CAR ACCIDENT LAWYER MN SUE DRIVER ON DRUGS OR IMPAIRED
A car accident lawyer in our office recently found this article from the Minnesota Department of Public Safety. The article is about cases in MN where a driver is impaired. Specifically, the focus is on people driving while on drugs, which can be legal or illegal drugs or medication. Our auto accident attorneys have successfully handled many cases where our client was injured by a drunk driver. However, we have also had many cases where someone is injured in a crash because the other driver was on drugs or medication. We are reprinting a portion of the article below, but to read the whole article click here:
“Impaired driving” means more than alcohol
What do you think of when you hear the phrase “driving while intoxicated?” You probably get a vision of someone having a few too many drinks at a bar or party, thinking they’re more sober than they are. Then, they get behind the wheel – often with disastrous and even deadly consequences. However, alcohol isn’t the only substance that can intoxicate a person, although the presence of those other substances may not be as obvious.
Minnesota State Patrol Lieutenant Don Marose puts it this way: “People don’t realize that drug-impaired driving is against the law.”
DRIVING UNDER INFLUENCE OF ILLEGAL OR PRESCRIPTION DRUGS
Next question in this quiz: What do you think of when you hear the word “drug”? Marijuana? Crack? Meth? Something stealthily handed off in a small baggie on a street corner or at a party? “But now we see prescription meds,” says Lt. Marose. “In fact, we see people who got them legitimately. But there’s no free pass, even if the doctor gave it to you.” To illustrate his point, Lt. Marose notes the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration’s latest impaired driving campaign: “If you feel different, you drive different.” People need to know that all impaired driving is dangerous and illegal. It doesn’t matter if the drugs are prescribed or not.
Lt. Marose encourages his trainees to ask drivers two questions during a traffic stop. The first and most expected one is, “Do you use any drugs?” Most people, thinking of illicit drugs, would answer a resounding (and truthful) “No!” But then comes the second question: “Do you take any medications?” Too much of a prescription medication could impair your ability to safely operate a motor vehicle.
“Alcohol is legal,” Lt. Marose points out. “But if you take too much of it, you’re driving impaired. So, the substance doesn’t matter to us; it’s the fact that they’re impaired.” In 1990, the state of Minnesota had five convictions for drug-impaired driving. That number has risen to over 2,000.
CAR ACCIDENT LAWYERS MN
If you are injured by a drunk driver or if the other driver was driving impaired because of medication or on drugs, call us for a free consultation with a top MN car accident lawyer. Our car accident lawyers have over 25 years’ experience. We successfully represent people injured by a driver on drugs in Minnesota.
We will represent you if you were the passenger in a car where the driver was on drugs and caused an accident, or if it was the driver of the other car. Our attorneys will make sure your rights are protected and you get the benefits and compensation you are entitled to. We have sued many people who were driving on drugs and caused an injury accident.