Truck driver fatigue is a major problem for other motorists across the nation, including in Missouri and Illinois. Commercial truck drivers who fall asleep behind the wheel put not only their own lives at risk, but those of everyone else around them as well. Federal safety regulations govern the number of hours that truck drivers may work, and the amount of time they are supposed to rest between shifts, but commercial truck companies and drivers do not always adhere to these rules. Fatal truck accidents can be an all-too-tragic result of these decisions to go against safety guidelines meant to reduce truck driver fatigue.
It’s too early to say if a recent truck accident is due to a failure to adhere to such guidelines, but it does seem clear that driver fatigue played a role in the accident that caused a tanker truck to overturn. Reports indicate that the tanker truck’s driver fell asleep while driving. He was apparently discovered face down in the middle of the road amid gasoline. Emergency workers transported the man to a hospital, where he received treatment for his injuries. Although he was the only person injured, and his injuries were listed as minor, this accident could have been significantly worse.
Authorities cited the tanker driver for improper usage of lanes and not wearing a seatbelt. He also received a safety violation citation from a certified truck inspector for the Illinois State Police, although it’s not clear exactly which regulation he violated. The overturned tanker truck that spilled at least some of its load led to several crews from Environmental Restoration, the Illinois Department of Transportation, and the commercial trucking company that owned the vehicle working together to transfer the fuel to another vehicle and clean the spilled fuel.
The fact that this truck driver fell asleep behind the wheel is deeply disturbing, especially considering that he was traveling along Interstate 64 at the time. Had any other vehicles been involved, the results could have been catastrophic. It seems miraculous that nobody but the driver was injured, and that a fire and explosion did not result from the truck overturning. Hopefully, both this truck driver and the company employing him will ensure that nothing like this happens with one of their trucks or drivers again.
Unfortunately, victims of commercial truck drivers who fall asleep behind the wheel are not always lucky enough to avoid injury. Truck driver fatigue can result in fatal truck accidents in too many cases. If this has proven the case for you or a loved one, our St. Louis law firm can be reached at 1-888-586-7041 to discuss how we might represent you in seeking financial restitution. Personal injury and wrongful death laws exist to protect innocent victims from falling prey to the negligence of other parties. This can help restore victims to the same financial state they were in before a serious commercial truck accident.
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Source Article: http://www.bnd.com/2015/01/30/3637397_i-64-closed-by-tanker-truck-crash.html?rh=1