When involved in a DUI accident in Indianapolis, Indiana, drivers face serious consequences, including license suspension or revocation. The Indiana Bureau of Motor Vehicles (BMV) can suspend your driving privileges following a DUI-related incident, regardless of whether the accident resulted in injuries to others. This administrative action occurs separately from any criminal charges you might face. For those injured by an impaired driver, the offender's license status becomes a critical component in personal injury claims. Insurance coverage questions, potential for punitive damages, and establishing negligence per se all hinge on driver licensing status. Understanding how license suspension works following an Indianapolis DUI accident is essential for both the impaired driver facing penalties and victims seeking compensation for injuries sustained when another driver operated a vehicle while intoxicated.

Legal Rights and Considerations

Under Indiana Code § 9-30-5, DUI convictions trigger mandatory license suspensions ranging from 90 days to 2 years for first-time offenders, with longer suspensions for subsequent offenses. The "implied consent" law (IC § 9-30-6-1) means refusing a chemical test results in an automatic one-year license suspension. For injury victims, Indiana's comparative fault system (IC § 34-51-2) allows recovery as long as the plaintiff is less than 51% responsible. The statute of limitations for personal injury claims is two years from the accident date. Victims may pursue compensatory damages for medical expenses, lost wages, and pain and suffering, while punitive damages may be available when a driver operates a vehicle with a suspended license due to a previous DUI. Indiana's minimum liability insurance requirements are $25,000 per person/$50,000 per accident for bodily injury, though these limits are often insufficient in serious DUI accident cases. An experienced Indianapolis drunk driving accident lawyer(link is external) will handle all aspects of the legal claim.

Impaired driving can be a cause of all kinds of injury accidents. Click the links below to get information from an experienced attorney for accidents and injuries including:

• Indianapolis car accident attorney(link is external);
• Indianapolis pedestrian accident attorney(link is external);
• Indianapolis motorcycle accident lawyer(link is external);
• Indianapolis truck accident lawyer(link is external);

Related Resources

Local Courts

• Marion County Superior Court - 200 E. Washington St., Indianapolis, IN 46204
• Marion County Traffic Court - 8115 E. Washington St., Indianapolis, IN 46219

Support Services

• Indiana Victims Compensation Program - 402 W. Washington St., Indianapolis, IN 46204
• MADD Indiana Chapter - 9801 Fall Creek Rd. #235, Indianapolis, IN 46256
• Indiana Brain Injury Association - 9531 Valparaiso Ct., Indianapolis, IN 46268

Legal References

• Indiana BMV: License Suspension Information - www.in.gov/bmv(link is external)
• Indiana Criminal Code (Title 9, Article 30) - www.in.gov/legislative/ic/code(link is external)
• Indiana Accident Reports - www.in.gov/isp/crash-reports(link is external)

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