Fort Lauderdale Drowsy Driving Truck Accident Lawyer

For many drivers, nighttime drowsiness is a common occurrence at the wheel. When our eyes get heavy and it is dark, it is easier to want to fall asleep while driving. This often leads drivers to shut their eyes at the wheel, which could be disastrous and lead to traffic accidents. When this happens with truck drivers, potential Fort Lauderdale truck crashes could be tragic.

Not only is nighttime fatigue a problem, but daytime drowsiness is also a common occurrence among truckers. When a trucker drives for a long period of time, the monotony of driving can cause them to get sleepy and attempt to close their eyes at the wheel.

When a trucker nods off behind the wheel, it can produce catastrophic results. Other innocent motorists sharing the road with sleepy truckers can get severely injured or die as a result of careless driving behaviors.

Drowsy truck drivers can cause serious injuries including:

• Herniated disc
• Spinal cord injury
• Head trauma
• Traumatic brain injury
• Serious back and neck injuries
• Broken bones
• Other catastrophic injuries
• Death

If you were injured in a Fort Lauderdale truck accident, you need to seek legal help. You may be entitled to financial compensation, and you should talk with a skilled Fort Lauderdale accident attorney immediately. Truck companies have experienced insurance and legal consultants working for them to help minimize the money they have to pay out to you or other victims.

Truck Accidents and Driver Fatigue in Fort Lauderdale

If you drive on the roads of Fort Lauderdale, you will almost certainly come in constant contact with 18-wheeler trucks. They are large and fast and the thought of one being out of control because a driver is asleep, is frightening. Unfortunately, Fort Lauderdale truck accidents happen more often than we would like to imagine.

Goods are delivered across our interstates in large trucks, 24-hours-a-day, 7-days-a-week. Due to the many driving hours that need to be filled, both trucking companies and drivers push limits to meet deadlines and bottom lines. Drivers and transportation companies are regulated on the hours they can drive; however, enforcing these regulations becomes tricky. Ultimately it is up to the good judgment of the truck driver, if they should drive or not.

If they choose to drive while fatigued, and an accident occurs, the consequences can be devastating. A truck is almost 30 times the weight of a car, which poses tremendous dangers to other motor vehicles sharing the road. In 2009, the last available statistics from the Department of Transportation show that 3,163 people died in large truck accidents. Driver fatigue has been noted in a number of these accidents.

The best way to stop this kind of negligence is to make sure both truck drivers and transportation companies are putting safety first. Most do, as shown in the fairly dramatic decline in large truck accidents over the last 10 years. Because more awareness and better practices have been put into place, truck accidents are being reduced.

Although truck wreck statistics are decreasing, it just takes that one time for a trucker to drive drowsy. If a truck driver gets behind the wheel too tired to drive, he or she can forever change a life. If you or a loved one has been injured by a negligent driver that caused a serious wreck, you may have legal options