Driver Fatigue and Truck Accidents

Fatigue is a dangerous factor for anyone operating a motor vehicle. but it is especially dangerous for tractor-trailer drivers. Virginia State Police say 14 people were killed in 11 crashed over Labor Day weekend, with double fatalities in Fairfax, Fauquier and Lancaster counties.

Truck accidents are responsible for a higher percentage of injuries and deaths than accidents involving passenger vehicles. And the leading cause of truck accidents is driver fatigue.

Although there are federal regulations designed to reduce driver fatigue by limiting the amount of hours truck drivers can continuously operate a vehicle and mandating rest periods, drivers and trucking companies often ignore or encourage breaking these rules in order to reap the financial benefits of completing more jobs in shorter timeframes.

Some truck drivers resort to drugs to combat fatigue, but many drugs can actually increase the risk for collision by affecting a driver’s ability to reason and respond to routine challenges such as adverse weather, poor road conditions, shifting cargo loads and heavy traffic. Other drivers falsify their mandatory logbooks in an attempt to conceal how many hours they’ve really spent behind the wheel on a given day.

The Virginia truck accident attorneys at Kalfus & Nachman know that, like most traffic accidents, collisions involving semi-trucks are largely avoidable. We have helped numerous truck accident victims and their families recover the financial compensation they deserve, and we understand trucking company policies and tricks. We have the experience and resources to investigate logbooks, challenge inaccuracies, work with accident reconstruction experts, and investigate trucking company practices and history.

If you’ve been harmed or a loved one suffered wrongful death in a truck accident, please contact the Virginia truck accident lawyers at Kalfus & Nachman to schedule your free consultation.