Just because a drug is legal doesn’t mean that it’s safe to take while at the helm of a dangerous piece of equipment like a heavy tractor-trailer.
Even common over-the-counter medications can have side effects that impede safe driving.
Yet many truck drivers use prescription and OTC drugs that can cause drowsiness, slowed reaction times, blurry vision and nervousness – all of which can contribute to a serious accident.
Some truckers even abuse legal drugs to keep them awake or calm their nerves.
Injured by a Trucker Who Used Medications? Call Our Truck Wreck Lawyers Today
If you have been injured in a serious truck crash, the trucker’s use or abuse of legal drugs could be to blame. You need experienced, qualified truck accident attorneys who can analyze all of the facts of the case and get you the compensation you deserve. Call Joye Law Firm and get our South Carolina truck accident attorneys fighting for you. You can reach us at (888) 324-3100 or fill out an online form for a free case review.
Joye Law Firm has offices in Clinton, Charleston and Myrtle Beach, and our tractor-trailer accident attorneys are ready to handle your case anywhere in South Carolina. We represent clients in all parts of South Carolina, including Florence, Richland County, Orangeburg, Columbia, Horry County (including Conway and North Myrtle Beach), North Charleston, Mount Pleasant and Summerville.
Experience Counts
The attorneys at Joye Law Firm have more than 150 cumulative years of litigation experience, and our firm has earned Martindale-Hubbell’s highest-ranking, AV. Several of our attorneys have been recognized as Super Lawyers.
Results obtained for previous clients include a $4.375 million settlement for a man who received facial and head injuries in a tractor-trailer wreck; two $3.86 million settlements for the families of two men killed in a truck accident; a $1.025 million settlement for a man severely injured in a collision with a big rig; and a $975,000 settlement for a man who injured his back in a truck crash.
While every case is different, and past results are in no way intended to guarantee that a similar result can be obtained in another case, past results obtained by a law firm are an indication of the firm’s experience when it comes to serious injury and wrongful death cases. For more details about the results obtained for previous Joye Law Firm clients, please click on the Results tab on our home page.
Medication Use Common in South Carolina Truck Accidents
Federal regulations prevent truck drivers from operating their vehicles if they take a medicine – prescription, illegal or over-the-counter – that affects their ability to drive safely.
That rule is frequently broken. Statistics from the Federal Motor Carriers Safety Administration show that 48 percent of truck drivers involved in crashes had either a prescription or an over-the-counter drug in their systems. FMCSA numbers show that OTC drug use was a contributing factor in 17 percent of those wrecks, while illegal drugs played a role in only 2 percent.
Illegal drugs are a smaller problem for truck safety because commercial truck drivers face regular drug testing. Legal drugs are another matter.
Certain legal drugs are ruled out by the FMCSA, and people with certain health conditions are disqualified from driving heavy trucks. However, evidence shows that many truckers are able to dodge the regulations by doctor shopping to find a physician who will give them the approval needed to get behind the wheel of a tractor-trailer.
Like any other person, truck drivers also frequently self-medicate with common over-the-counter drugs when they suffer illnesses. They might also take certain OTC drugs that are known to have a stimulating or other desired effect.
Although truck drivers have a duty to make sure any medications won’t cause side effects that impair their ability to drive, many don’t read the label of OTC medications because they assume it must be safe since it’s so freely available. They might also ignore warnings included with prescription drugs.
Unfortunately, this problem is likely to get worse, because the average age of truck drivers is increasing.
Contact Our South Carolina Impaired Truck Driver Accident Lawyers Today
If a truck driver’s use of legal medications was to blame for your serious injuries in a South Carolina truck accident, you can rely on our attorneys to work to get you the money and benefits you deserve. Call Joye Law Firm at (888) 324-3100 or fill out our free online case evaluation form.
