DRUG USE FACTORS IN TRACTOR-TRAILER AND TRUCK ACCIDENTS
Our lawyers continue to litigate serious injury and death cases involving tractor-trailer and heavy truck collisions wherein the impairment of the operator by the use of illegal drugs has played a major factor. As surprising as it may seem, the use of illegal drugs while operating tractor-trailers and heavy trucks by commercial operators is not uncommon.
A study by the Insurance Institute of Highway Safety found that alcohol use among heavy truck operators is less prevalent than the use of illicit drugs. The study found that the use of marijuana, cocaine, or amphetamines/methamphetamines while operating tractor-trailers and heavy trucks was much more prevalent than the use of alcohol. Almost 5% of the truck drivers tested who had been involved in serious collisions tested positive for illicit drug use, but only .2% tested positive for alcohol.
Federal regulations require carriers to test all commercial drivers for drugs before employment, after crashes, and on a random basis. Our lawyers frequently encounter cases involving fatalities and extremely serious injuries wherein the operator of the truck was under the influence of not only one illicit drug, but a combination of illicit drugs. The dangers attendant with operating a large truck while under the influence of illicit drugs are obvious. Our lawyers have been successful in many cases in recovering not only compensatory damages but punitive damages, based upon the use of the illicit drugs.
