Fatigued Truck Drivers in Los Angeles Accidents

As a responsible driver, you pay careful attention to other vehicles and your surroundings. Even with this care and attention, however, accidents may still happen.

Accidents involving large trucks can be particularly dangerous, and fatigued truck drivers in Los Angeles accidents could cause severe harm. If you were hit and injured by a tired trucker, our truck crash attorneys at Levin & Nalbandyan could help you file a compensation claim against the driver, their company, or both.

How Fatigue Can Lead to a Truck Accident

Operating a vehicle requires skill and attention, and driving a large truck usually requires a special commercial driver’s license (CDL). Normally, most truck drivers meet the heightened requirements of a CDL and can operate a truck safely.

Once tired, however, a truck driver may become so fatigued that they lose the ability to drive safely and cause an accident, especially in the highly congested traffic of the Los Angeles area. Driving while fatigued can lower a driver’s reaction time and cause them to take less care around other vehicles.

For example, a tired truck driver might not check their mirrors properly and fail to see a car approaching. A driver who is fatigued might also fail to brake in time to avoid running into a car traveling in front of them or merging.

Truckers tend to drive for many hours at a time to haul cargo across long distances, and rules are in place to limit how long drivers should go before taking a break and sleeping. However, a trucker might drive for too long to meet a deadline or demand from their trucking company or customers. A truck driver falling asleep behind the wheel can easily cause an accident.

Results of Fatigued Trucker Accidents and What To Do Afterwards

A collision with a large truck can cause severe injuries, as the greater size and weight of a truck will bring more force to a crash. Where an ordinary car crash might leave you with cuts, bruises, and maybe a head injury, a collision with a truck could cause traumatic brain injuries, spinal cord injuries, and even organ damage.

Such injuries can leave you with expensive medical bills and an inability to work, not to mention a totaled car from the crash itself. These costs can be considered legal damages.

A claim for damages will need to show how the truck driver was negligent or how their company was negligent in managing or hiring them. Depending on the facts and circumstances of a Los Angeles accident, a fatigued truck driver might be held responsible for unreasonably breaching their duty to drive safely, or the trucking company might be held responsible for the driver’s actions and required to provide compensation.

Our attorneys could help you bring a claim for damages suffered in a truck accident. You must submit your claim within the two-year statute of limitations set by California Code of Civil Procedure § 335.1. Our attorney could help ensure you meet this deadline. For the substance of the claim itself, we could gather evidence and demonstrate that you are entitled to compensation.

Seek the Help of a Los Angeles Attorney After a Fatigued Trucker Accident

A tired trucker can put everyone around them at serious risk of an accident, and such an accident could leave you injured and unable to provide for yourself and your family. Making a claim for compensation for your injuries could help you recover, and our attorneys could guide you along the way.

Our attorneys at Levin & Nalbandyan have the knowledge and experience to hold fatigued truck drivers in Los Angeles accidents accountable for causing injuries. To talk through your case and learn more about your potential claim, contact us for a consultation.