Truck Accidents: The Risks of Over-the-counter Drug Use on Truck Drivers

Some over-the-counter drugs can cause drowsiness, fatigue, and impaired spatial judgment, leaving a commercial truck driver unable to operate a tractor-trailer safely. If a truck driver takes an over-the-counter medication that impairs alertness and ability to drive, the driver should be held accountable if he or she causes a truck crash that injures someone else.

The skilled truck accident lawyers at Craig, Kelley & Faultless LLC, help victims of semi-truck accidents rebuild their lives and demand full compensation for serious injuries. The law firm has five offices across Indiana to serve those who’ve been harmed by the negligence of truckers and trucking companies. While we are proud of the numerous professional recognitions we’ve earned for our work, our focus remains on helping injured people seek compensation to move forward with their lives after sudden, serious injuries or the death of a loved one.

Our legal team has the experience and resources necessary to investigate complex truck accidents and hold truck drivers, trucking companies, and other at-fault parties accountable for their negligent actions. Attorneys David Craig, the firm’s managing partner, and partner Scott Faultless are among a select group of lawyers nationwide who have earned board certification from the National Board of Trial Advocacy in the area of personal injury law involving tractor trailers, buses, and other commercial vehicles.

If you have been seriously injured in a large truck accident in Indiana and suspect that the truck driver was impaired, we can conduct an investigation and seek evidence to support your case. Serious injuries disrupt lives. We want to help you secure full compensation to regain control of your life. Contact us today for a free and confidential legal consultation to talk about your case.

Types of Drugs Used by Truck Drivers

It is common to use over-the-counter drugs to alleviate everything from a headache to the symptoms of colds or seasonal allergies. Many people mistakenly assume that if they can purchase a drug off the shelf without a prescription, it is safe and won’t have any serious side effects. The truth of the matter is that over-the-counter drugs can have significant side effects, especially when it comes to operating heavy machinery like large trucks. Commercial truck drivers need to understand how a medication, whether a prescription drug or an over-the-county medication, will affect their ability to drive.

Many over-the-counter drugs have the potential to alter a driver’s mental and physical state to the point where operating a vehicle is risky. Mixing two or more over-the-counter drugs can cause unanticipated drug interactions, increasing or decreasing the strength of the drugs. Failing to follow proper dosages also can contribute to dangerous side effects for drivers.

Some of the most common over-the-counter drugs that can alter a person’s ability to safely drive a tractor-trailer include:

• Antihistamines
• Sleep aids
• Caffeine pills
• Cough suppressants
• Cold and flu medications
• Pain relievers
• Diet pills
• Herbal supplements

Some of these medications can cause significant drowsiness. Others can speed an individual up to the point where it becomes difficult to focus or results in panic attacks. Part of a truck driver’s job is to be awake and focused on the road and the task of driving.

Truck Accidents Involving Drivers Using Over-the-Counter Drugs

A landmark study by the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration estimated that about 17 percent of collisions involving large trucks included a truck driver using over-the-counter drugs as a factor. While drivers are monitored and screened for illegal drugs such as opioids and methamphetamine, over-the-counter drugs are not as strictly regulated. Easy access to these drugs can give drivers a false impression of the risks of taking the drugs while driving. Truck drivers may be more likely to take these types of drugs without realizing their full potential for destruction.

The other potential problem with the use of over-the-counter drugs is that it can be difficult to determine if the drugs’ use resulted in an accident. There are no “sobriety” tests that will find the presence of over-the-counter drugs in a driver’s system at the time of a collision. It can take an independent investigation to determine whether over-the-counter drugs played a role in a truck accident.

If you have been injured in a semi-truck accident in Indiana and you suspect drugs may have been involved, you need to get in touch with an experienced Indiana truck accident attorney as soon as possible. Our skilled attorneys at Craig, Kelley & Faultless have the resources to investigate the accident and gather evidence that may be crucial to demonstrating that the driver was impaired by over-the-counter drugs.

