The opioid crisis has already claimed far too many lives across the country. It has done irreparable harm to those still with us, with thousands of infants whose mothers used opioids while pregnant becoming addicted in the womb. As a dangerous drugs lawyer Memphis TN has turned to, I have seen horrific cases of children with Neonatal Abstinence Syndrome (NAS). But here’s one story we haven’t heard as much: innocent victims of an addict driving under the influence.
In 2003, Alana and Troy Pack — 7 and 10 years old, respectively — were killed after an opioid user, blacked out behind the wheel, veered across two lanes of traffic at 50 miles per hour in a San Francisco suburb. They were out on a family ice cream outing with their mother, Carmen, who was injured.
The Guardian reports:
Barreto told the police she’d taken opioid painkiller pills and muscle relaxants, and blacked out at the wheel. Prosecutors suspected she was drinking, too, although she denied it.
As Carmen Pack and her husband, Bob, mourned their children, they made a startling discovery. Barreto had multiple prescriptions for hundreds of opioid pills from six doctors – and they all worked in the same Kaiser Permanente hospital.
The Packs couldn’t believe it. How could the doctors not know about each other’s prescriptions? How could the hospital not know either? Barreto went from one physician to another in the same medical complex collecting prescriptions for the opioid Vicodin and muscle relaxants by faking injuries.
As this devastating story shows, the majority of opioids, aside from heroin, are prescribed legally to manage both chronic and short-term pain. Of course, as we now know, they are highly addictive, leading to long-term dependence and abuse.
Somehow, Carmen and her husband, Bob, turned their tragedy into action. Not long after his children died, Bob had the idea for an online database to track opioid prescriptions and prevent so-called “doctor shopping.” As of this week, California doctors must consult a state-run database to search a patient’s prescription record prior to writing one.
Get help from a dangerous drugs lawyer Memphis TN can trust.
The new law is a small victory for the Packs, but of course, nothing can change the loss they’ve endured. As a dangerous drugs lawyer Memphis TN turns to, I will fight for anyone affected by this terrible epidemic.
If you’re the victim of an opioid-related accident, or if you know anyone exposed to opioids during pregnancy or breastfeeding, we want to speak with you. Contact Darrell Castle & Associates to speak to a top dangerous drugs lawyer Memphis, TN has trusted for years.
Darrell Castle & Associates, PLLC is a law firm Memphis has trusted for over thirty years. We will fight for your rights and make every effort to get you the care and compensation you deserve with the help of an opioid NAS Lawyer Memphis TN can rely on.
Contact us online today or call 901-327-1212 to speak in person with lawyers who can get you the justice you deserve.