Orland Park Truck Accident Attorney for Driver Fatigue

Truck Crash Lawyer for Accidents Caused by Drowsiness and Hours of Service Violations in Orland Park, IL

The number one safety problem in the trucking industry today is driver fatigue. Exhaustion, tiredness, drowsiness, falling asleep at the wheel, and other issues related to driver fatigue play a factor in 40 percent of all truck accidents. The combination of driver fatigue, the superior size and weight of big rigs, and vehicles traveling at high speeds on highways can substantially increase the risks of serious injuries to motorists in truck accidents.

Despite Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration regulations, the trucking industry will often ignore or work around the rules regarding how many hours a driver can drive without a rest break and how long that rest break must be. Driver fatigue is the price paid in the interest of making a profit. However, others should not have to pay the price for truck driver negligence when fatigue has caused an accident.

If you or a family member have suffered serious injuries in a collision with a tractor-trailer or other big rig, it is important to have an attorney who is experienced in representing injured people and in handling complex truck accident cases involving truck driver negligence. Attorney Khaled Issa has more than 10 years of experience representing clients in truck accidents and other types of personal injury cases. At Issa Law, LLC, we know the ins and outs of the trucking industry, and we know how to obtain and preserve the evidence that will enable you to win your case. Contact our law office in Orland Park, Illinois or call 708-966-2408. We offer initial consultations in all personal injury cases.

Safety Issues Related to Truck Driver Fatigue

Some of the ways in which fatigue contributes to truck accidents include:

• Decreased Reaction Time: Fatigue reduces a driver's ability to respond quickly to sudden changes in traffic conditions, such as a car stopping abruptly, a pedestrian crossing the road, or an obstacle in the vehicle's path. In a situation where every second counts, a delayed reaction can result in a collision.
• Impaired Judgment: When a truck driver is tired, their judgment is compromised. They may struggle to make decisions correctly, and they could misjudge the distance between vehicles, be unable to anticipate how other drivers might act, or take unnecessary risks. Impaired judgment is particularly dangerous for truck drivers, as the massive size and weight of their vehicles require more careful and calculated driving.
• Reduced Attention and Focus: Fatigue diminishes a driver's ability to maintain attention. They may experience lapses in concentration, causing them to drift out of their lane, miss important traffic signals, or fail to notice changes in road conditions. Even a momentary lapse in attention can have catastrophic consequences, especially when driving a large commercial vehicle.
• Microsleeps and Falling Asleep at the Wheel: In cases where truck drivers are exhausted or drowsy, they may experience microsleeps in which they briefly lose consciousness without realizing it. These episodes may last for a few seconds, and in some cases, drivers may fully fall asleep at the wheel. Dozing or nodding off can lead to severe truck accidents, as this often results in a total loss of control, leading to high-speed collisions, rollovers, or jackknife accidents.

Our Approach to Truck Accident Cases

Representing clients who have been injured in truck accidents is not simply a matter of obtaining information, but also of knowing—through experience—what information to get and how to get it. Our team can obtain the all-important information to show who has the true responsibility for a truck crash. This begins with the driver's log book and the vehicle's black box recorder.

The truck driver's log book will show what hours the trucker was working and when they took their required rests. This information can, of course, be tampered with in an attempt to bypass federal regulations, but when that is the case, it is often possible to reconstruct the actual driving record based on other sources of information. We can also help uncover other issues that may have played a role in a truck accident, such as a trucking company's practices in which it regularly encouraged drivers to continue driving even when they were fatigued. By establishing liability for a truck crash, we can help ensure that accident victims will be fully compensated.

Talk to an Experienced Midlothian Truck Accident Lawyer for Driver Fatigue

To get legal help from an attorney who can demonstrate that truck driver negligence was responsible for an accident that injured you, contact Issa Law, LLC or call us at 708-966-2408 and set up a consultation.