The recent case of a Brampton man who was arrested following a fatal crash on Highway 403 has brought the issue of impaired driving sharply into focus. This was an extremely serious accident, which killed one person and critically injured another. The impaired driver faces charges of causing bodily harm, dangerous driving causing death, possessing a controlled substance, driving over the alcohol limit causing death and bodily harm among other charges.

Impaired Driving Facts and Information

When a person who is under the influence of alcohol, drugs or other intoxicating substance operates a vehicle this is known as impaired driving. The vehicle may be a car, truck, motorcycle, boat, snow-mobile or off-road vehicles. Alcohol/drugs reduce one’s ability to concentrate, vision, alertness, reaction time and judgment. It also makes a person sleepy, disconnected from reality which is why there is a feeling of over-confidence and there is a tendency to break rules.

An impaired driver may ignore warnings of friends and family and become aggressive if prevented from doing what he/she wants. Apart from endangering their own lives, impaired drivers are a risk to other vehicle drivers, pedestrians, road users and property in their path. The victim in such circumstances is the innocent driver or pedestrian who suffers injury/death following a vehicle crash.

Ontario Impaired Driving Penalties

Ontario has extremely harsh regulations and penalties for impaired driving and is reputed to have one of the strictest drinking and driving laws in North America. In addition to the criminal code penalties, the Ontario Highway Traffic Act imposes its own set of penalties based on previous such records. These include remedial measures, assessment, educational and treatment programs and installation of Ignition Interlock Device even for first time offenders. All these are subject to the different conditions which the impaired driver is considered eligible for.

Different laws apply for learner drivers and experienced ones. Even if the vehicle is stationary, the driver may be charged if the BAC level is confirmed. Apart from alcohol, taking certain prescription drugs may also affect your driving ability hence you should be aware of the side-effects of any drugs you take before driving, even if they are over-the-counter ones. Illegal substances consumed before driving can lead to impaired driving charges. If someone else drives your vehicle while drunk, it could be ignition locked, so you must be careful about lending your vehicle.

The Zero BAC (Blood Alcohol Content) law mandates that drivers cannot have any level of alcohol in their blood if they’re operating a vehicle, regardless of whether they’re novice drivers or drivers above/below 21.

Penalties include immediate license suspension on the spot for 24 for any BAC above 0. If convicted, the driver must pay $60 – 500 fine with 30 day suspension. In case you’re a novice driver caught with any BAC above 0, your license is canceled with immediate effect and you’ll have to take all tests and go through the licensing procedure again.

If you are the Victim in an Impaired Driver Crash

You may be an innocent victim of a drunken driver crash as it happened in the Brampton case, as a driver or an unwary pedestrian. In a split second, your entire life and that of your family’s could change for ever. Impaired driving can cause minor, major or fatal injuries and have to be thoroughly assessed in personal injury litigation. These include:

• Broken bones/fractures
• Brain/spinal cord injury/trauma
• Organ damage
• Muscle, skin and ligament damage
• Concussion
• Internal bleeding
• Severe wounds
• Psychological trauma
• Loss of sensory ability
• Death

In all these cases, you are entitled to compensation as Ontario laws are very strict and designed to protect victims. Our personal injury lawyers have wide-ranging experience, skill and knowledge in this area of law and if you’re a victim of such an unfortunate incident, you should contact our law firm as early as possible.

How We Can Help

Our free consultation injury lawyers can begin by making a thorough assessment of all aspects of your case and giving you a genuine, honest appraisal regarding the kind of claims you can make.  This area of law is quite complex and there may be several different charges that need to be filed, as in the Brampton case. You may require the services of specialists like catastrophic injury lawyers who can put together a strong case to get you the maximum possible benefits that are due to you and your loved ones. In case of death, the next of kin can file charges and get legal representation to safeguard their rights.

If you, your family or a friend has been injured by a drunk driver in an accident, please feel free to speak to one of our injury lawyers for a free consultation about how we are able to assist in making a personal injury claim. We consult in all cities across Ontario with a no win no fee guarantee. Our personal injury lawyers have helped victims secure millions of dollars in personal injury cases. Call us Toll Free On our 24/7 Injury Hotline: 1 – 844 495 7333.