Opening Day!!! Tickets, beer, hotdogs and good friends—check! The along waiting anticipation of Cardinals Opening Day has greater St. Louis all excited as we anticipate a great baseball season and cheering on our favorite team! As I sit her and hear the rally downtown and observe the traffic, it is going to be a great day. We are blessed with beautiful weather!
So what do you need to think about before you head downtown! Parking? A Cardinal’s win? Actually, you can do little about parking, but wait in line. The win is actually up to the Cardinals, but choosing to plan your way home from the game may be the most responsible decision that you can make all day! If you are going to have some drinks before, during or after the game, be sure that you have a responsible game plan for getting home this evening and DO NOT DRINK AND DRIVE!
Some options:
Get a cab: One thing that downtown St. Louis has a lot of on Opening Day is cabs/taxis. You may have to wait for a few minutes to get one, but you can get one. Walk to a nearby hotel and the hotel will actually help you in getting a cab.
Metro link: The Metro link runs until around 10 p.m. tonight. The metro goes across St. Louis to Brentwood and also in to Shiloh, Illinois.
Plan to stay over with friends: If you are going with friends, and most of us are—plan to have a designated driver who will take you home or to a nearby friends home where you can crash on the couch.
Designated Driver: Draw straws with your friends and have one person that is the designated driver. Some ideas that my group has used in the past—everyone that is going to be using the designated driver goes in together and picks up the costs of their ticket to the game and other expenses. Or, the group takes care of all of the designated driver’s food and non-alcoholic beverages. Or maybe, you just have a group and it is understood that you take turns. The 3rd inning is not the best time to start planning—plan now!
Worst case scenario: You have to plan the amount that you drink—blah! Of course, you have to remember that because it is a warm day and by sitting and watching a game, you are relatively sedentary therefore, you may not realize how “influenced” you really are until you get up to leave. Know your body size and that in some cases just a few drinks can cause your alcohol blood levels to be illegal for driving.
The best rule of thumb: If you have had one alcoholic beverage in the span of a few hours, your likelihood of being under the influence is good—so don’t drink and drive. As traffic will be hectic down by the stadium, you do not want to be influenced by alcohol even the slightest.
At The Cagle Law Firm, we see the tragic consequences of drunk driving accidents. Trying to put a life back together after a drunk driving accident can be one of the most difficult things you can do—for both the victim and the drunk driver. Serious injuries are extremely difficult to recover from and actually they are needless injuries when caused by drunk driving. The drunk driver also faces sentences and fines for many years to come—if they do not injure themselves or someone else. I have seen many lives ruined due to drunk driving from the fatality victim’s families to the drunk driver’s life full of guilt after such a needless tragedy. A personal injury claim can be filed by the victims against the drunk driver in addition to possible criminal charges. If there is a fatality as a result of the drunk driving accident, then the family of the victim may have a wrongful death claim.
Driving a car can be dangerous under the best circumstances. You can only be responsible for your actions—be sure they are the right and responsible actions and that you do not hurt others through your choices.
Let’s have a win all the way around with the Card’s winning today and all spectators making it back home safely. There is no greater negligence than climbing behind the wheel of a car if you have been drinking. No one is saying, NOT to drink—just have a safe travel plan that does not involve you driving!!
Call our attorneys who are available 24 hours a day (314) 276-1681 for a free consultation, or toll free (800) 685-3302
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