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A tour bus going to the Masters golf tournament last week flipped over on a Georgia interstate, injuring at least 12 people. The bus driver has been charged with DUI. 

The bus was carrying 18 passengers and crashed at 8:45 PM on April 5. The bus driver ran off the right side of the highway, overcorrected, and the bus drove into the median and flipped. Of the nine patients who were taken to a Georgia hospital, one was in critical condition, one was in serious condition and another in fair condition.

The driver was charged with DUI and failure to maintain his lane. The police believe he was under the influence of drugs but it was not clear what type.

The crash blocked both lanes of the interstate about 15 miles from the site of the golf tournament.

Our View

Our North Carolina personal injury attorneys hope no one dies from this serious bus accident. Drunk driving continues to be a serious problem in our country, with 28 people killed by drivers under the influence every day.

In most parts of the country, you are considered legally intoxicated if your blood alcohol concentration is .08%. But the CDC reports that all levels of BAC increase your risk of being in a crash. It is especially more common for younger people with any level of alcohol in the blood to be in an accident. Among drivers with a BAC of .08% or higher in 2015 fatal accidents, almost three in 10 were between 21 and 24 years old.

Innocent people who are injured by drunk drivers have the option of filing a legal claim against the driver and his insurance company and/or employer. One of our attorneys represented a Norfolk VA client a few years ago that was struck by a drunk driver on a sidewalk. He suffered serious lower leg injuries, and the case was settled for $100,000. 

Our attorneys are especially concerned when a bus or truck driver is arrested for being under the influence. Commercial drivers are responsible for other people’s lives, and they obviously should never be drinking or taking drugs while driving. The above driver apparently was on some type of drug that led to his negligent driving. It is important to know that some over the counter medications, even prescribed by a doctor, can lead to drowsiness and/or impaired judgement and coordination. You can still be arrested for DUI in an accident even if you have a doctor’s prescription for the drug you are taking.

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