If you have ever tried to push through a long workday or get household chores done after a sleepless night, you can likely imagine how impossible it would be to safely operate a massive tractor-trailer in the same condition. Unfortunately, a discomforting number of truckers regularly drive while tired. Certain trucking companies may encourage or actively force their employees to drive while fatigued in order to keep their jobs.
No matter what the root cause of their tiredness is, fatigued truck drivers in Lafayette accidents can generally be held civilly liable for injuries and losses stemming from the crash. If you were hurt recently in a truck wreck caused by this type of misconduct, the support of an experienced truck accident lawyer from Tomeny | Best could make a significant difference in how smoothly your legal case proceeds and how much money you recover for your damages.
Holding Negligent Truck Drivers at Fault for Tired Driving
Just like drivers who choose to drive while impaired by alcohol or drugs can be held liable for ensuing wrecks, so too can long-haul truckers who drive while they are tired to the point that it interferes with their ability to safely operate the vehicle. However, there is no way to measure a truck driver’s fatigue after an accident in Lafayette like there is with drivers who are drunk or high. It will be your responsibility to establish that fatigue—or some other reckless or careless act stemming from fatigue—was the main cause of your injuries.
This can require numerous types of evidence from various sources, including driver logs, witness testimony, traffic or dashboard camera footage, and information from accident reports filed by police officers who responded to the crash scene. Our team could help track down, preserve, and make effective use of every bit of information possible in order to secure you the compensation you need for the harm you have suffered.
When Are Trucking Companies Liable for Wrecks Caused by Fatigued Truck Drivers?
Even if a trucking company had no idea that someone working for them was driving while dangerously tired, that company may still hold vicarious liability for their employee’s misconduct if it led directly to a Lafayette crash while the trucker was working. Trucking companies are often directly liable for incidents of this nature because they are often responsible for their employee being fatigued in the first place.
As your lawyer could explain in further detail, federal law strictly regulates how much time long-haul truckers can spend driving and/or on shift within specific periods. These laws are intended to ensure that truckers do not drive while extremely fatigued. If the truck driver at fault for your recent accident was only tired because of pressure from their employer to violate these regulations, that employer may be primarily to blame for your injuries in a legal sense.
Contact a Lafayette Attorney if Your Car Crash Was Caused by a Tired Trucker
Fatigued driving can be just as dangerous as drunk driving in many circumstances, especially if someone is driving an 18-wheeler weighing tens of thousands of pounds. When it comes to these types of lawsuits, though, establishing fault can be a lot more complicated than just referencing a Breathalyzer test result.
Fortunately, our team at Tomeny | Best could help. We know how to handle cases involving fatigued truck drivers in Lafayette accidents. Call today to discuss your recovery options with one of our dependable truck injury attorneys.
