Consuming alcohol or taking certain types of drugs can affect your reaction time, awareness, and a lot of other things that you need to operate a motor vehicle safely. Failing to get enough sleep can leave you just as impaired as alcohol or drugs can—and unfortunately, commercial truck drivers are especially likely to be tired behind the wheel compared to every other type of driver.
While fatigued truck drivers in Norristown accidents are not necessarily as reckless in subjective terms as drunk or high drivers, they can still be held liable for their role in causing a collision. If you’ve been hurt in a wreck of this nature, guidance from a seasoned truck accident attorney will be vital to identifying everyone who should be named as a defendant in your civil claim and effectively demanding the money you deserve from them.
Does Being Tired Behind the Wheel Count as Negligence?
There are all sorts of reasons why a truck driver might drive a big rig while dangerously tired, from overtly reckless acts like staying up partying all night to simply unfortunate ones like someone else partying all night nearby while they’re trying to sleep. Either way, getting behind the wheel while impaired in any way generally qualifies as a violation of the duty of care all drivers have to be responsible and safe while driving, which means fatigued truck drivers can often be considered civilly negligent in the context of Norristown truck crashes.
Proving that someone was too tired to drive safely doesn’t work like proving someone was drunk behind the wheel. Civil cases built around incidents like this typically need to incorporate various forms of evidence like witness testimony, surveillance and dashboard camera footage, and information from a truck’s onboard data recorder to prove that fatigue was the main cause of the wreck—all things that capable legal counsel can provide crucial help with collecting and making effective use of.
Holding a Trucking Company Liable for a Fatigued Truck Driver
Legal counsel can also assist with taking legal action against trucking companies that allow fatigued truck drivers to drive routes on Norristown roads and cause collisions as a result. Sometimes, fault for a crash like this lies entirely with the individual driver, in which case it may be possible to hold their employer vicariously liable for crash-related injuries under the legal doctrine of respondeat superior.
In other situations, trucking companies are directly at fault for a truck driver’s fatigue—for instance, because they intentionally forced their drivers to violate federal driving time rules in an attempt to save time and money on routes. Support from a respected lawyer can be especially important to proving this particular form of negligence was the primary reason for a wreck.
Learn More About Fatigued Truck Driver Accident Claims from a Norristown Attorney
No matter whose fault it is, a semi-truck driver getting on the road while extremely sleep-deprived is dangerous. Fortunately, this kind of negligence can often serve as the basis for a civil lawsuit if it directly leads to an otherwise preventable traffic collision.
You have help available with understanding and enforcing your legal rights when it comes to fatigued truck drivers in Norristown accidents. Call Ostroff Godshall Injury and Accident Lawyers today to learn what our winning attorneys can do for you.