Ignoring Medication Side Effects Can Lead To Wrongful Death Suit

Many people take medications and continue to perform successfully at their jobs in Maryland. However some medications carry warnings regarding such things as driving and operating heavy machinery. These warnings are frequently prompted by a propensity of the drug in question to cause drowsiness. In a horrific accident involving a trash truck and a multiple car pileup, a woman lost her life and the driver of the truck and his employer were named as defendants in a wrongful death suit.

The truck driver had been suffering from depression and was prescribed antidepressants including Abilify, Zoloft and Atarax. The medications all carry a warning regarding possible drowsiness and advise users to avoid operating heavy machinery. The prescriptions were ordered following the man’s hospitalization for symptoms of severe depression.

The morning of the accident, a string of cars was stopped at a red light. The garbage truck reportedly struck the line of stopped cars, causing a chain reaction crash. According to the police report, it did not appear that the driver of the truck either swerved or applied his brakes in an effort to avoid the collision. A total of five cars were involved in the accident, and the driver of one, a young woman, was killed as a result of her injuries. A wrongful death lawsuit followed, and the woman’s family was awarded $1.9 million in damages.

Medications, when properly prescribed, can improve a person’s health. Many medications do carry warnings concerning possible side effects. One of the most common, but potentially most dangerous, side effects is drowsiness. If a person suspects that medication side effects may have contributed to the death of a loved one in Maryland, a personal injury attorney can review the facts of the incident and help to determine if a wrongful death claim is a viable option.