Dothan Fatigued Truck Driver Accident Attorney
Compensation for injuries caused by tired truck operators
Drowsiness has long been a bane of long-haul truckers. Today, trucking companies must adhere to numerous regulations designed to prevent fatigued driving. Even so, a large percentage of commercial truck accidents are attributable to impairment due to lack of sleep. If you’ve been injured in a commercial truck accident, evidence of driver fatigue can make all the difference in your case. A Dothan fatigued truck driver accident attorney at Carey & Hamner, P.C. can investigate your crash to determine exactly which party is at fault.
Fatigued truck drivers can cause serious injuries
The size and weight of a semi-truck, especially at highway speeds, provides sufficient force to completely crush the average passenger car. In our practice, we’ve represented clients who have sustained severe or catastrophic injuries in truck accidents. Our legal team also has extensive experience in wrongful death cases, fighting for the families of victims clients who have endured the most tragic of accidents.
Safety regulations intended to prevent truck driver fatigue
The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration, an office of the U.S. Department of Transportation regulates hours of service for truck drivers across the country. These regulations pertain to operators of vehicles weighing 10,000 pounds or more. The rules prescribe the total number of hours a driver may work behind the wheel (11 hours out of 14), as well as:
- Mandatory 30-minute breaks
- Use of a sleeper berth
- Time extensions for adverse driving conditions
- Mandatory off-duty periods
- Short-haul exceptions
Hours-of-service regulations are complex, so trucking companies can make errors in assessing a driver’s eligibility to serve. On the other hand, pressures to meet schedules, especially when there’s a shortage of qualified drivers, may lead companies to ignore regulations. Drivers themselves are often eager to keep working, even if it means bending the rules.
Why is fatigued truck driving a common practice?
Drivers generally underestimate the toll that drowsiness takes, especially when exacerbated by:
- The boredom of long-haul driving
- Undiagnosed or unaddressed sleep disorders, such as apnea
- Drowsiness induced by medications
Under certain circumstances, even a driver who has scrupulously adhered to hours-of-service regulations can be too fatigued to drive.
How driver fatigue can lead to accidents
Among truck accident causes, fatigued driving looms at the very top of the list. Sleep deprivation can be as debilitating as alcohol intoxication. Drowsiness decreases a driver’s ability to concentrate and slows reaction time: a deadly combination that invites collisions. Since commercial trucks are less maneuverable and require longer distances to stop, a momentary lapse in attention or the slightest delay in a driver’s response can spell disaster.
Damages available from fatigued truck driving accidents
Victims of fatigued driver truck crashes are eligible to recover economic and noneconomic damages, which can include:
- Present and future medical bills
- Present and future losses in earnings
- Property damage
- Compensation for physical pain and mental suffering
Our Alabama trucking accident attorneys conduct thorough inquiries to determine precisely how much you should recover, then we fight aggressively to deliver optimal results. In severe injury cases, placing a value on a victim’s losses may require calling medical and financial expert witnesses.
Contact our experienced Dothan truck defect lawyers today
Carey & Hamner, P.C. in Dothan represents victims of commercial truck accidents due to fatigued driving throughout Alabama. Contact us online or call 855-435-4797 to set up a free consultation about your case.
