Bill Would Make Drunk Drivers Pay Medical, Emotional Damages

DENVER (CBS4)- A bill that would make drunk drivers pay more for the accidents they cause went before lawmakers Tuesday. It would put anyone convicted of a DUI on the hook not only for their victim's medical bills, but emotional damages, as well.

The bill was prompted by a mother whose daughter was badly injured by a drunk driver.

"Why are we protecting the drunk driver when the victim is basically the one sentenced to a lifetime of distress?," said victim's mother Tammy Lovejoy-Teixeira.

Seven years ago, Christy Lovejoy was hit by a drunk driver. Lovejoy was paid about $50,000 in damages. Her family says her medical bills exceeded $1 million. Current state law caps those damages by a drunk driver just below $500,000.

In Tuesday's committee hearing, there were several heated exchanges between Democrat representatives on the panel and insurance lawyers.

Democrats say something needs to be done to make the victims of a drunk driving incident whole again. But the lawyers for the insurance companies say the bill would only punish those insurance companies and would eventually pass the hardship on to other drivers.

"What it's going to do is it's going to make insurance less affordable. It's going to be harder to underwright the risks because we don't know how much a jury might award in a case," said Farmer's Insurance attorney Joel Barnell.