It’s common knowledge that driving while intoxicated is extremely dangerous and known to cause car accidents that result in injuries and sometimes death. However, many don’t consider driving while tired to be a danger to those on the road, but it is. The Governors Highways Safety Alliance estimates that about 5,000 people died in 2015 due to drowsy driving car accidents. Drivers who are fatigued may cause accidents in the same way as drunk drivers do. If you or a loved one has been injured in a car accident caused by exhaustion, you may be able to seek financial compensation to treat your injuries. Bostic Law Group, P.A. has decades of experience helping injured clients move on with their lives. Our Charleston fatigued driving accident attorneys can investigate your accident to determine if the driver was fatigued and caused your injuries due to negligence.
Contact us online or by phone at (843) 350-9646 for a free consultation with a committed and experience fatigued driving accident attorney. We offer Spanish-speaking services for client convenience.
WHAT CAUSES FATIGUED DRIVING?
One becomes fatigued when they go through long periods of time without resting, or lack quality rest. People who are affected by fatigue can include those who have insomnia or some other medical condition that prevents them from experiencing a proper night’s rest, night-shift workers, and commercial drivers. Commercial truckers are known for fatigued driving because they drive cargo long distances across states, often through the night and sometimes without taking breaks.
Individuals who take prescription medications can also experience tiredness as a side effect. Before you take a medication and drive, it’s important that you learn if drowsiness is a symptom. If it is, you may want to consider either staying home, hailing a ride, or having someone else drive you.
CONSEQUENCES OF DRIVING WHILE TIRED
Fatigued driving can account for reckless and distracted driving. When someone is fatigued, they may be less focused on the road and hazards in front of them, and take longer to brake or react to traffic signals. Falling asleep completely at the wheel can cause a driver to lose control of their vehicle and drift into other lanes, colliding with cars.
Common accidents fatigued driving can cause include:
- Rear-end collisions: One of the most common types of car accidents, this occurs when one car hit the back of another car. Fatigued drivers may not realize the car in front of them has slowed down or stopped, and may brake when it’s already too late.
- Head-on collisions: When drivers fall asleep at the wheel or doze off, they may allow their car to drive over lanes and even into oncoming traffic, which is how head-on collisions can occur. Head-on collisions often cause catastrophic injuries and deaths.
- Accidents caused while merging: Because fatigued drivers are less alert, they also may be less inclined to signal or check their blind spots while merging, which means they create dangers for other cars on the road.
These types of accidents can cause injuries ranging from minor to severe and include sprains and fractures, whiplash, broken and crushed bones, internal bleeding, spinal cord and neck injuries, head and brain trauma, amputations, and more.
Drivers who are experiencing difficulty focusing, repeated yawning, zoning out, or have drift into the shoulder or other lanes should pull over to avoid causing accidents. Even symptoms like wandering thoughts or restlessness can be dangerous and impede your ability to create a safe environment for those around you.
HOW OUR ATTORNEYS CAN AID YOU
By having a personal injury law firm on your side to investigate your accident, interview witnesses, and collect evidence like crash reports and medical records, you may be able to strengthen your case and secure the full amount of compensation you need. Our team can prove the at-fault party was guilty and failed to keep other drivers and pedestrians safe. While fatigued driving may not seem as dangerous as driving under the influence, it is. Fatigued driving is negligent driving, and those guilty of it must be held accountable.
We can recover damages for you that include the cost of medical bills, pain and suffering, lost wages, and property damage. Call us immediately after your accident so we can get started.
Our Charleston fatigued driving accident attorneys are available to provide sound legal counsel when you call (843) 350-9646 to get started on your case.
