Chemical tests conducted on the blood draws of impaired drivers around the Houston area find more traces of prescription drugs than in the past. The drugs are often used in conjunction with alcohol and/or illegal drugs. The poly-drug combinations increase the lethal effects of DUI impairment. Some of the prescription drugs most commonly found in poly-drug impaired drivers’ blood include:
Soma,
Xanax, and
Hydrocodone.
These drugs impair drivers’ reaction times, physical coordination, and decision-making abilities.
In the summer of 2010, a “no refusal” night of DUI enforcement in Houston, TX found substantial numbers of Houstonians driving under the influence of poly-drug combinations. Approximately 60% of the first several hundred blood draws found drugs other than alcohol in the drivers’ bloodstreams.
Houston police tie the growth in the number of poly-drugged drivers to widespread misuse and abuse of prescription drugs. Houston, already a national “ground zero” for drunk driving and illegal street racing, has also become a flashpoint for illegal drug activity.
Houston forms the hub of a network dedicated to the illegal sale and distribution of a trio of prescription drugs known as “the holy trinity” or the Houston Cocktail. You saw these drugs mentioned above: Xanax, Soma, and hydrocodone. Taken together, they can give the user a heroin-type high. They can also cause the user to crash fatally into a fixed object by the road. Or into you.
At least two dozen Houston law enforcement agencies have responded to the growing crisis by adding trained drug recognition experts (DREs) to their staffs. The DREs respond to DWI arrests to evaluate the suspect for the possibility of impairing substances besides alcohol. They recommend chemical tests to detect drugs. The DREs help to determine the category of drug adding to the drivers’ evident impairment.
The DREs’ evaluations of suspects’ exhibited behaviors can supplement lab reports to help your Deer Park injury lawyer present a strong and winning claim for you in court. Your strong and valid injury claim could net you substantial amounts of monetary compensation from the negligent parties who caused your accident injuries. Call Denena & Points, experienced Deer Park injury lawyers, for your completely confidential and free accident consultation.