The statistics about crashes caused by fatigued truck drivers are staggering. The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration, for example, estimates that trucker fatigue is a factor in at least 13% of big truck crashes. The National Transportation Safety Board believes that fatigue accounts for more than 30% of truck accidents.
If you were injured in a semi-truck collision, you need a legal team that understands the risks posed by fatigued truck drivers in Baytown accidents. The truck accident and injury attorneys at Schechter Shaffer & Harris have that understanding, and can fight for the justice you deserve when you suffer debilitating harm due to the peril of a drowsy or overworked truck driver.
A Fatigued Truck Driver Exposes Motorists to Extreme Dangers
A semi-truck carrying a full load can weigh up to 40 tons. When that truck is moving at regular speed limits on Baytown highways, it can require at least 200 yards to come to a full stop. A fatigued driver with substantially slower reaction times will require a longer stopping distance, which can lead to devastating crashes and life-altering injuries.
If those injuries befall you or someone else in your family, you need a lawyer who understands modern truck technology and operations. Our lawyers know how to review and analyze truck safety and recording mechanisms, including electronic logging devices and advanced driver assistance systems. We also review electronic and written service logs to determine how long a driver has been behind the truck’s wheel and whether the driver took required breaks. Where fatigue is a potential element of a truck accident, our thoroughness enables us to demonstrate fatigue and to recover the full compensation owed to you.
Federal Law Limits a Truck Driver’s Hours of Service
Lawmakers recognize the accident and injury risks posed by fatigued truck drivers in Baytown and elsewhere in the country, and have enacted statutes and regulations that impose strict guidelines on the number of hours that a driver can operate a semi-truck. Specifically:
- Truckers can drive for no more than 11 hours after they have at least 10 hours off
- Those 11 hours of driving must be completed within a 14-hour window, after which a driver must have at least 10 hours off
- Truck drivers must take at least one 30-minute break in their first 8 hours of driving
- When truckers reach 60 hours of driving over seven consecutive days or 70 hours over 8 consecutive days, they need to take off at least 34 hours before driving again.
Experienced truck accident lawyers analyze service logs to determine if a trucker complied with these limits and, if not, to show that a driver was likely fatigued due to driving longer than the allotted safe limits.
Driving While Fatigued is Evidence of Negligence
A truck accident lawyer needs to show that a truck driver was negligent in order to recover damages for a Baytown resident who was injured in an accident. Proving that the truck driver was fatigued is straightforward evidence of negligence. The lawyer will use other facts and evidence to show that the driver’s negligence was the direct and proximate cause of the accident, and that the injured victim suffered demonstrable economic and non-economic losses that justify a significant damages award.
Call the Truck Accident Team in Baytown if You Were Hit by a Fatigued Truck Driver
If you suffered serious injuries due to the negligence of fatigued truck drivers in Baytown accidents, please call Schechter Shaffer & Harris for a no-fee conference with an experienced personal injury lawyer about recovering compensation for your losses and injuries. We will fight tirelessly for the full damages you deserve.
