Federal regulations limit truckers to 11 hours of driving per day, require a 30-minute break after 8 hours on the road, and mandate 10 hours of rest before a new driving period. These rules aim to reduce collisions, but they have not eliminated the risks posed by fatigued truck drivers in Bartlett accidents.
The experienced truck accident attorneys at The Law Office of David E. Gordon & Elissa M Coombs represent Bartlett motorists who were hurt in accidents caused by truck driver fatigue. We have recovered millions of dollars for our injured clients, often winning trial verdicts that are substantially larger than the settlements offered by insurers who cover truck accident liability.
Fatigue Impairs a Truck Driver’s Skills and Abilities
The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration estimates that fatigue is a factor in at least 13 % of all truck accidents and accounts for up to 40% of truck accident fatalities. Truck driver fatigue:
- Reduces cognitive abilities
- Impairs reaction time when seconds can make a difference in avoiding an accident
- Decreases a truck driver’s focus
- Can lead to a truck driver falling asleep while operating a vehicle
A Truck Accident Lawyer Can Connect Fatigue and Negligence
Injured motorists will need the help of an experienced Bartlett lawyer to prove that a truck driver was fatigued, and that the driver’s fatigue was a significant part of why the accident happened. The lawyer can show fatigue by analyzing the driver’s duty status log, vehicle maintenance and inspection records, record of past accidents, and expense and mileage reports, all of which will provide important clues about the amount of time the driver spent behind the wheel.
The lawyer can also retain an accident reconstruction expert, whose analysis can demonstrate the timeliness of the driver’s reactions to events that preceded the accident. Further, the lawyer can get the driver to testify at a deposition, and that testimony can confirm theories of driver fatigue.
If you were hurt in an accident caused by a fatigued truck driver, make sure you retain an attorney, including any lawyer on the truck accident team at The Law Office of David E. Gordon and Elissa M. Coombs, who has the know-how and experience to perform this analysis.
The Importance of Connecting Fatigue and Negligence
Insurance companies that are responsible for paying compensation for accidents caused by fatigued truck drivers will frequently try to show that the injured motorist was at least partially at fault for causing the accident. Under the states’ comparative negligence rules, if they can show that the motorist was more than 50% at fault, then that motorist will not collect any compensation. If the motorist’s fault was less than 50%, then their compensation will be reduced in proportion to their fault. For example, a motorist who is 30% at fault for the accident and who suffers $100,000 of accident-related expenses will recover only $70,000.
A seasoned truck accident attorney in Bartlett will push back on this and other insurance company defenses to recover the largest available compensation that an injured motorist deserves under the specific facts of each accident case.
Speak with an Attorney if You Were Injured by a Fatigued Truck Driver in Bartlett
The personal injury truck accident attorneys at The Law Office of David E. Gordon & Elissa M. Coombs offer no-fee, no obligation case reviews for all Tennessee motorists who suffer losses and injuries caused by the negligence of fatigued truck drivers in Bartlett accidents. Contact us as soon as you can to allow our team to begin the analysis that will show how the fatigue-negligence connection.
