Commercial drivers spend hours on the road every day to meet tight deadlines that risks leaving some too tired to drive safely. Fatigue decreases reaction times, impairs decision-making, and increases the chances a driver will fall asleep at the wheel and cause a serious crash. If you’ve been injured in a truck accident, proving that the collision was caused by driver fatigue can be a complex process requiring in-depth legal expertise and detailed evidence.

Why Fatigue Is Such a Common Problem

Truck drivers have to keep strict schedules that may require them to drive 10 hours straight without enough breaks or chances to rest. While federal regulations require drivers to have at least 11 hours between shifts, those rules aren’t always followed.

In some cases, trucking companies may set unrealistic timetables that don’t take road conditions or traffic delays into account. In order to meet their deadline, drivers may continue driving instead of taking a break. These are just a few reasons fatigue plays a role in approximately 13% of commercial truck accidents.

Proving Fatigue Caused Your Truck Accident

Establishing that a driver’s fatigue caused a crash can be difficult, especially if other factors were at play. If your attorney suspects the other driver was too tired to drive, they might review their logs or in-cabin tracking devices to see if they’d spent too many hours on the road beforehand.

Unfortunately, the logbooks truckers keep in the cab are sometimes ruined in an accident, or they might just be unavailable. In these cases, your attorney may review their toll receipts, gas receipts, and bills of lading, all of which are timestamped. Comparing this information to the time and location of the truck accident can give your attorney an idea of how long they’d been driving when the crash occurred.

If you or a loved one has been injured in a truck accident, the legal team at Carey & Hamner, P.C., is committed to holding the liable parties responsible. They work hard for their clients throughout Enterprise, Ozark, and Dothan, AL, and have the resources to seek the compensation you deserve. Visit their website to learn how they can help after a truck accident or call (855) 435-4797 to consult with an experienced lawyer today.