Another Central Florida crash on Interstate 4 was reported this morning in the Orlando Sentinel, this time as a result of a tired trucker. The sentinel reports that a “sleepy driver” was behind the wheel of a semi truck pulling a trailer and heading westbound through Osceola County outside of Orlando, Florida early Saturday morning. At about 5:10 a.m., the truck driver fell asleep at the wheel as he was in the westbound outside lane. The truck then travelled across the westbound lanes and the center median guardrail and went across the eastbound lanes before crashing on its right side. The trailer blocked the outside, center and emergency lanes on the eastbound side of the I-4. The driver was cited for careless driving. No other information was provided, and hopefully there were no serious injuries.
Our Orlando injury attorneys have handled countless trucking accident cases. Sometimes these crashes are not the fault of the truck driver. Often, they are. When these accidents and the devastating injuries that result from them are the responsibility of the truck driver, it can be for a variety of reasons including driver error, not realizing the size of the truck or trailer, and backing up a trailer without being able to see. But one of the most common ways truck drivers cause wrecks and hurt people is by not getting enough rest. It is equally if not more the fault of the trucking company, who shares the responsibility by placing unreasonable demands and destination deadlines on the drivers. Because there is such a public safety concern in making sure semi-truck drivers get enough rest, there are many federal regulations and state laws that require trucking companies make sure drivers get enough rest both during and between long hauls. Logs must be kept that show hours on versus hours off, when the driver last slept as well as days on versus days off. Still, truck drivers can get tired, and it is the responsibility of the trucking companies to institute internal policies and procedures that go above and beyond the minimum requirements of law.
We can answer question your may regarding trucking collision, trucking safety and balancing the harm caused by trucking carelessness.
A civil trial attorney with the firm Wooten, Kimbrough, Damaso & Dennis, P.A., Mr. Damaso concentrates on cases involving personal injury and wrongful deaths and solely represents individual victims and consumers. He takes his clients' cases personally and is committed to their best possible outcome. His strong sense of community has led to his support of numerous charities in the Orlando area.
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