It happens on Idaho roadways more than you realize. It’s a serious problem, and a moment of sleepiness can mean causing a terrible accident that ends your life and those around you. The injures can be severe or even life-threatening in most cases. If you or another injured party requires medical services and loses the ability to work, it could be an even more catastrophic loss. Any vehicle could be the cause of a drowsy driving-related crash. But 18-wheelers can leave serious injuries from crashes due to sleepy driving. If you were involved in a crash due to sleepy driving by a truck accident, you could be eligible to receive compensation. Being in a truck accident can mean years of expensive medical care and loss of work. Determining whether you have a case can be difficult if you don’t know what to look for and what evidence is needed to build a case. You need a legal team who can create a strategy for this kind of personal injury case.
What To Do if An 18-Wheeler hits you
If you are injured in an accident involving an 18-wheeler, it’s likely your health was greatly impacted. If you or someone you love is ever involved in a crash with a semi-trailer truck, you need to call 911 if you’re able. One of the greatest difficulties of building a case to fight a negligent truck crash is finding evidence to support your case. When you are battling injury, you can’t get evidence at the scene of the accident. You can find our highly connected world with modern technology has made it possible to gain access to video from street cameras and security devices. If you file a request with the appropriate entity, this valuable evidence can make a huge difference in your case.
Causes of Truck Accidents
With so many truck accidents per year in the United States, large amounts of data have been collected on the causes and rates of occurrence for these serious accidents. Semi-trucks or tractor-trailers are large trucks that carry goods across the country, and when they are fully loaded, they are nearly impossible to stop in certain conditions without impacting another object. Research was conducted that found the average fully-loaded 18-wheeler moves anywhere from 20 to 40% further before it can fully stop. That means that if you are involved in any type of crash with one of these trucks, it will not be able to stop when it wants. Additionally, the average truck driver can drive as many as 75 hours per week with little rest in between. Research also found that many truck drivers speed to keep up with their deadlines.
The most common causes of truck accidents include:
- Fatigue
- Driver Errors
- Equipment Errors
- Overloaded Truck Bed
- Distracted Driving
- Speeding
- Inexperienced Driver
Common Truck Accident Injuries
Your truck accident may have caused serious injuries that you may have forever. Whether it’s driver error or road conditions that contributed to your accident, many of the injuries sustained in truck accidents are serious and can lead to long-term health problems.
Some of the most common injuries that result from truck accidents are:
- Back and neck injuries
- Spinal cord injuries
- Head and brain injuries
- Burns
- Internal injuries
- Cuts, bruises, and broken bones
In the blink of an eye, a moment of drowsiness can mean the loss of control of a vehicle and a car veering into oncoming traffic or into your path. Sleepiness can overcome a driver at any time, and the only cure for sleepiness is having drivers get adequate amounts of rest. All it takes is for a person to nod off for a second, and before they can correct the problem, many lives can be changed for the worse. At May, Rammell & Wells, our Pocatello truck accident attorneys have successfully handled these types of cases for many years. We are confident we can help you. Contact us now at (208) 623-8021 to schedule a consultation to discuss your case.