Truck Driver Drug and Alcohol Use
Florida is consistently on the list of states with the most truck accident fatalities in the country, experiencing an average of 373 deaths a year. One of the reasons why these accidents occur is truck driver drug and alcohol use.
Roman Austin Personal Injury Lawyers can help you recover compensation after a truck accident in Tampa, FL. Contact our law firm for a free case evaluation with an experienced attorney at (813) 686-7588.
How Roman Austin Personal Injury Lawyers Can Help You After a Truck Accident in Tampa, FL
Truck accidents are, by nature, more likely to result in severe injuries and fatalities. If you’ve been in a crash, consider contacting the experienced lawyers at Roman Austin Personal Injury Lawyers in Tampa, Florida. We’ve been helping clients since 1986, and we have succeeded in recovering more than $120 million for them.
When you turn to our Tampa truck accident lawyers, you get:
- A careful assessment of your claim
- Thorough gathering of evidence
- Extensive negotiations with insurance companies
- Representation in court, if necessary
You don’t have to go through this alone. With the help of our knowledgeable truck accident lawyers in Tampa, FL, you can get fair compensation.
What To Know About Truck Driver Alcohol and Drug Use Regulations
For most drivers, the blood alcohol concentration limit allowed by law is 0.08%. For truck drivers, as well as for anyone who drives under a commercial driver’s license, it’s 0.04%. This means that anyone over that percentage is driving while intoxicated. They could face disqualification sanctions.
Truckers aren’t allowed to drink alcohol during the four-hour period before starting to drive, either. It’s crucial to understand that even a BAC as low as 0.03% could interfere with coordination and reaction times, making it much more difficult to keep control of the truck.
Although most people focus on alcohol, there’s also a growing problem with truck drivers using drugs. Each year, there are thousands of truck driver drug violations throughout the country. When a driver fails a drug test, they’re put on probation, but many of the annual accidents that occur involving trucks are the result of some sort of substance use.
Drugs can affect the driver in a variety of ways, depending on what they’ve consumed. Some drugs, like cannabis, can make them tired and more likely to fall asleep at the wheel, while stimulants like cocaine can make them more erratic and reckless. Any degree or type of intoxication puts everyone on the road at risk.
Compensation Available After a Truck Accident in Tampa, Florida
If you’ve been in a truck accident that wasn’t your fault, you have the chance to get compensation for your losses. Also called compensatory damages, these are meant to put you back in the position you were in before the accident occurred — to the extent possible. Compensatory damages are divided into two main categories: economic and non-economic.
Economic damages refer to those that are quantifiable. The most common type of economic damages are medical expenses. You can get compensation for hospital bills, medication costs, physical therapy, and everything else that you’ll need to recover from the accident. If the injuries were severe enough to require ongoing care, you can get coverage for future medical expenses.
Property damage is another form of economic compensation. When a car collides with a truck, the car is usually totaled or seriously damaged. Compensation allows you to either repair or replace the vehicle.
Another type of economic damage is lost wages. As you get treatment for your injuries, you may have to miss work. That means you’ll be missing wages you’d otherwise have earned. You can get compensation for these wages as well as for future wages if you are no longer able to work in the same capacity or at all.
Non-economic damages are those that don’t come with a price tag. One of these is pain and suffering. Dealing with injuries may cause both physical and mental distress – and pain and suffering damages strive to compensate you for it.
You can also claim loss of enjoyment of life if the accident leaves you unable to live your life like you used to before you were injured.
If you had a loved one die in an accident, or if they were severely injured and can’t provide affection, comfort, or support any longer, you are able to claim a loss of companionship.
In the most extreme of accidents, punitive damages are also available. These aren’t compensatory but are instead meant to punish the truck driver for their egregious behavior.
Schedule a Free Initial Consultation With Our Experienced Tampa Truck Accident Attorneys
Don’t wait to get the help you need. If you’ve been involved in a truck accident, you can turn to us at Roman Austin Personal Injury Lawyers. Call our Tampa personal injury lawyers for a free case evaluation today.
