Truck Accidents: Driver Fatigue
West Palm Beach, Florida
Every year, trucking accidents claim the lives of nearly 5,000 people and injure over 100,000 people on American roadways. In recent years, nearly one out of every eight motor vehicle fatalities has been the result of a tractor-trailer accident.
If you or someone you love has been involved in a truck accident, you should contact a qualified truck accident attorney to discuss your case.
Unsafe driving
Driver fatigue and drowsiness are two of the leading conditions that result in dangerous and reckless behavior. Fatigue can cause a number of unsafe driving practices, such as:
- Improper lane changing
- Running off the road
- Failing to stop
- Double vision or hallucinating
Identifying the factors that contribute to truck driver fatigue can lead to improvements in safety standards that benefit all drivers on the road.
Reasons for fatigue
In the competitive trucking industry, drivers receive increased pressure to transport greater loads more quickly. Because of these demanding, often unrealistic schedules, many truck drivers find themselves sleep deprived and exhausted.
But despite their condition, they are pressured to continue driving even when common sense tells them not to. As a result, truck driver fatigue is becoming a frequent cause of serious, often fatal, truck accidents.
Federal regulations
The U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) mandates the maximum hours that truck drivers may drive, as well as mandated rest periods. These DOT rules also spell out the maximum amount of time a driver may be on duty within a seven or eight day period, depending on the trucking company’s hours of operation. DOT regulations also state that truck drivers must keep a log, recording their duty status for every 24 hour period they are on the road.
Determining whether fatigue contributed to an accident
In order to win a truck driver fatigue accident claim, you must prove that the driver was tired and unfit to drive at the time of the accident. You must also demonstrate that the driver’s drowsiness or fatigue was the main reason for the collision.
There are several ways this can be done:
- The truck driver can admit to witnesses or police that he or she was fatigued at the time of the accident.
- The driver may appear fatigued to police or witnesses, even if he or she does not admit it caused the accident. Maybe the driver’s eyes are bloodshot, or they do not appear fully alert.
- Reviewing the driver’s log can also show whether the driver had gotten ample rest prior to the accident.
- Showing that the driver's log was forged, inaccurate, or not maintained can add strength to your case.
Anyone who lives in the West Palm Beach, Florida area and has been injured in a truck accident should contact the law firm of Florida truck accident attorney Craig Goldenfarb, P.A. for free case evaluation. We can help get you the money you deserve.
OFFICE LOCATION: 2090 Palm Beach Lakes Blvd. Suite 402
West Palm Beach, FL 33409
1-800-GOLD-LAW
Call Toll Free 1-800-GOLD-LAW (465-3529)
The reader’s understanding of the information on this website about personal injury law does not constitute a formal legal relationship with the Law Offices of Craig Goldenfarb, P.A. Please do not assume this content to be formal legal advice. If you would like to know if you have a valid personal injury case, please contact a attorney in Palm Beach County at the Law Offices of Craig Goldenfarb, P.A. today for a complimentary consultation regarding personal injury law in Palm Beach, West Palm Beach, Lake Worth, Port St. Lucie and Palm Beach County, Florida.