Marijuana ruled out as factor in fatal crash on I-70
Tuesday, October 28th, 2008 at 3:29 pm | By: Radical Russ
Marijuana ruled out as factor in fatal crash on I-70 – Salt Lake Tribune
A 23-year-old Colorado man who was ejected from his car and killed early this month was not under the influence of marijuana, according to Utah Highway Patrol.Troopers had found pot in the wreckage of the 2006 Toyota Avalon that was driven by Muneeb Kamal and were investigating whether he might have been under the influence of drugs when he crashed the car along Interstate 70 in Grand County.
But Kamal’s family said the car belonged to his boss, and Lt. Todd Peterson confirmed the car was registered to a third party.
Additionally, Kamal’s toxicology test results were negative, showing he was not under the influence of alcohol, cocaine, methamphetamine, morphine, opiate pain pills or marijuana.
Troopers believe Kamal might have dozed off behind the wheel, causing his car to drift off the road’s left shoulder. Kamal drove the Avalon into a reflector post along the highway before swerving back to the right, which sent the car spinning and sliding off the road’s right side. The car rolled down an embankment, ejecting Kamal, who was not wearing a seatbelt, according to troopers.
“Unfortunately, there were no witnesses, but the evidence we found on scene is very indicative of someone falling asleep at the wheel,” Peterson said Monday afternoon. “All we can go off of is the evidence at the scene, and there was no indication of another vehicle or any other problem. It had rained the night before, so weather may have been a factor.”
But how many other similar incidents of accidents due to falling asleep at the wheel have been falsely attributed to marijuana use? As we all know, a positive test on a urine screen or blood screen is not necessarily proof of the driver’s level of impairment behind the wheel. But if the car had been registered to Kamal or his urine had turned up positive for marijuana metabolites, this sad story would be beaten to death by the prohibitionists as another example of the danger of marijuana drivers behind the wheel (who actually turn out to be some of the safer drivers out on the road).
