Impaired driving has plagued the nation for decades and does not show any signs of slowing down. For commercial truck drivers, the stakes are significantly higher. The sheer size and weight of semi-trucks are capable of tearing through and crushing other vehicles. The legal limit for a trucker’s blood alcohol content is 0.04%, half of everyone else. Impaired truck driving isn’t limited to alcohol. Marijuana, cocaine, methamphetamine, amphetamine, and oxymorphone are some of the more common drugs that have been found in truck driver’s systems.
If you or someone you love has been injured due to the negligent acts of an impaired truck driver, you need a Los Angeles, California truck accident attorney. The dedicated attorneys at JML Law believe careless drivers should be held accountable for the devastation they cause to families. JML Law is here to help you and your family through this difficult time. Call today.
Truck Driver Causes Fatal Collision
Travis Lee Tolliver was an Ohio-based truck driver who was recently shut down by the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration. Tolliver crashed into another vehicle when he traveled nearly two miles down Route 23 in the wrong direction. The driver of the other vehicle was seriously injured. The passenger was killed.
After Tolliver arrived at the hospital and was subsequently arrested, he refused to provide a blood sample to test for any substances. The Commonwealth of Virginia has charged him with;
- Manslaughter under aggravated circumstances
- Driving while under the influence of alcohol or a narcotic drug
- Driving while intoxicated
- And the unreasonable refusal of blood for testing
Urine Tests No Longer Good Enough
A worrying pattern of impaired drivers is shining a light on outdated testing methods. Urine tests are currently the standard for the DOT. However, urine tests only detect drugs in a small window. For example;
- Cocaine takes just 3 days before it leaves the system
- Meth can be found up to a week
- Adderall is gone after just 72 hours
- Alcohol can be detected up to 48 hours before it leaves the system
- Oxymorphone tends to leave the system after 5 days
Hair follicle testing, on the other hand, can detect drugs for up to 90 days. This is a great window to catch habitual users. Congress authorized the use of hair testing as part of the FAST Act of 2015 for testing commercial truck drivers. However, after six years, the testing has not been implemented.
Tragedies that can be prevented are still happening. On June 25, 2015, a truck driver collided with another vehicle when traffic had slowed. He hit the rear of the car, forcing it into the next. When the dust settled, the accident included an 18-car pile-up, one car completely engulfed in flames, and six lives were taken. The truck driver had passed his urine test. A hair test revealed methamphetamines and a pattern of drug use.
The DOT has had ample time to implement hair follicle testing but continues to look the other way. According to a peer-reviewed research survey conducted by the Journal of Transportation Management, an estimated 275,000 truck drivers would fail a hair test.
How safe do you feel sharing the road with 80,000-pound semi-trucks?
Call JML Law Today
It is unacceptable for truck drivers to operate such massive vehicles while impaired. If you or someone you know has been injured due to the careless and selfish acts of an impaired trucker, call our Los Angeles, California, truck accident attorneys today. JML Law is here for you. Contact us for a free consultation of your case by clicking here or calling us at 818-610-8800.
