Holding Distracted Or Fatigued Drivers Accountable For Accidents

According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), inattentive driving and fatigued driving accounted for 12 percent of motor vehicle traffic fatalities in 2009. This number is even higher when considering the percentage of accidents caused by semitruck and 18-wheeler truck drivers who were inattentive or fatigued.

When truck drivers drive while they are excessively fatigued or distracted, they gamble not only with their own lives, but also with the lives of other innocent people on the road. Our attorneys at Westmoreland, Patterson, Moseley & Hinson, L.L.P., work hard to hold distracted and fatigued truck drivers and trucking companies responsible for the hardship caused by their negligence.

If you or a loved one has been involved in a trucking accident, talk with our experienced Macon tractor-trailer accident attorneys. Call 888-469-4173 or contact us online to arrange a free consultation. We have been helping accident victims and their families for over 50 years.

Federal trucking laws regulate the amount of consecutive hours truckers can operate a commercial truck, as well as the amount and duration of rest periods between driving. When truck drivers violate trucking regulations by driving too many consecutive hours, they can fall asleep at the wheel or begin driving in an autopilot state that reduces reaction time and significantly increases the risk for an accident.

Unfortunately, many truck drivers are paid by the mile or are given other incentives to operate in excess of their maximum hours of service. Hours of service and rest periods are “adjusted” when entered into log books to fit what the truckers should be operating rather than the actual hours of operation and rest.

When investigating the cause of a trucking accident, we thoroughly review log books, the truck driver’s gas receipts, weigh station records and various other information to verify if the log books were manipulated. In many circumstances, this investigation reveals that truckers must have been speeding excessively or severely violating hours of service laws — either of which could have caused or contributed to the trucking accident.

Truckers are often on the road for longer hours at a time and even days at a time. This can increase the likelihood that truck drivers will succumb to the many distractions available to them, such as eating, smoking, talking on a cellphone, texting, checking email or doing any number of other tasks while driving. Unfortunately, distracted truck drivers who take their eyes and focus away from the road, and often their hands off the wheel significantly increase the risk for serious preventable truck accidents.

Our attorneys at Westmoreland, Patterson, Moseley & Hinson, L.L.P., vigorously investigate the case to determine and expose any negligence that occurred and pursue full accountability for such negligence. We work relentlessly to achieve the best result possible for clients in personal injury and wrongful death cases arising from 18-wheeler accidents and other commercial trucking accidents.

It is important to consult with an experienced Georgia truck accident lawyer as soon as possible following an accident to ensure evidence is preserved. Call 888-469-4173 or contact our law firm online today for a free consultation. From offices in Macon, Albany and Warner Robins, we help clients statewide in Georgia and throughout the Southeast. You will owe no fees unless we recover compensation for you.