If you were hurt in a motorcycle crash and suspect the other driver had been drinking, you are probably dealing with a lot right now. Physical pain, questions about your recovery, worry about your finances, and anger at the other driver. Those feelings are normal. Let Warshafsky Law Firm work through the aftermath of a serious accident, as you have options.
Wisconsin’s roads carry a real and well-documented impaired driving problem, and motorcyclists often bear the worst of it. Our Milwaukee motorcycle accident lawyers have worked with many riders and families who found themselves in exactly this situation, trying to understand what happened and where to turn next.
Alcohol-Related Crashes in Wisconsin
According to data from the Wisconsin Department of Transportation, roughly 30 percent of fatal crashes in Wisconsin involved an impaired driver in 2022, and 172 people lost their lives in those crashes. The Wisconsin State Patrol has reported that in Wisconsin, someone is injured or killed in an alcohol-related crash approximately every 2.5 hours.
That is not a distant statistic. For motorcycle riders on roads like I-94 through Milwaukee, US-41 through the Fox Valley, or Highway 12 near the Dells, those numbers represent a genuine, ongoing risk for every ride.
And motorcyclists face a particularly serious level of exposure. The Wisconsin DOT recorded 1,921 motorcycle crashes in 2022. Of those, 80 people died. That works out to roughly 4 percent of motorcycle crashes resulting in at least one death, which is about 10 times the fatality rate of all other vehicle crashes combined.
Understanding Wisconsin’s OWI Law and What It Means for You
In Wisconsin, drunk driving is referred to as Operating While Intoxicated (OWI) although many people use Driving Under the Influence (DUI) and Driving While Intoxicated (DWI) interchangeably. Under Wisconsin law, a driver is considered legally impaired when their blood alcohol concentration reaches 0.08 percent or higher. A driver can also be found to be operating while intoxicated even below that threshold if law enforcement observes driving behavior that indicates impairment. For drivers with multiple prior OWI convictions, the legal limit drops to just 0.02 percent.
You should know that even if the other driver was not criminally convicted of OWI, that does not necessarily prevent you from pursuing a civil injury claim. Civil cases operate under a different standard of proof than criminal cases. Evidence of impairment, including police reports, witness accounts, chemical test results, and the circumstances of the crash, can still support a civil lawsuit even without a criminal conviction.
Helping Victims of Accidents Caused By OWI Drivers
Alcohol affects a driver’s judgment, reaction time, and ability to perceive what is happening around them. For a motorcyclist, who has no surrounding vehicle frame to absorb an impact, those impairments in another driver can be life-altering in an instant. A drunk driver who drifts into a lane, fails to stop at a light, or does not see a rider during a turn can cause traumatic brain injuries, spinal cord damage, broken bones, and severe road rash that requires extended medical care.
The emotional weight of this kind of crash is significant too. Riders who were doing everything right, wearing their gear, following the rules of the road, riding sober, sometimes struggle to process how they ended up so seriously hurt. It is not fair. And while we cannot undo what happened, understanding your legal options is an important part of moving forward.
We want you to know that the evidence that matters most in these cases, things like the police report, the chemical test results, any surveillance footage, and witness statements, can become harder to preserve as time passes. Reaching out to an attorney early, even while you are still focused on your recovery, can help protect your ability to pursue the compensation you may be owed.
Milwaukee County and the Broader Wisconsin Picture
Milwaukee County has been identified in research as having a high prevalence of alcohol-impaired drivers. Riders navigating the Marquette Interchange, I-894 through Greenfield and West Allis, or local roads through Shorewood or the Historic Third Ward are sharing the road with a driving population that, statistically, carries elevated rates of impaired driving.
This is not about blaming any neighborhood or community. It is simply about understanding the real environment Wisconsin riders operate in, so that when something goes wrong, you know you are not alone and you know that help is available.
What Compensation May Be Available After an Alcohol-Related Motorcycle Crash
When another driver’s alcohol use causes a motorcycle accident, the injured rider may be entitled to seek compensation for medical expenses, lost wages, pain and suffering, and other losses. If there is a fatality, the survivors may bring a lawsuit called a wrongful death case. Every case is different, and the value of a claim depends on the specific facts involved, the severity of injuries, and how the evidence comes together.
At Warshafsky Law Firm, our lawyers understand that reaching out to a law firm can feel like one more overwhelming thing to do when you are already dealing with so much. We want to make it as easy as possible. A free, no-pressure conversation with our team can help you understand what your situation may involve and what steps might make sense for you. There is no obligation, and there is no fee unless we recover for you.
If you or someone you love was hurt in a motorcycle crash involving a drunk or impaired driver anywhere in Wisconsin, whether in Milwaukee, Waukesha, Dane, Sheboygan, or any other county, contact us to learn more. You do not have to figure this out alone.
