Semi-trucks are large, heavy vehicles that require special care if truck drivers are to avoid an accident. When truck drivers are fatigued, they’re more prone to make mistakes and may drift into another lane or across the centerline, causing a crash. They may even fall asleep at the wheel and run off the road entirely or plow into stopped traffic.
When fatigued truck drivers are involved in an accident, they’re often protected because of the truck’s size, and other motorists usually bear the brunt of the impact. That’s why if you’ve been injured in a big rig accident with a fatigued driver, you need help from a Sacramento truck accident lawyer.
The Sacramento personal injury attorneys at Demas Law Group have been helping truck accident victims for more than 25 years. We have recovered millions in compensation for our clients. Get a free case review today by calling our office in Sacramento, speaking with one of our online agents, or visiting our contact page.
What Is Truck Driver Fatigue?
The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA), the government agency that sets many regulations for truck drivers, describes fatigue as a deterioration in driver performance resulting from “physical or mental exertion.”
Regardless of how the driver becomes fatigued, being overly tired results in slower reflexes, impaired judgment, and poor decision-making capability, all of which make a truck accident more likely.
Truck Driver Fatigue Accident Statistics in Sacramento
The California Highway Patrol reports that 7,224 truck accidents involved injuries and fatalities across the state in one recent year. These accidents resulted in 9,710 people sustaining an injury and 367 deaths. So, in a single year, more than 10,000 people were killed or injured in California truck accidents.
State research does not indicate how many of these accidents were caused by driver fatigue, but a nationwide study from the FMCSA and the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) found that roughly 13 percent of all truck accidents are caused by driver fatigue.
Assuming truck accidents in California fall roughly in line with national trends, close to 1,000 truck accidents involving injury or death are caused by driver fatigue in a typical year.
Types of Accidents Caused by Fatigue
Some of the types of accidents commonly caused by truck driver fatigue include:
- Rear-end accidents – If a truck driver is tired and following too closely behind another vehicle, they might fail to react in time if the car in front of them has to stop or slow down suddenly.
- Side-impact accidents – When truck drivers are fatigued, they’re more prone to drifting within their lane or into another lane. This can cause them to collide with the side of another vehicle, leading to an accident.
- T-bone accidents – One of the main dangers of fatigued truck drivers is that they might run a red light or fail to stop at a stop sign. If this happens as traffic crosses through the intersection in front of them, the truck may cause a catastrophic T-bone collision.
- Head-on collisions – If a fatigued truck driver is on a two-lane road or a highway without a median, they may drift into opposing traffic and collide head-on with another vehicle. A tired trucker could even cross the median on a freeway and hit oncoming cars.
- Pedestrian and bicycle accidents – A fatigued truck driver will have a harder time recognizing hazards, including pedestrians and bicycles. If the truck driver isn’t paying attention or drifts off, it’s easy for them to collide with a nearby bicyclist or pedestrian.
Truck Driver Fatigue Rules
To prevent truckers from driving while fatigued, both California and the federal government have enacted rules that govern how much rest is required before a driver can get behind the wheel. These rules are known as hours of service regulations.
For intrastate trips, meaning deliveries that start and end within the borders of California, truckers must follow the following state guidelines:
- Truck drivers cannot drive more than 12 hours after being off duty for a minimum of 10 straight hours.
- After 16 hours of work, regardless of whether that work included driving or not, truck drivers are required to cease driving for at least 10 hours.
- Truck drivers are ineligible to drive after being on duty for 80 hours in any consecutive eight-day period.
For interstate trips that go through multiple states, truck drivers must follow these federal guidelines from the FMCSA:
- Truckers may be on duty for as long as 14 consecutive hours, as long as they’ve been entirely off duty for a minimum of 10 straight hours. The “14-hour window,” as it’s known, starts as soon as the driver begins any type of work, not just driving.
- During the 14-hour window, a driver can be behind the wheel for a maximum of 11 hours.
- If it’s been eight or more hours since the driver took a break of at least 30 minutes, they have to stop for another break of at least 30 minutes.
- Depending on the particulars of a driver’s schedule, they can only work for up to 60 or 70 hours in any seven-day or eight-day workweek.
Liability in Truck Driver Accidents
The two parties most commonly liable in fatigued truck driver accidents are the truck driver and their employer. Drivers can be held responsible if they fail to comply with hours of service rules or are negligent in some other way, such as abusing drugs or alcohol.
Trucking companies can also be held liable for these kinds of accidents, as they’re responsible for training and monitoring their drivers and making sure that drivers follow state and federal regulations. If the trucking company knew the truck driver was breaking hours of service rules, was abusing drugs or alcohol, or had an illness that compromised their driving performance, they can be held liable for any injuries resulting from an accident.
Why Are Truck Drivers Fatigued?
Aside from just not getting enough sleep or not getting quality sleep, the most common causes of truck driver fatigue are:
- Abuse of drugs or alcohol
- Certain medical conditions, such as sleep apnea
- Certain prescription medications, such as sleep aids
- Unreasonable delivery timetables from drivers’ employers
None of these causes of fatigue is an excuse for truck drivers. It’s their responsibility to follow the rules and be aware of their own bodies’ limitations.
How an Experienced Truck Accident Attorney Can Help
Because the injuries from truck accidents are typically more severe than in car accidents and because multiple liable parties may be involved, these cases tend to be much more complex than other types of personal injury claims. The truck accident lawyers at Demas Law Group can help with your case by:
- Examining the accident to identify who’s responsible for your injuries
- Gathering evidence to demonstrate liability as well as the extent of your physical, emotional, and financial losses
- Negotiating with the liable parties and their insurance companies for a fair, reasonable settlement
- Filing a personal injury lawsuit if the liable parties refuse to offer a reasonable settlement
If you have any questions about truck accidents and driver fatigue, we’re more than happy to answer those questions. You can get a free case review with one of our truck accident lawyers by calling our Sacramento office, connecting with us via live chat, or filling out our contact form.
