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Truck Accidents

When a Louisiana Truck Accident Claim Results from Distracted Driving

Posted on 5/10/2011St.John the Baptist Parish Truck Wreck Injures One
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Posted on 4/22/2011Fatal Car Wreck in Desoto Parish Louisiana
Posted on 4/11/2011Satsuma, Louisiana wreck kills One

Truck Accidents

Louisiana Truck Accident Attorney Explains How Driver Distractions can Warrant a Claim (Part B)

Tractor-Trailer Accident Prompts New Driver Fatigue Move By Federal Authorities

Truck driver Julio Rentas Jr. was driving his tractor-trailer on an open stretch of Interstate 95 in Flagler County when, out of nowhere, a semi-truck driven by Betty Tucker pulled into its path from the shoulder. Rentas's tractor-trailer smashed into Tucker's, killing the 33-year-old father of two. Similar devastating large truck crashes in Louisiana happen regularly and create a feeling of insecurity for Louisiana motorists sharing the road with these monster trucks.

A lawsuit in federal court later accused Tucker, of Richmond, Va., of having driven 19 consecutive hours before the crash.

In a move to prevent such accidents, the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) has proposed to reduce the maximum time truckers are allowed to drive from 11 hours in a 14-hour shift to 10 hours. The proposal would also require truck drivers to take a one-hour break during long 14-hour shifts, and to take more time off-duty during seven-day stretches.

Stricter rules had already been introduced in 2004, leading to a drop in the number of fatal truck crashes. Since then, truckers have had to take 10 hours off to rest between shifts, two more hours than before. In 2009 the number of fatal large truck crashes nationwide decreased 20 percent from 2008, while the vehicle-miles traveled fell only 7 percent.

The FMCSA finds the present rate of truck crashes caused by driver fatigue still to be unacceptably high, and approved a rule last year that, starting 2012, will require interstate truckers who repeatedly violate hours-of-service regulations to install electronic devices that replace the paper and carbon copy logbooks.

Are sleepy truck drivers a cause of concern? Federal reports on truck accidents point to a rather low 2 percent of driver fatigue as the cause of accidents. Highway and truck safety advocates say statistics don't tell the whole story. Police officers filling out crash reports often check off other factors, such as failing to yield or swerving, when the real cause of the crash is fatigue. Most drivers will not spontaneously admit to having been tired, and their state of exhaustion can only be deduced when the investigation uncovers unacceptably long work hours.

If you have been hurt in a Louisiana truck crash, contact the New Orleans accident attorneys of the Young Firm in New Orleans immediately for a free, no-commitment evaluation of your case.