Driver gets 3 years for killing bicyclist - under the influence of clonazepam

I was looking at my local news and found this unfortunate article.  The article states the driver was under the influence of prescription drugs methadone (painkiller) and clonazepam.  She got three years for hitting and killing a bicyclist while driving.  Theres not much more info, but I had no idea you could be charged with being under the influence of prescription drugs.  So you get a prescription from the doctor to take a benzo for x amount of years and they can turn around and slap you with jail time for an accident?  Do you think the article meant she doubled up on clonazepam and took more than she was prescribed and thats why she was charged?  She obviously gets jail time for killing someone, but why would they state "under the influence" of prescribed drugs?  I thought it was legal to take your own medication!

 

http://www.ocregister.com/news/murphy-291828-izquieta-driving.html

Yeah, it's a "controlled substance". Tons of prescriptions say "use caution when driving or operating dangerous machinery", but people do it anyway. I was often afraid that I'd get pulled over and have to do a blood test and it would come up showing possitive for benzos and I'd go to jail  lol. But now I'm more afraid to drive and I'm drug free go figure  

 

I think the kicker about this story is that she kept driving and dragged the girl for a 1/2 mile 

Yeah, it's a "controlled substance". Tons of prescriptions say "use caution when driving or operating dangerous machinery", but people do it anyway. I was often afraid that I'd get pulled over and have to do a blood test and it would come up showing possitive for benzos and I'd go to jail  lol. But now I'm more afraid to drive and I'm drug free go figure  

 

I think the kicker about this story is that she kept driving and dragged the girl for a 1/2 mile 

 

I hear you.  I think its all situational.  Lets say you got into an accident from looking down at your cell phone but you were taking benzos but the benzo had nothing to do with the accident.  Pretty scary if they tested you and blamed the benzos.  As far as this story, she seemed way to out of it to drive.  The thing is it does say use caution when driving but it doesnt say you cant drive! 

Tragic.  Each state may be different, but when I was on Ativan my brother-in-law flew in to help me take care of the kids for a week while my hubby was at work.  He is an EMT in Florida and did all the driving while he was here.  He told me that if I was to be pulled over while taking Ativan that I could be charged for driving under the influence.  Scary stuff.  Of course while I was taking Ativan I usually didn't feel stable enough to drive.  Now that I am on K this article really scares me because I have to drive my kids around.  I have been worried non-stop about what this benzo stuff is doing to them.  This is another thing to worry about.  :'(

Tamzo - I think if you were pulled over for wreckless driving you could be charged.  The medication says on the bottle drive with caution.  If your driving ok you should be fine.  People take this stuff for 20 or 30 years, what are you supposed to do ride your bike the whole time?

 

Rob

I am all too familiar with this. My brother in law crashed my car while under the influence of xanax and was charged with a DUI has $1000's in fines and lost his license for 6 months and still cannot get it back bc he cannot afford the fines. He also had to attend NA meetings.

Yes, even though it is prescribed all legally by your Dr you will still get slapped with a DUI if you are on it.

But the Dr won't tell you that!

Simple answer is:

 

if you're not 100% competent to operate a machine that can kill people, don't!

 

 

Really simple.  Everyone on these drugs know what they do to us. 

I think it is stupid to put on a bottle "use caution while driving"......that is basically telling people "yes go ahead and drive, just try not to wreck and kill anyone".  That would be like posting that on liquor bottles. 

Use caution when operating machinery\driving would seem to suggest that the individual determines whether or not they are competent.  By making that determination they are accepting all responsibility for their subsequent actions.  It is no different than for any other mind altering substance.

 

People must be responsible for their actions.

 

was under the influence of prescription drugs, including methadone and clonazepam

 

Prescription drugs, that's plural, more than one.. so it wasn't only the Clonazepam.. I would say it was a mix of the methadone and whatever else she was on... as well..

It's a sad situation...

I also read these articles so and so died from Xanax or Klonopin.. or Valium.

It's difficult to overdose from a Benzo alone.. Not saying go try it, no, no no... not at all..

BUT when I look up their toxicology reports... also other drugs are in the mix.. which just adds more onto it..

 

As far as under the influence of Clonazepam, it doesn't state what other drugs she was on besides Methadone, so it's hard to say..

The topic of the article isn't actually, " Driver gets 3 years for killing bicyclist - under the influence of clonazepam".. article here yes, link- no.. I wonder what else she had in her system, it could have been only the Clonazepam, but something tells me she was on more than just Clonazepam and Methadone.

NOT that I'm for the Benzo NOOOO!!! BUT consider what else she was on, many medications say... "Do not operate under heavy machinery"... "May cause drowsiness" etc, etc, ...

 

Not being rude at all, but just saying..

 

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I think you made a very valid point.  Thanks for pointing that out.  It's true that multiple drugs in the system are definitely more likely to make you out of it.  I just panic when I read this stuff, because I think "yikes, I am driving, should I not be?"  I think like other people said, you have to use common sense when taking these drugs.  Hard to do sometimes when you are feeling a little like this  .

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I think you made a very valid point.  Thanks for pointing that out.  It's true that multiple drugs in the system are definitely more likely to make you out of it.  I just panic when I read this stuff, because I think "yikes, I am driving, should I not be?"  I think like other people said, you have to use common sense when taking these drugs.  Hard to do sometimes when you are feeling a little like this  .

 

I agree... The thing is most Psychiatric meds have a label on it... "May cause drowsiness"... &c.

BUT yes it 's likely that it could have been the Clonazepam in this specific article.. It depends what else she was on.. anyway..

 

I will say this...

 

When I first started Klonopin... this was just 0.5mg... I took one, not knowing of course... and I went walking...

Well.. the police stopped me, and they told me I was walking all over the road.. I'm going to say I was on it 3 months by that time..

I told them.. "I was just walking".. of course add in--- I was looking up at the stars too.. cause when I walk at night, I do..

Also I was on other meds, but ... I had the Klonopin in my pocket.. Zyprexa too, and I showed the police my medications, they told me to go on home, and they followed me to make sure I made it.. I walk with a limp as well... which was embarrassing because I had never been followed home by the police, and one of the policemen I went to school with for a very short time.. and he made fun of me of course... BUT I had never walked out on a busy highway before that night.. not in front of oncoming traffic, without knowing it.. SO, what's the chances it was the Klonopin... likely!

 

I'm just saying that other meds besides Benzo's cause drowsiness... Seroquel did for me bigtime so did Trazadone...

 

With Trazadone I'm not getting into that one    as there was a somewhat similar story..

 

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