It’s against the law in Pennsylvania to drive any kind of motor vehicle while you’re impaired by alcohol or drugs. It’s especially dangerous to drive drunk if the vehicle you’re driving is a massive tractor-trailer, to the point that Pennsylvania law puts uniquely harsh restrictions on truck drivers for being legally impaired behind the wheel.
Unfortunately, not every truck driver follows DUI laws, leading to traffic collisions with serious and even life-threatening consequences. If you’ve been hurt in a drunk driving truck accident in York, you likely have grounds to file a lawsuit—with a skilled truck crash lawyer’s help—against the drunk truck driver, their employer, and potentially others.
What Counts as Drunk Driving for a Truck Driver?
For most people, driving under the influence (DUI) occurs when you’re either noticeably impaired by drugs or alcohol in the opinion of a police officer who pulled you over or if you’re tested to have a blood alcohol concentration (BAC) of 0.08% or more. For people with commercial driver’s licenses (CDLs), the BAC limit for a DUI is just 0.04%. This is half the limit that applies to regular commuter car drivers.
On top of possible jail time, thousands of dollars in fines, and the loss of their CDL, truck drivers who get into crashes in York because they were driving drunk are usually liable for the crash under civil law. Driving drunk counts as a violation of the duty of care all drivers have to act lawfully and responsibly on the road. Any breach of duty that directly causes someone else to get hurt qualifies as the kind of legal negligence you can build a personal injury lawsuit around.
Making a Trucking Company Pay for a Drunk Driving Crash
The main person to blame for a drunk driving truck collision in York is usually the truck driver who chose to get behind the wheel while they were dangerously impaired. In many cases, it’s possible to hold both an individual trucker and the company they work for liable for this sort of wreck thanks to a legal doctrine called respondeat superior. Given how severe the injuries from a truck wreck can be, this can be important when it comes to getting paid fairly for all your accident-related losses.
There may also be other people who share in the blame for this sort of accident under certain circumstances. For example, if a bar or restaurant knowingly overserved a truck driver who was already visibly drunk, they might be liable under Pennsylvania’s dram shop laws for any traffic crash that trucker got into after they left that business. A knowledgeable legal professional can go into more detail about filing options for a specific claim during a private initial meeting.
Get Help from a York Attorney With a Drunk Driving Truck Accident Lawsuit
A drunk or high truck driver is one of the most dangerous things anyone can encounter on a public road or highway in Pennsylvania. If you’ve been hurt in a wreck caused by one, you may have legal options that our team can help you take full advantage of.
Seeking civil recovery after a drunk driving truck accident in York will be much easier with one of our winning lawyers on your side. Call Ostroff Godshall Injury and Accident Lawyers today to learn more.
