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Driver Hit Me While High

Kirkland Lawyer for Accident Claims Involving a “Stoned” Driver

Handling Marijuana Impairment Car Accident Cases

Kornfeld Law of Kirkland can help you with all sorts of car accident claims, including those that involve a driver who was high, “stoned,” or otherwise impaired by recreational marijuana while driving. The possession and use of recreational marijuana in minimal quantities are legal in Washington, so pursuing a claim can get tricky.

There are still legal gray areas and contests surrounding the laws regarding its use before driving and how much THC can be present in someone’s system to consider them legally impaired. We can help you carefully navigate your claim while avoiding legal pitfalls due to the state’s evolving recreational marijuana laws.

Call us at (425) 657-5255if you need help after a driver in Kirkland hit you while high. We offer initial consultations to get your started.

What is Initiative 502 in Washington?

Years ago, Washington passed Initiative 502. The measure contained many provisions about liquor and cannabis use in the state, including what should be considered enough THC detectable in someone’s bloodstream to consider them legally impaired by marijuana.

The measure set the THC limit – similar to a blood alcohol concentration (BAC) level for drunk drivers – to just five nanograms. Driving with at least five nanograms of THC in your system can warrant a DUI ticket or arrest.

Opposition to Initiative 502 has argued that five nanograms is too small of an amount. THC is known to linger in peoples’ systems for hours or days without necessarily impairing them. However, the law was passed to send a clear message: driving after using marijuana is dangerous.

How Can Marijuana Impair a Driver?

Marijuana impairment can affect a driver similarly to alcohol intoxication. This is why safety groups like the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIAD) are so adamant about discouraging people from using recreational marijuana before driving. Even a small amount could affect the driver’s skills and increase the likelihood of a crash.

Marijuana impairment in a driver can cause:

  • Worsened motor coordination
  • Poor judgment
  • Difficulty understanding distances
  • Increased reaction time
  • Inability to focus on the road
  • Exhaustion

Signs of Marijuana Impairment

After you are in a car accident that you suspect was caused by a high driver, you can look for signs of impairment.

Drivers who have recently used marijuana will usually have:

  • Red, shifty, and dilated eyes
  • Slowed speech with unusual delays between responses
  • Difficulty standing still due to worsened muscle control
  • Smell of marijuana in their car or on their person

If you notice any of these signs of impairment, then you should notify the authorities if you have not done so already. A police officer can further assess the driver to spot signs of impairment and possibly make an arrest. Removing an impaired driver from the road could save someone else from being hit by the same driver later.

You should also talk to the police officer about getting a copy of their accident report later. If they note that the driver appears to be impaired by marijuana, or if they actually make an arrest, then that information could be crucial to building your claim and proving liability later. Our attorneys can take police reports, medical records, eyewitness testimonies, and more, and turn it into a solid case that upholds your rights.

What Makes Our Firm Unique

  • 40+ Years of
    Proven Legal Experience
  • Aggressive & Personalized
    Representation
  • Committed to Securing
    Justice for Each Client
  • No Fees Unless
    We Win Your Case

Get Your Case Rolling – Call Our Firm Now

There is no time to lose after you have been hit by a high driver. The sooner our Kirkland marijuana impairment accident attorneys can start your case, the sooner we can investigate the available evidence, seek more where needed, and take other steps to progress it. From start to finish, our goal will be to secure maximum compensation on your behalf.

For more information, please call (425) 657-5255 at any time.

Our Settlements & Verdicts

Our top priority is to devise customized legal strategies that are tailored to the unique legal needs of our clients, no matter how simple or complicated their situations, might be.

  • $225,000 Age Discrimination

    Age Discrimination and Wrongful Termination: 62 Year old woman employed by insurance company for over 25 years years is replaced by younger and less skilled worker because of her age and her inability to be treated equally as younger workers. Our client claimed she was constructively discharged and was forced to quit. Settlement short of trial was for $225,000.

  • $2,825,000 Brain Injury

    John Doe v. Hospital and Doctor, (Superior Court – Confidentiality Settlement) Baby suffered from hypoxia and traumatic brain injury during birth caused by negligence of treating doctor and hospital nursing staff.

  • $2,500,000 Brain Injury

    Jane Doe v. Health Care Center (Superior Court – confidentiality settlement) Patient suffered from horrific headaches, nausea, vomiting, blurred and double vision–was told she had the flu. Over several weeks no imaging studies were ordered of the patient’s brain to rule out an intracranial bleed or subarachnoid hemorrhage.

  • $300,000 Brain Injury

    Mild traumatic brain injury at a local Jr. High School where a student fell over an unguarded edge to the pavement five feet below.

  • $300,000 Brain Injury

    An ex Army veteran recovered $300,000 after suffering a mild traumatic brain injury in a car accident. There was no objective signs of injury but neuropsychological testing was abnormal.

  • $750,000 Brain Injury

    Pierce v. Reliance: A commercial truck driver suffered a brain injury and underwent spinal surgery with placement of steel rods in his back.

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