How Can OTC and Prescription Drugs Affect Truck Drivers?

The type and dosage of over-the-counter medications can influence how the medication will affect a driver. The active ingredient in allergy medications like antihistamines can cause significant drowsiness, diminishing a driver’s ability to stay alert and aware of their surroundings. The same is true for over-the-counter sleep aids and certain cough and cold medications. The active ingredient dextromethorphan, found in certain cold medications, can also produce out-of-body experiences if taken in high enough quantities.

Other medications and herbal supplements may have a stimulating effect. Weight loss drugs and herbal medications with ephedrine can impair a driver’s ability to focus on the road and sometimes cause panic attacks or anxiety. As the drugs wear off, a user may experience extreme fatigue, drowsiness, and even blurred vision.

Prescription drugs can also produce a wide variety of side effects. Many even warn against operating heavy machinery or driving while under the influence of the drug. The side effects that may impact a driver’s ability to operate a vehicle safely depend on the dosage of the drug and what condition the drug is meant to treat.

Generally, some of the most common side effects of over-the-counter and prescription drugs that may impair a truck driver’s performance include:

• Drowsiness
• Fatigue
• Dizziness
• Blurred vision
• Impair judgment of traffic hazards
• Slower reactions to perceived hazards
• Balance or stability issues
• Paranoia or anxiety

If you have been involved in a truck accident and notice the driver seems fatigued, highly agitated, or is acting strangely, contact an experienced Indiana truck accident attorney as soon as possible. A skilled attorney knows what to look for after an accident and may be able to gather evidence that points to over-the-counter or prescription drug use as a contributing factor in the accident.

Medications that Disqualify Truck Drivers

In general, being caught using illegal or illicit drugs will result in a truck driver being disqualified from driving big rigs. The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration has strict guidelines on which drugs and medications drivers are prohibited from taking. The FMCSA recognizes that many drugs can have an adverse impact on a driver’s ability to safely operate large vehicles. If a driver is caught in violation of these federal guidelines, the driver may be disqualified from having a commercial driver’s license.

Medications that can disqualify truck drivers include:

• Controlled substances and narcotics
• Opiates
• Amphetamines
• Methadone
• Phencyclidine or PCP
• Marijuana
• Any anti-seizure medication

Some medications may be exempt from these regulations, but only if the driver provides a valid prescription from a physician. In some instances, the prescribing physician is required to write a letter acknowledging that the driver is safe to operate a vehicle.

Investigation into Drug Use and Trucking Accidents

Proving that a truck driver was under the influence of an over-the-counter medication at the time of the accident can be challenging. The first step in the process is retaining an experienced truck accident attorney. You will need an attorney with the experience and resources needed to conduct a thorough investigation into the cause of the truck accident. In some instances, an attorney may be able to request an independent test to check for the presence of over-the-counter drugs in the driver’s system. However, this must be done as soon as possible.

An attorney may also be able to obtain medical records, receipts, or witness statements that may point to impairment by an over-the-counter drug. Trucks may contain dash-cams, which could show a driver taking medication while on the road.

It can be challenging to prove that a truck driver was under the influence of over-the-counter medications, it is a challenge that the attorneys at Craig, Kelley & Faultless LLC have the experience and knowledge to handle. We want to help victims involved in serious truck accidents in Indiana seek the financial compensation they need to overcome serious injuries and move forward with their lives.

Contact Our Indiana Truck Accident Attorneys

Tractor-trailer accidents can be catastrophic and leave victims with life-altering injuries and financial hardships. When a truck driver takes over-the-counter medications that alter the driver’s ability to safely operate a vehicle, the driver is putting lives at risk. You shouldn’t have to pay for someone else’s bad judgment or negligent actions. Our team will be ready to demand justice for you.

At Craig, Kelley & Faultless LLC, our attorneys are dedicated to helping people injured in truck accidents stand up against trucking companies and their insurers. Contact one of our Indiana truck accident attorneys today for a free, no-obligation case evaluation.