There are many people who have diabetes in the U.S. Many of these people need insulin for controlling their diabetes. Diabetes mellitus is a type of diabetes that requires insulin and often a strict diet to guarantee that the disease is kept under control.
If an operator of a vehicle is suffering from diabetes mellitus, that person may be driving impaired if he or she has not eaten a snack and begins to feel lightheaded from too little food. Other problems can occur if the person has had too little or too much insulin that day, and has not been careful or consistent with the required and necessary insulin dosage for controlling his or her diabetes.
Why is this important to know? It is critical to understand if the person who has just had an accident with you is on insulin, because there are serious side effects if the person is not taking care of himself or herself while on the road. For example, the driver who is insulin dependent may experience symptoms of hyperglycemic or hypoglycemic reactions, which include being drowsy behind the wheel. This can have fatal results, since the next stages for the insulin dependent person may include that the person having this reaction may go into a diabetic coma, insulin shock, or lose consciousness. All of this is what can occur while the person is still behind the wheel, with the car actively engaged in driving gear, at any speed on any street or highway.
People who are dependent on insulin to control their diabetes are at risk for accidents, if they are not scrupulous about keeping their diabetes under control while on the road. If you are in an accident with someone who has been diagnosed as insulin dependent and diabetic, you will need to talk to an expert. Find out what special circumstances might be related to liability for the driver who hit you, in this critical accident scenario or situation.
Call us at Ledger Law, 1-800-300-0001 or email us at www.ledgerlaw.com for more information if you have been in an accident with someone who has been driving and was dependent on insulin. We can help you sort through the law and come up with real answers regarding liability for all parties to the accident.
