Personal Injury Law

Truck Driver Fatigue Blamed for Five Deaths

By Jeffrey Lowe

The National Transportation Safety Board revealed this week that a trucker who failed to use his off-duty time to rest and then fell asleep behind the wheel was the cause of a crash that killed five people.

The deadly collision occurred on Oct. 16, 2005 just before 2 a.m. The tractor-trailer was traveling westbound on Interstate 94 in western Wisconsin when the driver fell asleep. The truck ran off the road, re-entered the highway and then overturned.

In the nighttime, low-light conditions, the driver of a 55-passenger bus carrying members of the Chippewa Falls High School marching band, teachers and chaperones failed to see the overturned truck and slammed into the semi.

The bus driver and four passengers were killed. Thirty-five passengers on the bus suffered minor to serious injuries. The truck driver suffered only minor injuries.

The NTSB stated that if the truck had been equipped with fatigue-detecting technology, the accident might have been avoided.

What is also clear is that if the truck driver had been responsible and used his down time to sleep, five people would be alive today.

If you or a loved one has been injured or a family member has been killed in a collision with a large truck, we urge you to contact the Lowe Law Firm by calling 877-678-3400 or filling out our online contact form.

Our trucking-accident attorneys will find out whether the truck driver, trucking company, or trailer owner is responsible for the accident. If so, we will then seek compensation for future and other related medical expenses, future and other affected wages, pain and suffering, disability and/or other related damages.

Full post as published by Trucking Accident Attorney Blog on September 18, 2008 (boomark / email).