punitive) damages — money meant to punish the conduct rather than simply reimburse your losses. That’s on top of your medical bills, lost income, and pain and suffering. Whether they apply depends on the facts, which is why a case review matters.
We handle drunk driving cases on a contingency-fee basis, so there is no upfront cost to hire us. You pay no attorney fee unless we recover for you, and your initial consultation is always free.
Every case is different, and we cannot promise a specific amount. Drunk driving claims can be worth more than an ordinary crash because of punitive damages and additional liable parties, but value depends on the injuries, medical costs, lost income, the long-term impact, and the available coverage.
In most cases you have two years from the date of the crash to file a lawsuit under Texas law. But bar receipts, card records, and security video that support a dram shop claim can be gone within weeks, so it is best to speak with a lawyer as soon as possible.
