What Role Does Driver Fatigue Play in a Truck Accident Case?
By David Bolt | Published on February 13, 2012 | 0 Comments
Driver fatigue plays a much larger role in professional truck accidents than most people realize, however, attorney David Bolt of the Bolt & Hoffer Law Firm says fatigue is not an excuse that should get drivers or their companies out of paying for injuries caused by their negligence. Speaking from his office in Coon Rapids, MN, the truck accident lawyer says he understands this issue well because he drove semi-trucks while in college. This experience gives Bolt some personal insight into the minds of semi-drivers and driver fatigue.
One thing that anyone who is involved in a truck accident should be aware of is that all semi-drivers are required to keep logbooks that track how many hours they have been driving. Drivers are only allowed to be on the road for a certain number of hours at a time. There are such strict requirements because the federal government and most U.S. states realize that driver fatigue is a major contributor to car accidents – especially accidents involving big-rig trucks.
Professional trucks weigh thousands of pounds more than the cars they run into, and catastrophic damage can occur if these vehicles get even just a little bit out of control. If a truck driver is inattentive for just a moment, then very bad things can happen. Inattentive driving can be caused by more than just fatigue, of course. Most people have heard of accidents being caused by drivers texting or calling their friends. Nonetheless, the Coon Rapids, MN, truck accident lawyer emphasizes that sleepiness is a huge problem among truckers today.
Usually when a truck is involved in a serious accident, police will do an inspection of the vehicle. This inspection is necessary to ensure that all of the truck’s breaks and safety features were functioning correctly at the time of the crash. Attorneys and police will also inspect the truck’s maintenance record to find out if there were any handling problems that people knew about and should have been fixed before the accident occurred.
As far as filing a lawsuit due to the driver’s negligence, Bolt is a truck accident lawyer in Coon Rapids, MN, who says every case is slightly different depending on the nature of the accident and whether the driver admits that it was his fault. For more information on filing a lawsuit due to a truck accident in Coon Rapids, MN, the lawyer recommends contacting the Bolt & Hoffer Law Firm for help.
Coon Rapids, MN55448
*Disclaimer: This article is for informational purposes only. You should not rely on this article as a legal opinion on any specific facts or circumstances, and you should not act upon this information without seeking professional counsel. Publication of this article and your receipt of this article does not create an attorney-client relationship.