Under Nevada state law, someone with a commercial driver’s license (CDL) operating a commercial vehicle such as a tractor-trailer can be arrested for and convicted of driving under the influence (DUI) if they have a blood alcohol concentration (BAC) of 0.04 percent or more while in control of that commercial vehicle. This is half the legal limit for passenger car drivers, which is a BAC of 0.08 percent, and considering how uniquely dangerous traffic accidents involving semi-trucks can be, there is a very good reason for that change in the law.
As our experienced Las Vegas truck accident lawyers at Shook & Stone know, though, there are still plenty of truck drivers in Nevada who choose to get behind the wheel while impaired by alcohol or drugs. If you were recently injured in a wreck caused by a trucker acting irresponsibly in this way, support is available from a Las Vegas drunk driving car accident lawyer at our firm.
Who Is Civilly Liable for a Drunk Driving Truck Crash?
A truck driver who drives while drunk or high to any degree that impairs their judgment and reaction time has violated their duty of care to act responsibly and lawfully behind the wheel. Any such breach of duty that directly leads to an otherwise avoidable collision is the kind of legal negligence you can build a truck accident claim. However, while individual drunk truckers are, of course, the main party to blame for drunk driving truck crashes in Las Vegas, there may be other parties a skilled personal injury lawyer in Las Vegas can help you demand restitution from in the wake of such a wreck.
For instance, trucking companies in Nevada can often be held vicariously liable for the negligence of employees acting in furtherance of their business interests. They can even be directly liable for hiring a driver with a history of DUI convictions. On the flip side, though, Nevada does not have dram shop laws like many other states do, so it is generally not possible to sue the business that provided alcohol to a trucker who then caused a wreck by driving drunk.
Getting Paid Fairly for Short-Term and Long-Term Losses
Since drunk drivers are more likely than sober drivers to get into crashes at high speed without slowing down for or even seeing an obstacle near them, collisions involving drunk drivers tend to have very serious and often life-changing consequences. For this reason, among many others, it can be vital after a wreck caused by a drunk trucker to seek civil compensation not only for losses that have already occurred before the legal process began but also for future losses that can be expected to occur in the months, years, and even decades to come.
This can specifically include, but is not limited to things like:
- Emergency medical bills, plus expected costs of future rehabilitative and maintenance care
- Disability-related costs of things like wheelchairs and home modifications
- Lost work income, benefits, or earning capacity
- Personal property damage and related expenses, such as rental car fees while a personal vehicle is being repaired or replaced
- Physical discomfort and pain
- Psychological trauma and distress
- Lost quality of life
A drunk driving truck accident lawyer in Las Vegas can provide irreplaceable assistance with identifying and seeking a fair amount of money for all your damages.
Contact a Las Vegas Drunk Driving Truck Accident Attorney for Help
There is certainly no shortage of places in Sin City where tourists and locals alike can get a few drinks, but getting behind the wheel after extensive drinking is always a dangerous and illegal act. Unfortunately, long-haul truckers act irresponsibly in this way much more often than many people might like to think, and that sometimes leads to collisions with devastating repercussions.
A Las Vegas drunk driving truck accident lawyer from Shook & Stone can guide you through every step of the civil litigation process and work tirelessly to get you paid everything you deserve for your losses. Discuss your case with one of our compassionate attorneys today.
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