Driving under the influence typically involves excessive consumption of alcohol or of illegal drugs. However, some prescription drugs also can have harmful effects on drivers’ mental sharpness and reactions to road conditions, which in turn increase the chances of getting into an accident.
A survey of drivers recently conducted by the AAA Foundation for Safety Research found that 45 percent of those who use at least one potentially impairing prescription drug admitted to driving under the drug’s influence. More concerning, the survey shows that drivers who take more than one potentially impairing prescription drug are even more likely to drive under the influence of at least one of them. This is likely because the more drugs they take, the longer the period during which at least one of those drugs is in their system.
Even if you understand the effects of your prescription drugs and you avoid driving if they might interfere with your safety, you are at risk from other prescription drug users who decide to get behind the wheel. You should always be on the lookout for drivers who show signs of impairment.
If you are involved in an auto accident with another vehicle, you should take note of any signs of driver impairment, although they won’t necessarily be evident at the time. An experienced personal injury attorney knows how to use the discovery process, which allows the parties to demand information during the lawsuit. For instance, your attorney can request the defendant driver’s medical records, including any record of drug prescriptions. Your attorney can also find out if the defendant took any prescription drugs on the day of the accident and about their prior experience with those drugs. Based on that information, your attorney may be able to convince a jury that the driver was negligent in not following the drug warnings on the packaging or in failing to heed signs of impairment before or while driving, which could have avoided the accident.
Gesmonde, Pietrosimone & Sgrignari, L.L.C. provides aggressive advocacy in behalf of people throughout Connecticut who are injured in auto accidents. Please call 203-745-0942 or contact us online to schedule a consultation in our East Haven or Hamden office.
Gesmonde, Pietrosimone & Sgrignari, L.L.C. is located in Hamden, CT and serves clients in and around North Haven, Hamden, Waterbury, Bethany, Milford, Wallingford, Prospect, Woodbridge, Northford, Madison, Beacon Falls, Branford, Cheshire, North Branford, East Haven, Naugatuck, Meriden, Ansonia and New Haven County.
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