Sometimes, the workers at bars, restaurants and other businesses licensed to dispense alcohol make mistakes. They violate liquor laws and open their employers up to legal and financial liability. Liquor laws in Georgia prohibit vending alcohol to someone already clearly under the influence. If workers continue serving someone who has had too much to drink, the business might be liable for that decision later. When impaired patrons leave an establishment and go on to cause a drunk driving crash, the business may have a degree of liability.
Under Georgia’s dram shop laws, companies have financial and legal culpability for crashes caused by patrons that their employees over-served. The following are some of the indicators that a business should stop/should have stopped providing new drinks to a customer.
Slurred speech
Alcohol tends to affect how well people communicate. Those who have had too much to drink may exit their vehicles after causing crashes and struggle to verbally express themselves. Slurred speech is a common warning sign that someone is well over the legal limit. If they slur their speech after causing a crash, they may have also spoken poorly at a bar or restaurant half an hour prior when ordering their last drink.
Motor function deficits
Some people seem perfectly sober for as long as they sit at their table. However, once they stand up to order another round or go to the bathroom, they start stumbling. Servers and bartenders typically need to monitor how well patrons navigate a space. Those who have difficulty with motor control and who have enjoyed multiple alcoholic beverages are likely already intoxicated. If a business’s employees continue serving someone who can’t move with coordination, they may have violated Georgia’s alcohol service statutes.
Issues with memory
Some people speak normally but proceed to order a new beer two minutes after the waitress brought the last round to their table. They may not have even touched their newest drink yet. Employees at bars and restaurants should monitor patrons to ensure they understand their circumstances and can properly recall the situation. Forgetting that they just ordered or which waitress has assisted them so far that evening is an indicator that someone has likely had too much to drink.
When employees at bars and restaurants continue serving those who have already over-indulged, they violate liquor service rules. The company that employs them may have a degree of liability if the patron they serve goes on to cause a crash. Pursuing a dram shop claim against a bar or restaurant that over-served a patron who then caused a drunk driving crash is a reasonable choice. Businesses can sometimes better compensate those affected by drunk driving crashes than the impaired motorist who actually caused a wreck can.