Many believe the current opioid crisis is the largest public health crisis since the first outbreak of HIV, which occurred nearly forty years ago. In a recent study done by Columbia University, researchers discuss an effect of the opioid crisis which may not be as well-publicized—fatal car accidents caused by drivers who were taking strong opioids. This current study indicates that the annual number of prescriptions for opioids (methadone, hydrocodone and oxycodone) quadrupled from 1991 to 2014. While there have been several studies done on whether the legalization of marijuana in some states has increased the incidence of auto accidents in those states, this opioid study covers formerly uncharted territory. In a country where nearly 100 million people took some form of prescription opioid medication (as per statistics from 2015), there have been more opioid-related car accidents ending in fatalities than ever before.
The researchers studied twenty years’ worth of traffic deaths from six states, all of which routinely test those who die in car accidents (West Virginia, New Hampshire, Rhode Island, California, Illinois and Hawaii). In particular, the study looked at those who died within one hour of the fatal collision. The study included an extremely large number of individuals—about 37,000—and of these, a bit more than three percent tested positive for prescription opioid drugs. Although three percent may not sound like a lot, the bigger issue is the significant increase from the late 90’s to the years from 2010-2015. The study found that the number of men who were killed in a car accident and tested positive for opioids increased from one percent to five percent, while the number of women killed in a car accident who tested positive for opioids increased from one percent to 7 percent.
It is important to note that the study did not delve into the question of whether the accident was actually caused by the use of opioids by the driver, rather only studied whether opioid drugs were present in the deceased drivers. So how do prescription opioids affect one’s ability to drive? Opioids are centrally-acting drugs which provide pain relief—along with a whole host of side effects, many of which could potentially interfere with a person’s ability to drive. Sedation, dizziness and mental fog are all side effects of even a single dose of an opioid drug. Reaction times, muscle coordination, attention span and short-term memory are also affected by opioid use. Since all of these factors are absolutely crucial to driving safely, it seems clear that opioids absolutely affect a person’s ability to drive safely.
Further Reading: Which Cars are Most Distracting?
Since no equivalent to blood alcohol level currently exists for other substances, the relationship between the concentration of a drug in a driver and the risk of an accident because of the drug are not well understood. On the flip side, a driver who is in constant pain, could also have an impaired ability to drive, as several studies have demonstrated. Both psychomotor and cognitive performance was found to be affected in those with chronic pain levels as compared to drivers who were not in pain. Unfortunately, both those drivers who suffered chronic pain and took no opioids as well as drivers who did take opioid drugs for their pain rated their driving quality to be “normal.” In other words, while driving skills deteriorated among those in pain and those on opioid drugs, the drivers were unaware of that deterioration. Because there is currently no foolproof manner of field-testing for opioid “intoxication,” it is likely that as long as the opioid crisis continues, there will be more and more fatal auto accidents which could be related to opioid use.
If you or someone you love has been injured in a car accident in Broomfield, Northglenn, Westminster, Thornton, or anywhere in Colorado, it is important to contact our experienced car accident attorneys right away. At Hull & Zimmerman, P.C., our dedicated injury lawyers can hold negligent drivers responsible for the damage they caused. We fight aggressively for all our injured clients – every step of the way. Contact us at (303) 423-1770 or (866) 385-3505.
Our personal injury lawyers have extensive experience representing injured accident victims in Broomfield, Arvada, Superior, Lafayette, Louisville, Erie, Brighton, Commerce City, Northglenn, Westminster, Thornton, Longmont, and throughout Colorado.
At Hull & Zimmerman, P.C., we are honored to help accident victims in their time of need, and take our responsibility as personal injury lawyers incredibly seriously. We know how important it is for victims to secure the full and fair compensation they need following a serious accident, and that is why we take a hands-on, personalized approach to every case we handle.
awarded to a woman who was a victim of a car crash. The woman was driving the highway when the other driver approaching from the opposite direction lost control of his vehicle, crossed the center line and hit her head on. She suffered multiple broken bones, including her hip, pelvis, leg, and right arm. She missed several years of work as a result of her injuries. Read More
awarded to a woman who was the victim of a t-bone car crash. The client suffered multiple injuries. The most significant of which was a head injury. While she was ultimately able to return to work on a part-time basis, Plaintiff was never able to return to work on a full-time basis. Read More
settlement awarded to a lady who suffered a head injury. She slipped and fell in a slanted parking lot at her place of employment. Evidence demonstrated that the owner of the building had constructed a fence shading the parking lot such that ice was allowed to continuously accumulate during the winter months. Multiple people had fallen on the ice prior to the client’s fall. As a result of her injuries, Plaintiff was forced to take early retirement. Read More
awarded to a man whose vehicle was hit from behind by a semi. The injured party suffered back pain and rotator cuff tears in each shoulder and was forced to retire from his job doing road repair four years earlier. Read More
settlement (policy limits) awarded to a young man who lost his eye when another child shot an arrow into the air. Read More
settlement obtained for a man who was injured in a rear end automobile accident. He suffered a herniated disc in his low back which was not well resolved by surgery forcing him to leave his employment as an apartment maintenance manager. Read More
awarded to a gentleman in association with a workman’s compensation case. He initially sustained a head injury at work when attacked by a patient. Several years later, his condition worsened resulting in his inability to return to work in his usual job. Read More
settlement achieved in a legal malpractice case. The client initially suffered a herniated disc in her neck in association with an automobile accident. The attorney failed to file the lawsuit in a timely manner and the Plaintiff was initially denied her ability to achieve any monies from the original lawsuit. Read More
settlement awarded to a man who was a victim of an automobile accident. Plaintiff was a passenger who was rear-ended by another driver. Following the accident, he suffered a long term back injury. Read More
settlement awarded to a lady who aggravated a pre-existing back condition when she slipped and fell at the entrance to a casino. Read More
awarded to a woman who suffered a rotator cuff tear from an automobile accident. Read More
$1,250,000.00 –awarded to a woman who was a victim of a car crash. The woman was driving the highway when the other driver approaching from the opposite direction lost control of his vehicle, crossed the center line and hit her head on. She suffered multiple broken bones, including her hip, pelvis, leg, and right arm. She missed several years of work as a result of her injuries.
