Victim Assistance

HOW MADD CAN HELP

Services Offered

Long after the crash, survivors, family and friends continue to feel the impact. MADD Victim Services is here to provide you with emotional support but also assistance in a variety of ways after a drunk or drugged driving crash, all at no cost to victims and survivors.

We help survivors survive

Sometimes that begins by finding someone who can listen, someone whose shoulder you can lean on or whose hand you can hold.

That’s where Mothers Against Drunk Driving steps in with more than 1,200 trained victim advocates across the country. Our team of compassionate, victim-focused staff and volunteers are available nationwide 24-hours a day, 7 days a week, and can help you, your family and loved ones by:

Providing you and your loved ones with emotional support
Guidance through the criminal and civil justice systems
Accompanying victims and survivors to court
Helping you prepare a victim impact statement
Referring victims and survivors to appropriate resources for additional help
Offering support groups in some areas
Connecting you with other victims and survivors who’ve had similar experiences
Providing you supportive materials on victimization topics

We also have a private Facebook group exclusively for victims and survivors of drunk and drugged driving. This group offers the opportunity for victims and survivors to connect, share, and seek support. If you are a victim or survivor of drunk and/or drugged driving, please join our MADD Victim Services Facebook Group by clicking here and asking to join.

If you, or someone you love, has been the victim of a violent crime, you can contact a MADD Victim Advocate, 24 hours a day, at 1-877-MADD-HELP.

Understand your rights

When tragedy strikes and you need support, MADD is here to help. We are the largest non-profit crime victim organization in the country that advocates for victim and survivor’s rights. We will be there with to help you navigate the court system.

If you’re the victim of an impaired driving crash, you have rights!

As people often point out, our court system is called the “criminal justice system,” not the victims’ justice system.

While we cannot heal a survivor or bring back a loved one, Mothers Against Drunk Driving works tirelessly to help you find a sense of justice and peace.

That means, MADD Advocates will work with you and your loved ones to ensure your rights are maintained — from making a victim impact statement and receiving notification of offender status to helping you apply for Crime Victim Compensation, you and your loved ones have rights thanks to the Victim Rights Act of 2004.

If you need assistance, you can contact a MADD Victim Advocate, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, at 1-877-MADD-HELP.

Crime Victims Funds

Beyond the emotional toll, drunk and drugged driving crashes can be financially devastating to you and your family. Medical bills, property damage and funeral costs quickly pile up, leaving you and your family with an often overwhelming burden.

If you’re a victim of a violent crime, you may be eligible for financial compensation.

MADD Victim Advocates are available, 24 hours a day, to help you connect with Crime Victim Compensation—a government financial assistance program that may help compensate you for things like:

Funeral expenses
Medical, rehabilitation and prescription expenses
Lost wages
Counseling services
Child care
Crime scene cleanup

For more information about the Victims of Crimes Act (VOCA) and the Crime Victims Fund, visit here.

If you, or someone you love, has been the victim of a violent crime, you can contact a MADD Victim Advocate, 24 hours a day, at 1-877-MADD-HELP.

Honor & Remember

Remembering and honoring those who have been killed or injured by a substance-impaired driving crash remains one of the most important things that we do at MADD. After all, it is because of them that we work so hard to put an end to these tragedies.

It also can be an important healing tool. Here are just a few ways that other victims honor and remember their loved ones:

Margaret Oster of New Mexico created a garden and art space in honor of her 15-year-old daughter Karen who was killed and her son 17-year-old son Doug who was injured in a drunk driving crash.

Rebecca Grimes had one of MADD’s Portraits for Healing done of her brother Hector Martinez who was killed by a drunk driver.

The Portraits for Healing program provides victims and survivors with a portrait of themselves or a loved one killed or injured as a result of drunk driving, drugged driving or underage drinking. A recommended donation of $50 goes directly to MADD Victim Services to help provide free supportive services to those impacted by these preventable tragedies.

Order a Portrait for Healing

Jennifer Zavala and Rose Eggers of Idaho created a program called Red Ribbons for Justice. They pass out red ribbons to encourage their state legislature to pass meaningful victim rights reforms. They created the idea to honor Jennifer’s father and Rose’s husband Joel Eggers, who was killed by a driver high on meth.

In honor of every person impacted by drunk or drugged driving, we invite you to create a tribute page for yourself or a loved one who has been injured or killed in a drunk or drugged driving crash.

Create a Tribute