Sacramento Crash May Be Alcohol or Drug Related
I’m Sacramento car accident lawyer Ed Smith. An April 17 crash between an older model Ford pickup and water truck along eastbound Jackson Road caused an injury to one of the individuals involved. At the time of this report, no further bulletins as to the identity of that person have been released. Alcohol or drug consumption as a factor in the crash was not ruled out by authorities. No one was charged with drunk or impaired driving at the accident site.
Accident Details
The crash occurred shortly after 8:00 in the morning along California State Route 16 when an Alhambra water truck was struck by a Ford F-150. The California Highway Patrol (CHP) reported that the pickup sustained moderate to severe damage in the front from the collision. One of the individuals involved in the crash was transported by ambulance to the Kaiser Permanente South Sacramento Medical Center for treatment. No information has been released on the condition of that person at this time.
Impaired Driving
Every hour of the day, a person dies due to drunk driving accidents. In 2015, that amounted to 10,265 people nationwide. No one is immune to this, and of the over 1,000 children who die every year in traffic accidents, 16 percent of them are killed by adrunk drivers. The problem is vast. About 111 million people reported that they drove drunk. Contrast that with the approximately 1.1 million drivers who are arrested for DUI each year. That means that the other 99 percent of drunk drivers have yet to be caught. Overall, a driver with a previous DUI on their record has a 9-percent increased chance of dying in an accident.
Not Just Alcohol Anymore
Drugs are involved in about 16 percent of all car accidents. Marijuana has recently been on an increase with approximately 13 percent of the weekend and nighttime impaired drivers showing evidence of using the drug. While gender and age are important factors in whether a person uses marijuana, studies have shown a user has a 25-percent higher chance of having an accident than someone who does not use pot.
Young Drivers and Alcohol-Related Accidents
Young drivers are most likely to drink, drive and crash than older ones. Twenty-eight percent of all drivers in 2015 with a blood alcohol concentration at the legal limit of 0.08 or higher who were in a fatal accident were 21 to 24 years old.
Not Limited to Cars and Trucks
Car and truck drivers are not alone in drunk driving accidents. In 2015, 27 percent of motorcyclists who died in crashes had an elevated BAC level. Older motorcyclists have the highest propensity for drunk driving accidents. Drunk driving among motorcyclists has been trending upward for several years.
The Effects of Alcohol on a Driver
At low levels (about 2 percent), a driver will not be able to track an object as well as a driver who has consumed no alcohol nor will they be able to multitask as well. After three drinks, at 0.05 percent, their reaction time in an emergency is already reduced, and they are losing coordination. Their ability to track an object that is moving is even further reduced. By the time they reach 0.08 percent, their short-term memory has declined, and their concentration capabilities are diminished. Their perception is impaired, and controlling speed becomes very difficult. They cannot process information very well, so another vehicle’s blinking lights are not understood as if they were sober. By the time they have five drinks and reach a BAC level of 0.10 percent, the drunk driver is finding it hard to stay in his or her lane.
Sacramento Car Accident Lawyer
I’m Sacramento car accident lawyer Ed Smith. If a drunk driver has seriously injured you or if someone in your family died due to a negligent driver, you should have legal representation. Reach out to me at (916) 921-6400 or (800) 404-5400 anytime. You can contact me online too for free and friendly advice.
I’ve been assisting residents of Sacramento for 36 years with truck and pedestrian accidents as well as wrongful deaths among others.
I belong to the Million Dollar Forum, an advocates grouping nationwide of trial attorneys who have won $1 million for their clients.
You could visit my settlements and verdicts page on my website to see how I resolved some earlier cases.
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Photo Attribution: https://pixabay.com/en/drink-driving-drunk-alcohol-808790/
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