Truck drivers have to cover long distances to make deliveries on a regular basis. Often, the truck drivers want to get to their destinations faster to fit in more deliveries in a shorter period of time in order to make more money. When drivers stay on the road too long without enough rest or sleep, they risk getting fatigued, losing focus on the road, or even falling asleep behind the wheel. As you can imagine, this can cause drivers to lose control of the truck and cause devastating accidents. If you have been injured in an accident by a fatigued truck driver, you should contact a truck accident lawyer in Fayette County to help you get compensated for your injuries.
In order to prevent fatigued driving, the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) has strict regulations regarding the number of consecutive hours and days a truck driver may work, including mandatory rest times. These are referred to as Hours of Service (HOS) regulations. If you are in a fatigued driving truck accident, proving the driver violated HOS will significantly help your case.
An experienced accident lawyer knows how to investigate into HOS violations. The FMCSA requires that drivers keep detailed logs of the hours they worked, which can be investigated for violations. You can also review time stamps on delivery invoices, confirmations, and “trip tickets,” which will show when a driver picked up cargo and dropped it off. You can then do the math of the hours the driver would have been on the road to cover the mileage required for the delivery. An attorney can help you obtain these documents. Furthermore, if log books are missing, altered, or inaccurate, attorneys have other ways to determine HOS violations.
For these reasons, it is important for you to have an experienced trucking attorney helping you with your case. Call Shane Smith Law at (980) 246-2656 to schedule a free consultation.