If you were involved in a collision with a driver who was under the influence of drugs, you may have suffered traumatic harm, such as a concussion, broken bones, back and neck injuries, severe cuts, and even lost limbs or paralysis. You may have spent time in the hospital and may have had one or more surgeries. You may need to undergo other procedures in the future, or you may have to visit a chiropractor or a physical therapist several times per week to regain your strength and range of motion so you can do things that you took for granted prior to the accident.
The medical costs related to the collision may be staggering, and the pile of bills may be getting taller every week. Your injuries may have left you unable to work. You and your spouse may have depleted your savings and may be struggling to cover your mortgage or rent, groceries, and other essentials.
You may have no idea when you will be able to return to work. A doctor may have told you that your injuries are so severe that you will never be able to perform the type of job you did before the accident. You may be trying to figure out a new way to support your family. All of this may be taking a tremendous emotional toll on you. The stress, uncertainty, and anxiety may be straining your relationships with your loved ones.
A car accidents caused by someone driving under the influence of drugs lawyer may be able to help. Ben Crump Law, PLLC, has represented people across the United States who were harmed by the actions or negligence of others. We may be able to file a personal injury lawsuit against the driver who was responsible for the crash to seek compensation for your medical costs (both past and future), lost income, lost or reduced earning potential, and pain and suffering. Call our office at (844) 730-0233 to talk to a member of our staff.
Why Impaired Driving Is So Dangerous
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), in 2018, 2.3 million Americans aged 16 and older reported that they had driven under the influence of illicit drugs other than marijuana in the past year. Often, individuals who drive while impaired are found to have more than one drug in their system, or a combination of one or more drugs and alcohol.
Illegal drugs, such as cocaine, heroin, methamphetamines, and hallucinogens, can affect an individual’s decision-making, coordination, ability to concentrate, perception of distance, reaction time, and judgment. When a person who is under the influence of drugs gets behind the wheel of a car, the results can be catastrophic.
An impaired driver may travel well above the speed limit, run red lights, change lanes erratically, cut off fellow drivers, and engage in other reckless behaviors that can endanger the safety of people sharing the road. An impaired motorist may cause a multi-vehicle accident or a series of collisions while driving recklessly and trying to evade police officers.
How a Car Accidents Caused by Someone Driving under the Influence of Drugs Lawyer Can Help
The team at Ben Crump Law, PLLC, can review the police report and statements made by you, passengers who were in your car at the time of the crash, and eyewitnesses. If the officer who responded to the scene of the collision suspected that the other driver was under the influence of drugs, he or she should have noted that in the report.
If a drug test was conducted, we can review the toxicology report. If the test confirmed the presence of one or more illegal substances in the other motorist’s blood, that information can bolster your case and demonstrate that the driver was negligent. Our staff can also view any surveillance video that may have recorded the accident.
If a drug test was not performed, or if a test detected a low level of a drug in the driver’s system, his or her attorney may argue that the motorist was not under the influence of drugs or that he or she had used drugs in the days leading up to the accident and was not impaired at the time of the crash. In that case, the police officer’s observations of the driver’s behavior, speech, and appearance immediately following the accident may be critically important.
An attorney representing the other driver may claim that your actions were partly responsible for the collision and that you are therefore liable for your own injuries. For instance, a lawyer may argue that you were driving over the speed limit or that you changed lanes without using your turn signal.
Even if that is true, you may still be able to recover a financial award to compensate you for your losses. Numerous states have comparative negligence laws that allow people who have suffered personal injuries to obtain reduced compensation when they share some responsibility for an accident.
Contact a Personal Injury Attorney
The team at Ben Crump Law, PLLC, may be able to obtain a financial award to cover your medical bills, lost income, and pain and suffering. Personal injury cases are often resolved by negotiating an out-of-court settlement, but that is not always possible. We will take a case to trial if we believe that is necessary to obtain fair compensation on behalf of an injured client.
If you are struggling to cover your basic living expenses and facing a large stack of medical bills, you may think that you could not afford to hire a car accidents caused by someone driving under the influence of drugs lawyer, but that should not be a concern. Ben Crump Law, PLLC, follows a contingency model. That means that we cover upfront costs ourselves, and our firm only collects a fee if we obtain a settlement on behalf of a client.
Statutes of limitations require victims of personal injuries to file a lawsuit within a limited amount of time. Those time periods vary from state to state. If you miss the deadline, you may be unable to recover financial compensation for your losses stemming from the accident.
Call Ben Crump Law, PLLC, at (844) 730-0233 to discuss the collision that injured you. A member of our staff can explain how your state’s statute of limitations and other laws may apply to your case and how we may be able to help you seek justice.
