Physical Impairment

Impaired driving does not just refer to drunk driving. Physical impairment of drivers can also involve debilitating medical conditions that can affect a motorist’s ability to operate a vehicle. In fact, the National Institutes of Health (NIH) reports that a motorist’s health can matter more to driving ability than age. When drivers in Hollywood and Florida neglect their health or their doctors’ warnings they can cause serious and even fatal collisions.

If you have been injured in a collision caused by a driver who may have been impaired by medications or a medical condition, contact Flaxman Law Group, a law firm with offices in Hollywood, Homestead, and Miami. Our attorneys have more than sixty years of combined experience working with plaintiffs who have been seriously injured. Contact us today for a free accident consultation.

There are many conditions that can affect driving ability, including:

Strokes. Strokes can paralyze parts of the body, affecting a motorist’s ability to drive and their ability to check blind spots. When they happen in a car, they can cause a driver to lose control of their car.

Heart attacks. Each year, some drivers find themselves having a cardiac event while driving. This can cause them to lose consciousness at the wheel or lose control of their car.

Parkinson’s disease. This condition can affect mobility and movement, which can affect a person’s ability to brake and steer the wheel. This condition can also causing shaking, which can affect driving ability.

Seizure disorders. Seizures can be frightening, and even more so when they happen to a driver. A seizure can cause loss of consciousness or uncontrollable convulsions which leave a motorist unable to drive.

Dementia. Alzheimer’s and others forms of dementia can cause drivers to become disoriented or confused, potentially leading to an accident.

In some cases, physical ailments can strike seemingly from nowhere, giving drivers no way to prepare. Heart attacks, for example, can sometimes occur with no early warning signs. In other cases, however, drivers know they have a serious illness and are expected to take all due precautions when driving and should speak with their doctors about driving ability. In some cases, they may be able to alter their cars to make their cars more accessible. In other cases, it may be safer to hang up their keys. Doctors are expected to discuss driving ability with patients in cases where patients are diagnosed with a serious condition that could affect driving ability.

In some cases, traffic collisions themselves can lead to serious physical impairment. For example, roadway crashes can lead to:

• Amputations
• Brain injury
• Paraplegia or quadriplegia
• Head injuries
• Loss of mobility
• Paralysis

In some of these cases, drivers may need to make adjustments to their cars or get rehabilitation or training in order to drive again. In other cases, drivers may no longer be able to get behind the wheel due to their medications or injuries. In these cases, injured drivers may be able to seek compensation for their medical costs, lost wages, transportation costs, and all related costs through a civil claim if their injuries were caused by a negligent driver.

If your injuries were caused by a driver with a physical impairment, it is important to protect your rights. Seeking recovery for your damages and injuries can help you pay for medical costs, incidental costs, pain and suffering, income loss, and more. To find out whether you have a claim, contact Flaxman Law Group. Our law firm is part of the Hollywood community and is ready to advise and represent those who have been injured through no fault of their own. Contact Flaxman Law Group today if you have been injured and would like a free case review. Our team would be pleased to talk about how you might be able to move forward with a legal claim.