The country is facing a serious opioid epidemic, and West Virginia is suffering the most. These drugs include heroin, oxycodone, codeine and morphine. West Virginia had the highest overdose death rate in the nation at 880 people. Anyone can get addicted to opioids, but West Virginia is losing a disproportionate amount of people, especially young ones.
Funeral directors report normally seeing two to three bodies a day, or usually about seven bodies in one week. They’re saddened at the amount of young people coming through their doors.
As opioid addiction is on the rise, so is the amount of people driving under the influence. Car accidents are sudden and take a huge emotional and physical toll on everyone involved. If you’ve lost a loved one in a car accident where opioids were involved, you have a right to seek legal action.
The law offices of DiPiero Simmons McGinley & Bastress, PLLC are here to help. Located in Charleston, West Virginia, our caring and compassionate team will work with you and find out what course of action is in your best interest.
How Do Opioids Affect You?
People take opioids because they decease feelings of pain. For those with chronic or severe pain, opioids can seem like a practical option. But opioids impede you from being clear and alert. When you use opioids, they affect many areas of your brain.
- Limbic System. Your limbic system oversees your emotions. Opioids make you feel relaxed and content, which is a main factor in why people get addicted.
- Spinal Cord. Your spinal cord passes along the information for sensations from your body to your brain. Opioids reduce pain, even if it’s severe.
- Opioids slow down automatic body functions. They can slow down breathing or suppress coughing.
Opioids and Driving
There’s been an increase in finding opioids in people involved in fatal car accidents. When driving with opioids in your system, you’re endangering yourself and others on the road. Opioids make you unfit to operate a vehicle.
Opioids do the following:
- Make You Dizzy. Opioids make you dizzy and feel imbalanced. If you experience these feelings while driving, you could easily steer out of your lane and in the way of another car or stationary object.
- Delay Your Reactions. Should something sudden occur on the road, you need to be alert and act fast. Opioids delay your reactions and make you slow and foggy. There could be a situation where you need to brake, turn out of the way, or switch lanes quickly. Someone under the influence of opioids won’t be able to do this.
- Impair Your Decision-Making Skills. As a driver, you must pay attention to traffic, judge how fast other cars are going, and the space between you and other cars. Opioids prevent you from making the best decisions, which can lead to accidents that could be fatal.
Why Would You Need a West Virginia Opioid Litigation Lawyer?
Drug addiction is a serious and emotional subject that’s hard for everyone. When people have used them for a long amount of time, recovery can be a long and difficult path. Opioid manufacturers are currently facing lawsuits because people are claiming they didn’t give all the information about how opioids work, which helped lead to this addiction crisis.
If you or a loved one is struggling with an opioid addiction or has passed away because of opioids, you don’t have to go through this alone. The DiPiero Simmons McGinley & Bastress, PLLC team has compassionate and skilled lawyers who know how to handle involved and challenging lawsuits.
Don’t wait another minute. Contact us today. You’ll speak with a lawyer who’s ready to discuss your case and answer your questions.
