Posted On: April 28, 2011 by Steven J. Malman

Illinois Car Crash Lawsuit Alleging Medication Caused 2005 Wrongful Deaths of Mother and Her Baby Still Not Resolved

According to the Daily Chronicle, a settlement has not yet been reached in the Illinois car crash deaths of 18-year-old Amanda Elkins, 18, and her 10-month-old daughter Jazmine Luciano in 2005. Their family believes that Elkins crashed her car into a semi-truck because the staff that administered medication to her did not advise that it would make her too drowsy to drive safely.

On January 26, 2005, Elkins, who was suffering from flu-like symptoms, went to the Dreyer Medical Center in Batavia. While she was there, the medical staff intravenously administered Phenergan to her. One of the side effects of this medication is drowsiness.

On her way home, Elkins drove her 2002 Kia Rio across the center line of Route 30 and crashed her vehicle head-on into a semi-trailer. She died at the Illinois semi-truck crash site. Her daughter Jazmine, who was in a car seat in the back of the car, was pronounced dead at a Dekalb hospital.

DeKalb County Coroner Dennis Miller says that a doctor who treated Elkins said during the coroner’s inquest that he did not realize that Elkins was planning on driving herself. Elkins’ mother, Molly Farrell, says her daughter would not have crashed her car if the doctor had told her not to drive. Following the accident, the clinic began requiring medical staff to tell patients when it is too dangerous to drive after taking certain medications.

Car Accident and Medications
Most medicines have side effects, some of which can impair a driver’s ability to drive safely. Certain medications can make a person drowsy, groggy, dizzy, confused, blur vision, and/or unable to react quickly. All of these reactions can make it hard for a motorist to pay attention, think clearly, and deal with emergency situations. Physicians can be sued for medical malpractice if they prescribed a drug that caused a Chicago car crash because they did not notify the patient of side effects. Another possible liable party is a pharmaceutical company that did not provide adequate warnings of risks involved with taking the drug.

Local family waiting on 'justice' from 2005 car accident, Daily Chronicle, April 2, 2011

Prescription Drugs May Impact Driving Performance, EMaxHealth

Related Web Resources:
Amanda and Jazmine Blog

CyberDrive Illinois

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