The Law Offices of Barry G. Doyle, P.C.

Chicago Illinois Accident Lawyers

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Fatal truck accident yields four year sentence for sleeping truck driver

Blog Post by Barry G. Doyle

Last week in Pennsylvania, a truck driver was sentenced to up to 4 years in prison for killing three people in a truck accident that happened when he fell asleep at the wheel and plowed into a line of cars that was slowing to enter a construction zone.  One car was wedged underneath the truck and caught fire.  The two occupants of that car died from trauma and burns while the driver of a third car died from injuries from the accident two days later.I have written several times about the dangers associated with truck drivers who drive while too tired to drive.  Not only is there a danger of falling asleep at the wheel, but simply driving while tired has been shown by studies to have the same detrimental effect on a truck driver’s ability to safely operate a tractor trailer.  To combat truck drivers being on the road when they are not in safe driving condition, the FMCSA has issued regulations which limit the number of hours a truck driver can work.  They must keep a log book showing their hours on duty and hours of rest.  Unfortunately, many truck drivers skirt the rules and falsify log book entries.A more recent development in the study of tired truck drivers is research which shows that many truck drivers suffer from sleep apnea which may adversely affect their ability to safely operate a truck.Many truck accidents occur because drivers are behind the wheel while tired.  This is usually not something that occurs in a single day, but is the cumulative effect of several days of overdriving.  An experienced Chicago personal injury lawyer will know to preserve the evidence of this and how to analyze the records to show hours of service violations.

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