Truck accidents often end tragically for everyone involved. When a commercial tractor trailer driver falls asleep at the wheel, the truck becomes a multi-ton death machine, barreling down roads at speeds of more than eighty miles per hour. If you have been injured in a truck accident, or if you have lost someone close to because of a negligent truck driver, please call the truck accidents lawyers at Dallas W. Hartman, P.C. to speak to an intake specialist about the details of your case.

It's no secret that truck drivers spend a tremendous amount of time behind the wheel of their rigs. That's why it is so important that they get the proper amount of rest before getting back on the road. This is an issue that has been brought up again most recently because of the accident involving former SNL cast member Tracy Morgan, and a friend of his who was killed, when their limo-bus was rammed into from behind by a truck driver. 

Initial reports are saying that the driver in question, an employee of Wal-Mart, may have been awake for at least twenty-four hours. Since the accident, there has been an abundance of other drivers and physicians who are speaking out about the importance of truckers getting the proper amount of rest.

Here in western Pennsylvania, there are literally thousands of truckers who navigate our highways and residential roads on a daily basis. From Erie on down to Pittsburgh and into Washington and Greene Counties, Interstates 70, 80, 90, and 376 are inundated with drivers from all over the country who are making deliveries in and passing through our region. 

What many people do not realize, however, is that there are federal laws that mandate the amount of hours that truck drivers are allowed to work. Drivers are not allowed to work more than a fourteen hour shift and can only be driving for eleven of those hours. The problem is that most of these times are tracked by the driver in a log book and those results can easily be fudged. Some drivers even keep two books in case there is an accident and they need to prove they were following the rules.

Most doctors agree that the average adult needs somewhere between seven and nine hours of sleep to function and that not getting the right amount of sleep can lead to tired driving, diabetes, heart disease, and sleep apnea.

Source: YourErie.com, "Average Person Should Get 7-9 Hours of Sleep" 11 June 2014