Truck Driver Fatigue Accident Attorney In Port Allen
One frequent cause of accidents involving commercial trucks is fatigue. Long hours, boredom, and late shifts greatly increase the risks of commercial drivers operating while fatigued compared to other drivers. This risk increases when trucking companies set tight deadlines and incentivize or pressure drivers to make faster deliveries. After these accidents, it is crucial that injured parties work with a skilled Port Allen truck driver fatigue accident lawyer to recover financially.
Hire a Truck Driver Fatigue Accident Lawyer With Experience
Truck driver fatigue accident cases can result in serious injuries, which can lead to substantial financial losses, including the inability to work and significant medical treatment costs. At Murphy Law Firm, we can help you file a claim against a negligent trucking company or other careless party and hold them responsible for your financial and personal losses.
For three decades, our firm has represented the interests of injured individuals against insurance companies. Companies and drivers are required to follow legal regulations for hours of service, and they are liable for ignoring these laws. With over 150 years of collective legal experience, our firm has the knowledge and resources needed to help you navigate a case.
Collisions with fatigued truck drivers can have catastrophic and fatal consequences, and you should not have to navigate this tragic aftermath alone. Let our personal injury lawyer team fight for you.
Truck Accidents in Port Allen and Fatigue
In West Baton Rouge Parish, there were 49 commercial vehicles involved in fatal and suspected injury crashes in 2024, leading to 44 fatal or injury crashes. This included the east I-10 single-vehicle truck crash in Baton Rouge in July 2024. The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration reported that up to 13% of drivers of commercial vehicles were fatigued at the time of a crash in which they were involved. When you look at overall traffic data, Louisiana car accident statistics show just how frequently these devastating truck collisions occur across the state.
When drivers operate their vehicles tired, it slows their reaction speeds and can impair their ability to make clear decisions. Drivers may close their eyes for a second and fail to notice changes on the road, leading to a collision.
Head-on Collisions
Fatigued driving can even lead to falling asleep at the wheel, which is a frequent cause of head-on collisions. In Louisiana in 2023, commercial vehicles were involved in 70 head-on collisions. Seventeen of these collisions were fatal, while 41 were injury crashes. These 17 fatal crashes made up 17% of all fatal crashes involving commercial trucks.
Accidents involving commercial trucks can cause significant injuries and even death. Commercial vehicles are significantly larger and heavier than passenger cars, which means they cause more damage and also tend to be involved in multi-vehicle pile-ups.
Why Is Driving Fatigue Common in the Trucking Industry?
Port Allen truck drivers often drive long hours to meet their deadlines, frequently at night. Commercial truck companies and their drivers are required to meet federal regulations regarding the amount of sleep they get before driving and the hours of service they are allowed to perform at a time. These regulations are meant to ensure drivers are alert and awake on the road.
Unfortunately, there are many ways these regulations are ignored and violated. Sometimes, the violation is caused by genuine error and misunderstanding. There can be many reasons why drivers may get insufficient or poor sleep when they do rest, including poor diets, interruptions to their usual sleep cycle, and sleep apnea. More frequently, fatigued driving is caused by the negligence of a driver, an employer, or a trucking company. This can happen because of:
- Pressure or incentives from a trucking company, such as offering benefits to drivers who complete their deliveries more quickly
- Unreasonable deadlines imposed by the truck driver’s employer or the trucking company that require unsafe driving or skipping rest to make it in time
- Substance use by truck drivers, such as medication, that increases their drowsiness
When the negligence and regulatory violations of these parties cause an accident, they can be held liable for the resulting damages. Trucking companies that cut costs while ignoring the impact on their drivers and others on the road should be held liable. To get the detailed info you can reach out to a skilled truck accident lawyer.
Meet Our Attorney
Peyton Murphy
Peyton Murphy, a Louisiana lawyer with 30+ years of experience, specializes in personal injury cases. He founded Murphy Law Firm in Baton Rouge in 1993 and fights for his clients’ compensation.
Contact Peyton
FAQs
A: Truck accident settlements range significantly based on many factors, but the average truck accident settlement is more significant than other car accident settlements. The specific value of your truck accident settlement will rely on the cost and severity of your injuries, whether you were partially liable, and whether you work with an attorney. If you’re wondering what’s typical in these situations, reviewing Louisiana personal injury settlement amounts and examples can help set expectations for your own claim.
Murphy Law Firm has secured significant truck accident settlements. You are more likely to obtain maximum financial recovery with the assistance of an attorney.
A: You may be able to file a claim against a truck driver for driving fatigued, but often the truck driver’s employer or trucking company will be vicariously liable. Additionally, the company or employer may be directly liable for imposing unreasonable delivery requirements or incentivizing drivers to disregard rest and break schedules.
Whether the truck driver or their employer is held liable will depend on the specific circumstances of the accident and whether the truck driver is an employee or not.
A: For a fatigued truck driver accident and personal injury claim, most lawyers charge a contingency fee. This is not the fee for all lawyers, however, and you should always discuss these costs with a potential lawyer. The fee may differ based on the attorney’s experience, location, and the amount of work they expect your case to require. More complex cases or cases that go to court will likely have a higher fee.
A: You may be able to prove fatigue was the cause of a truck accident by reviewing the driver’s logs, the black box information, eyewitness testimony, and other data that can show the driver’s rest and break schedule. This evidence can also reveal inconsistencies that may suggest the driver did not take the rest they claimed to have taken. Professional testimony can also be used to analyze the driver’s condition and other information to determine if they were fatigued.
Contact Murphy Law Firm
It can be challenging to prove that a driver was fatigued while operating their vehicle, and there are multiple other complex factors at play in these cases. This includes dealing with commercial insurance companies. Truck accident victims should also be aware of the statute of limitations for personal injury claims in Louisiana, since time limits can impact your right to compensation. When you hire a truck driver fatigue accident lawyer, you don’t have to worry about this. You can feel confident that your truck accident case is in good hands. Reach out to Murphy Law Firm today and let us provide you with diligent representation.
Your Path to Legal Resolution Starts with Murphy Law Firm.
When you choose Murphy Law Firm, you gain access to a team of experienced attorneys with a proven track record of success. We understand the importance of trust, and we strive to build lasting relationships with our clients by delivering exceptional results.
