What “sue” actually means in these files
Most recoveries are insurance settlements. The lawsuit is the pressure behind them, and it is filed at the Riverside County Superior Court — Hall of Justice — when an adjuster will not move. The real question is not whether you enjoy court. It is whether money exists: their policy, work-related coverage, umbrellas, your UM/UIM, and — unique to impaired driving — the driver’s own assets, because punishment is not insurable.
Three facts, then a decision
Your losses. Treatment, wage loss, and lasting limits are what give a claim weight. Without them, even a high BAC produces a thin file.
Their coverage. An insured impaired driver is a normal claim with extra leverage. An uninsured one often shifts first to your UM/UIM — about one in six California drivers carries no liability insurance — with a personal claim as a second track.
Whether they can pay. A 91-commute paycheck, equity, or a license-dependent job can make a personal judgment real. A defendant with nothing collectable makes that track symbolic. Honest offices say which one you have on day one.
How long the path takes
Coverage-resolved claims: months after treatment steadies — similar to any injury file, often faster once a plea lands. Litigated files with punitive counts: a year-scale arc, only worth it when the numbers justify the wait. Post-judgment collection is longer still, and only sensible against someone who can actually pay.
The county-seat read
If you have injuries and any coverage in the picture, pursuing the claim is usually the rational move — the civil-versus-criminal split already tilts the evidence your way. The exceptions are identifiable in the first conversation. Bring the police report number and the insurance cards; the impaired-driver review does the arithmetic without a retainer.
