A Seaside man was killed in a head-on collision with a drunk driver on Highway 156 in Santa Clara County. This accident is just one more example of the way in which drunk drivers can cause accidents. The kind of reasoning impairment and poor reflexes that alcohol can cause is enough to cause an accident even if you were not speeding or driving recklessly.

In this case, 48-year-old Renard Phillips was driving his 1995 Cadillac sedan eastbound on the highway. The car suddenly veered off the road and hit a guardrail. After this, it came back onto the roadway into the westbound lane, where the drunk driver, 39-year-old Los Banos resident Rosendo Ramirez, was driving his big rig truck. He was westbound, and driving a 1998 Peterbilt truck owned by True Leaf Farms in Salinas. Ramirez was intoxicated, and could not respond fast enough to avoid the sedan. His truck crashed into the sedan, and Phillips was killed at the scene. He was found trapped in the vehicle when emergency workers arrived and had no pulse.

After hitting Phillips, Ramirez’ truck crashed into concrete railway before coming to stop, he did not sustained injuries in the accident. He was given a sobriety test, and when his blood alcohol limit was found to be higher than the legal limit of 0.08 percent, he was arrested on charges of drunk driving.

Details from the California Highway Patrol investigation report are not known at this point, but whatever the blood alcohol content of Ramirez, it’s confirmed that he was in a state of intoxication above the legal limit. He might not have been driving above the speed limit; he might have been only minutely above the blood alcohol limit. Regardless of these things, it’s definitely a possibility that had he been in full control of his faculties and completely sober he would have been able to avoid the sedan.

When you’re in charge of a monster big rig on a busy road, it’s not just necessary, but life and death essential that you be fully aware and completely sober. A truck involved in an accident almost always causes higher rates of injuries and fatalities than a smaller passenger car. The nature of the injuries sustained in a truck accident are also severe.

For these reasons, Ramirez has much to answer for. There is no excuse for getting into a truck and driving when you are not completely and 100 percent sober. The potential to cause harm and injury to others is too great.

If you or a loved one have been the victim of a drunk driving accident, you need the help of an experienced California personal injury attorney. Contact a lawyer at The Reeves Law Group for a free consultation.