Our Houston truck accident injury attorneys have been writing recently about truck driver fatigue. A spate of recent accident and a lawmaker’s call for more stringent oversight have brought the ongoing problem into the public eye once again. And Wednesday’s big rig wreck during the morning commute on the East Freeway shows that the problem endures n Houston, shipping hub of the United States.
The driver of an 18-wheeler lost control of his vehicle on the East Freeway near Gregg. A picture of the accident scene shows the big rig overhanging I-10 while caught up on a guardrail. The nasty wreck slowed morning rush hour traffic to a crawl and sent the truck driver to a hospital with serious injuries. (KTRK abclocal.go.com, 2.5.14)
Last July, a new law took effect that reduced the number of hours that long haul truck drivers could drive per week. If a driver drove 60 hours per 7 days or 70 hours per 8 days, he or she was now required to take 2 consecutive nights’ rest rather than one before getting back behind the wheel.
To those of us who work the more usual 35- to 40-hour workweek, that hardly seems excessive. In fact, it seems almost guaranteed to leave one feeling dazed and sleepless. Yet trucking industry officials decried the new law, claiming it lowered productivity and profits. The Houston truck accident injury attorneys at Denena Points, PC suggest that thee industry officials might consider that the new law probably also lowers financial liabilities for 18-wheeler wrecks caused by truck driver fatigue. We’re fairly certain that these officials do not drive 6 or 70 hours per week.
Serious accidents caused by truck driver fatigue don’t just injure people in smaller passenger vehicles. As this accident clearly reveals, the truck driver himself might be seriously injured or even killed. One of our Board Certified personal injury attorneys at Denena Points, PC used to be a truck driver himself. We know the risks. The trucking industry does not do enough to protect its drivers, and it asks its drivers to risk their lives for the profits of the companies by driving overly long hours.
Contact us if you’re a driver or the family member of a driver who’s been injured in a big rig wreck. We offer an entirely free and confidential initial legal consultation. Call us at 713-807-9500 or reach us anytime through our online contact form. Put our 14 years of successful experience helping injured clients and their families financially recover after serious truck wrecks to work for your benefit. Call us today.