Hit by a Drunk Driver in California?

How to Uncover Hidden Insurance, Assets, and Owner Liability

Getting into a severe car accident is traumatic enough. Finding out the at-fault driver was under the influence makes it infuriating. When medical bills pour in and a vehicle is completely totaled, the standard insurance check often isn't enough to cover the true cost of the damages.

If you or your client are facing a mountain of expenses after a California DUI crash, you cannot simply rely on what the at-fault driver claims they have. You need the facts.

I am Marc Hinch, a retired California Highway Patrol (CHP) Officer and licensed Private Investigator (CA PI 189056). I specialize in conducting deep-dive, California-based financial and asset investigations to uncover the recovery options you need to secure a full legal victory.

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The Advantage of Having a Former CHP Officer on Your Side

DUI accidents involving serious injuries and totaled vehicles require a deep understanding of California traffic laws and law enforcement procedures. Having spent my career on California's roads investigating major collisions, I know exactly what to look for and where at-fault drivers try to hide liability.

When you hire me to investigate your California-based case, we look beyond just the driver to determine if the vehicle's owner can be held legally and financially responsible. We establish the evidence required for:

• Negligent Entrustment: Did the owner hand their keys to someone they knew was already drinking, had a history of DUIs, or had a suspended license? If so, the owner can be sued directly for their own negligence, exposing their personal assets and full insurance coverage without statutory caps.
• Permissive Use: Even if the owner didn't know the driver would drink, simply giving them permission to use the vehicle triggers the owner's auto insurance policy as the primary coverage for the accident in California.
• Corporate Liability: If the driver was operating a company car or running an errand for an employer, the business’s substantial commercial insurance policy and corporate assets come into play.

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The Challenge: Legally Finding the Money

Insurance companies aren't famous for volunteering their maximum policy limits, and reckless drivers rarely hand over a list of their bank accounts and properties.

Furthermore, federal and California privacy laws strictly prohibit anyone from illegally hacking or "pretexting" into private bank accounts before a court judgment is reached. Doing so illegally ruins the evidence for court.

As a retired state law enforcement officer, I conduct every investigation strictly by the book. I use entirely legal, admissible, and sophisticated tracking methods to build a financial blueprint of the at-fault parties before you waste time and money on a fruitless lawsuit.

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How I Help Your Case Across California

1. Advanced Insurance Policy Tracing

We look beyond the basic insurance card exchanged at the scene. I search for multiple umbrellas of coverage, including secondary policies, corporate commercial coverage, and hidden umbrella policies that the at-fault party might not even realize they have.

2. Comprehensive Pre-Litigation Asset Searches

Before an attorney takes a case to trial, they need to know if the defendant is "judgment proof" or holds significant wealth. I conduct deep-dive public and proprietary record searches to locate:

• California real estate holdings and hidden property equity.
• Motor vehicles, watercraft, and aircraft registrations.
• Corporate ownership, business entities, and LLC affiliations.

3. Proving Negligent Entrustment & Timeline Building

To hold a vehicle owner responsible, you need proof of what they knew before they handed over the keys. Utilizing my law enforcement background, I gather hard evidence by:

• Interviewing witnesses who saw the key exchange or the driver drinking prior to the crash.
• Establishing exact timelines using social media, receipts, and surveillance footage.
• Running comprehensive background checks to uncover the driver’s history of reckless driving or substance abuse that the owner should have known about.