$1,200.000.00 –awarded to a woman who was the victim of a t-bone car crash. The client suffered multiple injuries. The most significant of which was a head injury. While she was ultimately able to return to work on a part-time basis, Plaintiff was never able to return to work on a full-time basis.
$450,000.00 –settlement awarded to a lady who suffered a head injury. She slipped and fell in a slanted parking lot at her place of employment. Evidence demonstrated that the owner of the building had constructed a fence shading the parking lot such that ice was allowed to continuously accumulate during the winter months. Multiple people had fallen on the ice prior to the client’s fall. As a result of her injuries, Plaintiff was forced to take early retirement.
$425,000 –awarded to a man whose vehicle was hit from behind by a semi. The injured party suffered back pain and rotator cuff tears in each shoulder and was forced to retire from his job doing road repair four years earlier.
$300,000.00 –settlement (policy limits) awarded to a young man who lost his eye when another child shot an arrow into the air.
$300,000.00 –settlement obtained for a man who was injured in a rear end automobile accident. He suffered a herniated disc in his low back which was not well resolved by surgery forcing him to leave his employment as an apartment maintenance manager.
$250,000.00 –awarded to a gentleman in association with a workman’s compensation case. He initially sustained a head injury at work when attacked by a patient. Several years later, his condition worsened resulting in his inability to return to work in his usual job.
$250,000.00 –settlement achieved in a legal malpractice case. The client initially suffered a herniated disc in her neck in association with an automobile accident. The attorney failed to file the lawsuit in a timely manner and the Plaintiff was initially denied her ability to achieve any monies from the original lawsuit.
$150,000.00 –settlement awarded to a man who was a victim of an automobile accident. Plaintiff was a passenger who was rear-ended by another driver. Following the accident, he suffered a long term back injury.
$125,000.00 –settlement awarded to a lady who aggravated a pre-existing back condition when she slipped and fell at the entrance to a casino.
$75,000.00 –awarded to a woman who suffered a rotator cuff tear from an automobile accident.
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to talk to. They made my experience very comfortable through my whole journey.
My heartfelt gratitude goes out to the whole staff at Hull & Zimmerman. Thank
you
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– R. Hamilton
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would just like to send a “thank you” to you and your staff. You have been the
most professional and efficient law office if have ever dealt with. I will
continue to tell people about the wonderful job you have done for me and my
family. Mr. Zimmerman you are the most professional lawyer and I truly
appreciate all you have done. Again Thank you
– D. Hassoun
would
just like to send a “thank you” to you and your staff. You have been the most
professional and efficient law office if have ever dealt with. I will continue
to tell people about the wonderful job you have done for me and my family. Mr.
Zimmerman you are the most professional lawyer and I truly appreciate all you
have done. Again Thank you.
– Jason B.
I was
injured in a fall and the nightmare began. I found Mike Zimmerman on the
internet, read his background history and contacted his office. The Office Staff
was wonderful, patient, and helpful, even though I was probably a pain to them.
Mike is a no nonsense kind of guy. He will tell you exactly what he feels about
your case and will not sugar coat it. You will know exactly what to expect and I
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spinning out of control because of an accident. He help me get my life back.
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Working through divorce and custody issues is an extremely difficult and
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exceeded my highest expectations. This firm’s expertise, ability and
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– Michael D.
We
came across mike Zimmerman when we were involved in an accident awhile back, we
had been negotiating with the insurance company for some time and getting
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lawyer, and advised us every step of the way. His associates were very
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the settlement we were expecting and we just were very satisfied and would
highly recommend him to anyone that needs a good honest lawyer.
– Clarencec & Joy W.
We
were hit by an uninsured driver in 2006 and my husband was unable to work for
some time. Initially our own insurance really didn’t want to help us. On the
recommendation of a friend, we contacted Mr. Z and with his advice, suggestions
and hard work, we were able to get the what we needed from our insurance to help
us with our bills and medical costs. His staff was very patient with us as well
and was always available to reassure us and to answer our questions. We hope
nothing like this ever happens again, but if it was to happen, we would contact
Mr Zimmerman in a heart beat.
– G. & B O.
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Smart and nice! We were nervous and Rick put us at ease. Kept us informed. Never
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– D. & S. Bratrovsky
Exceeded expectations!
– T. Thiel
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liked the fact that I was kept up to date throughout the process. When the
accident first happened, Rick went to bat for me right away to make sure that I
was compensated for my loss of transportation. The end result in my case
exceeded my expectations and I was very pleased.
– D. Hughley
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appreciated the effort Rick Hull presented during the difficulties that occurred
throughout the settlement and following. I felt completely at ease during the
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– Michele Wolf
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appreciated the fact that Rick Hull always explained everything to me. No matter
how insignificant I thought the question was, he encouraged me to ask and was
very patient when I didn’t understand some aspect of the legal procedures. I
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unapproachable. He was easy to talk to, to understand, and get along with. In
addition, he explained certain aspects of Colorado law thoroughly to me so that
I could make an informed decision that best suited my needs.
5:59 pm
February 27th, 2018