Getting in a collision with an intoxicated driver is always stressful. You may have sustained injuries in the crash, and your vehicle may be damaged. However, when that intoxicated driver is a truck driver, the situation can be much worse, involving catastrophic injuries and a totaled vehicle.
If a drunk driving trucker struck you in Southaven or Hernando, Mississippi, contact Chatham Gilder Howell Pittman PLLC for a free consultation with one of our experienced drunk driving injury lawyers. Our firm has been representing injury victims in North Mississippi since 1932, and we have the experience, knowledge, and resources to help you seek the compensation you need.
Types of Truck Accidents Caused by Drunk Driving
Drunk driving can lead to many types of truck accidents that could be avoided simply by the driver not being intoxicated. Examples of accidents caused by intoxicated driving include:
- Head-On Collisions – Drunk truckers are more likely to stray out of their lane and cross the center dividing line, colliding with oncoming traffic head-on. These collisions are some of the most devastating, often leading to severe, permanent, and fatal injuries.
- Rear-End Collisions – Truck drivers who are intoxicated are also more likely to misjudge their braking, resulting in rear-end collisions that may involve several vehicles.
- Failure to Yield Accidents – Intoxicated truckers may fail to yield the right-of-way to oncoming traffic, turning in front of them and leading to dangerous underride accidents.
- Wide-Turn Accidents – Large trucks have to swing out wide in the opposite direction first to make sharp turns. A drunk truck driver may not properly check for other vehicles before doing this.
- Rollover Accidents – These accidents are often caused by speeding on turns, causing the truck’s weight to shift until it tips over. Intoxicated drivers may be more likely to speed and less likely to realize their truck is tipping.
- Jackknife Accidents – When semi-truck drivers have to slam on the brakes, such as when an intoxicated driver realizes they’re about to hit another vehicle, the trailer can swing out alongside the cab and strike vehicles in other lanes.
Who Is Liable for a Drunk Driving Truck Accident?
The obvious answer to the question of who is liable for a drunk driving truck accident is the intoxicated truck driver. However, they may not be the only party liable for the wreck.
The trucking company that hired the driver could also share liability, particularly if:
- It knew or should have known that the driver had prior driving under the influence (DUI) offenses on their record
- Negligent hiring practices like these can open the trucking company up to liability for accidents caused by their drivers’ actions
Mississippi Code Section 67-3-73(4) also extends liability to parties that provide alcohol to individuals who are visibly intoxicated. So, if the driver purchased alcohol somewhere before getting behind the wheel of their truck, and the person selling the alcohol should have been able to tell they were already intoxicated, they could be liable for your injuries, as well.
DUIs for Commercial Driver’s License Holders
Most drivers can be charged with driving under the influence if their blood alcohol concentration (BAC) is 0.08 percent or higher. However, drivers with commercial driver’s licenses (CDLs) can face DUI charges with a BAC of only 0.04 percent, per Mississippi Code Section 63-11-30.
This is important because if the driver who caused the accident is convicted of a DUI, that could strengthen your claim for compensation.
Why DUIs Involving Trucks Are More Dangerous Than Those Involving Cars
DUI accidents involving trucks are more dangerous than those involving cars simply because commercial trucks are larger and heavier than cars. Their size and weight mean they do more damage to the vehicles they collide with, and they can collide with many more vehicles at once.
Truck accidents frequently cause catastrophic injuries that leave victims with permanent disabilities, such as:
- Traumatic brain injuries
- Spinal cord injuries
- Crushed limbs
- Severe internal organ damage
This is why Mississippi takes truck driver DUIs so seriously.
Compensation Available to DUI Truck Accident Victims
The compensation available after a DUI truck accident can be significant, depending on the extent and severity of your injuries. Some of the losses you may be able to seek compensation for include:
- Past and future medical expenses, including hospital stays, surgeries, medical devices, medical treatments, physical therapy, and prescription medications
- Lost wages and loss of earning capacity caused by the long-term impact of your injuries on your ability to work either at all or at the same level you previously could
- Physical pain and suffering caused by your injuries, including the immediate pain you experienced and long-term chronic pain
- Emotional distress caused by the accident and your injuries, including anxiety, depression, and post-traumatic stress disorder, that may make it difficult for you to get behind the wheel of a vehicle again
- The impact your permanent disabilities have on your life and the cost of accommodating them by hiring in-home care or modifying your home or vehicle
- Funeral and burial expenses, and other wrongful death benefits if your loved one passed away due to injuries sustained in a crash caused by a drunk truck driver
- The cost of repairing or replacing your damaged or totalled vehicle
Contact Our North Mississippi Drunk Truck Driving Injury Lawyers
After getting in an accident caused by an intoxicated truck driver, it’s important to consult an experienced and knowledgeable drunk driving injury lawyer. At Chatham Gilder Howell Pittman PLLC, our firm has over 90 years of experience handling these types of cases, and we’re ready to put that experience to work for you.
Contact our firm today for a free case review with one of our highly qualified attorneys. We’ll walk you through what to expect from your case and how our team will fight for the compensation you deserve.
