Car Accidents and DUI’s – Aronberg & Aronberg

Today we’d like to take a look at a couple of seemingly different issues that both relate to personal injury. They are issues of drunk driving and prescription medications; the latter gets more televised attention than the former, though they both bring devastation to consumers around the world. It’s important to be wary of the dangers of drunk driving, especially with spring break approaching for colleges and high schools. Many students take this opportunity to let loose with their friends, have some drinks and forget about their responsibilities. Relaxing is fine, but endangering your life and the lives of others is NOT.  Making yourself aware of what’s at stake, and why the dangers are so high, can go a long way in preventing the unspeakable.

In the last couple of years, according to a report by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, binge drinking has become more popular—and the amount of drinks consumed during those binges have gone up as well. Currently, about one of every six adults binge drinks via consuming at least eight alcoholic drinks. Binge drinking does vary across the country; some states have rates as high as 26% and some have them as “low” as 11%. Even 11 out of every 100 people binge drinking is incredibly dangerous, especially when many of them get behind the wheel! No matter how you spin the statistics, the risks of being involved in an auto accident once you’ve been drinking increase tremendously. Alcohol is involved in approximately 45% of traffic fatalities.

45%. That’s a staggering number.

Now, you may think you can drive safely down a straight road when you’re “buzzed,” but that’s not the whole issue. When you drink, your reaction times are crippled, so you may not see that guy creeping out of his driveway on your right like you normally would. Alcohol makes you less-focused and more confident, and the combination of those makes for a deadly cocktail, so to speak. Please, don’t drink and drive. The cost of calling a cab is insignificant compared to the cost of a life.

The second issue today has to do with prescription medication. The Supreme Court in Utah has issued a ruling stating that doctors have a responsibility to their patients’ family members in a case brought by the children of a confessed murderer. The lawsuit claims that a physician and a nurse practitioner acted negligently when they prescribed six different medications to a man, including antidepressants and steroids. The man went on to shoot and kill his wife before entering a guilty plea to murder. This suit, and the court’s opinion, will go a long way in ensuring that doctors maintain a reasonable duty of care and ensure safety for their patients’ families as well as their patients themselves.

If you have any questions about this or any other legal matter, please contact the Law Offices of Aronberg & Aronberg at 561-266-9191 or email us at daronberg@build.simple.biz

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