Texas Truck Wreck Attorney Blog

Drunk driving by 18 wheeler drivers is not a frequest occurance compared to other drinking accidents like motorcyclists, motorists, pedestrians and bicyclists.

Examples of injuries and fatalities when drinking and motoring can even include boating accidents. The main killer on the roadway is the drunk driver of a passenger car or pickup truck.

But the most likely to be deadly is the truck driver who consumes alcohol before climbing behind the wheel of his or her rig to hit the open road. Fortunately, it is not that common of an event.

According to studies done by the Insurance Institute of Highway Safety truck drivers are the least likely among all types of drivers to drink and drive. In a recent year they found that only 4% of all semi truck driver deaths had a blood alcohol content level that registered high enough to be considered legally intoxicated.

In statistics compiled by police forces around the country - random stops of drivers over the course of a year revealed that only 0.2% of truck drivers tested positive for alcohol (not necessarily to the point of intoxication) while 5% tested positive for illicit drugs including (but not limited to) marijuana and cocaine.

Undoubtedly, strict federal regulations regarding alcohol consumption and truck driving play a role in reducing the dangers to the public.

For instance, federal law calls for drug testing of drivers before an offer of employment. It is mandatory to get a blood alcohol content level of any 18-wheeler driver who is involved in a crash as well as random testing in general.

Drivers found with ANY alcohol content in their blood systems are taken out of service immediately. A BAC of 0.4 or higher causes the driver to be disqualified from applying for a CDL.

At up to 80,000 pounds one moment of indecision by an impaired driver can wipeout whole families.

Continue reading "Drinking and Driving a Big Rig" »

A pickup crashed early this weekend after a passenger vomited and fell out of the truck. According to authorities, 2 people fell out of a pickup truck side door after a passenger got sick and fell out of a passenger door held shut by bailing wire.

A second person fell out of the pickup when trying to assist the sick passenger.

After the passengers fell out of the pickup truck, the truck then struck a concrete wall. The passengers were transported to the hospital for treatment of injuries and the driver of the pickup was arrested for driving under the influence.

The truck driver walked away uninjured and was the only one wearing a seatbelt.

Authorities report that cause of the truck accident as impairment by alcohol.

This story while entertaining to read could have been much worse; passengers are killed frequently in drunk driving accidents. If you value your safety do not ride with the drinking driver.

If you are going out on the town and may drink, please select a designated driver to help ensure your return home safely.

Continue reading "Passenger throwing up blamed for DWI accident" »

Although there is a national awareness of the dangers of drunk driving thanks to organizations such as M.A.D.D. (Mothers against Drunk Driving) it is still at unfortunate epidemic levels across the country and the result is often death for innocent victims.

This is certainly true on Houston area roads. Let us consider some of the recent incidences of drunk driving in this city.

According to one source, Harris County has THE highest rates of drunk driving fatalities among similar counties across the United States!

The source goes on to say that sixty percent of traffic fatalities in the Houston area are alcohol related.

Horrific results of drunk driving in recent months include the death of a housewife and mother who was forced off a highway overpass and the loss of a volunteer fireman's legs in an accident that occurred in a parking lot. Both of these incidences occurred because people still get behind the wheel of their vehicle drunk.

Driving while intoxicated turns cars and trucks into death machines. While it is one thing to gamble with your own life - more often than not the drunk driver takes innocent victims out with him or her.

With all the media attention surrounding the issue of drunk driving it is no less than mind boggling that it still happens on a daily basis - and the sad reality that people die because of it.

Continue reading "Houston leads nation in drunk driving accident fatalities " »

A trucker who hit a Department of Transportation truck in the rear in a truck accident was arrested for drunken driving Tuesday morning, according to reports. The DOT employee was taken to the hospital with personal injuries.

The Department of Transportation was created in 1966 to aid transportation safety in the United States. One of the several safety agencies of the DOT is the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration, which promulgates rules and regulations for truck drivers and trucking companies.

The truck driver running into a DOT truck after having been drinking is like someone drinking and hitting a police car from behind.

The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Regulations are very strict in what happens after a truck accident and the ramifications for a trucker taking the wheel while impaired are clear.

The size and weight of tractor trailers make them very dangerous in an accident and drinking and driving by a professional driver is in a word-reckless. In Texas drinking drivers, particularly truck drivers can be subject to pretty harsh penalty especially in serious injury or wrongful death cases.

Continue reading "Trucker driver hits a DOT truck and gets arrested for DUI" »