• Intrastate Commercial Vehicle Regulations
• Overloaded & Overweight Vehicles
• Faulty Equipment & Improper Maintenance
• Hiring, Training & Supervision of Drivers
• Speeding
• Driver Fatigue
• Drug & Alcohol Abuse
• Driver Logs
• Federal Motor Carrier Safety Regulations

Pursuing Damages for Injuries Caused by Fatigued Drivers

Tractor-trailers and other commercial trucks are dangerous not only because they are so much bigger than other vehicles but also because they are often operated by drivers who are suffering from extreme fatigue. When fatigued drivers cause accidents, they and their employers can often be held legally responsible for the consequences.

At Fischer Goldasich, LLC, in Birmingham, Alabama, our experienced personal injury and wrongful death trial lawyers pursue compensation for people who have been seriously injured or lost family members in accidents caused by fatigued truck drivers. Contact us to schedule a free consultation with one of our attorneys.

Understanding the Effect of Exhaustion on Driving

Truck drivers spend long stretches of time behind the wheel, and there are several common circumstances that can cause them to become fatigued, including driving longer hours than they should in order to meet deadlines or abusing drugs and alcohol.

Driver fatigue is not just a matter of falling asleep at the wheel. Fatigue has a serious impact on all five senses, even when drivers are successful at keeping themselves awake.

Driver fatigue significantly increases the chances of an accident. It affects the ability of the body to perceive situations such as obstacles or bends in the road and then respond to those situations quickly. Maneuvers that are second nature when a driver is fully alert can become challenging when fatigue sets in.

Identifying and Pursuing Evidence of Fatigue

After a truck accident, there are several reasons why it is helpful to determine whether the driver was fatigued. Evidence of driver fatigue is often correlated with other negligent behavior such as falsification of driver logs that can implicate trucking companies for failure to adequately train and supervise drivers with an eye toward safety.

Our attorneys are skilled at detecting the signs of driver fatigue as a contributing factor in a truck accident and in following up with meticulous, well-documented research in support of our clients' claims for damages. If you've been seriously injured or lost a loved one in an accident caused by suspected commercial truck driver fatigue, don't hesitate to contact us.