Injury and Accident Attorneys Serving St. Louis, Nearby Missouri, and Nearby Illinois
Although drinking over a certain amount of alcohol and driving (or using drugs and then driving) is illegal for all drivers, federal law has strict guidelines for truck drivers who are on the road more frequently and who are operating large, heavy trucks that can cause tremendous damage if they are involved in accidents. In fact, federal trucking regulations dictate that truck drivers:
- Are legally defined as intoxicated if their blood alcohol content is equal to or greater than 0.04 when operating a truck (half of the legal limit of 0.08 for drivers of passenger vehicles)
- Are prohibited from drinking alcohol while operating a truck and/or while “on duty”
- Are prohibited from driving a truck within four hours of having imbibed alcohol
Additionally, truck drivers can be legally considered to be intoxicated and too impaired to drive if they have taken any illegal narcotics and/or certain prescription or over-the-counter medications.
Dangers of Drunk/High Truck Drivers
When a truck driver is drunk or otherwise intoxicated:
- Their reactions will be significantly impaired
- They will be more likely to lose focus on the road and/or fall asleep at the wheel
- They will be far more likely to cause serious accidents that could result in severe injuries or even death to other drivers, motorcyclists or pedestrians on the roadway
If a drunk or drugged truck driver causes an accident, injured parties may be eligible for compensation for their:
- Medical bills
- Property damage
- Lost wages
- Permanent disabilities
- Mental anguish
Discuss your truck accident case with attorneys at Brown & Brown, LLP during a free consultation today. Our law firm has two offices: one in St. Louis (314-333-3333 or 573-333-3333) serving all of Missouri and another in Illinois (618-888-8888).
