Actor Tracy Morgan has been critically injured in a semi truck accident in New Jersey that injured two others and left one individual dead. In June 2014, a Wal-Mart semi truck driver was accused of driving while fatigued, as officials believe that the driver had been awake for more than 24 hours prior to the accident. According to reports, the driver did not notice that the cars in front of him were slowing down, so to avoid an accident, he swerved the semi truck to avoid causing a multiple-vehicle collision.
However, the driver struck a limousine carrying Morgan and three other comedians, and the semi truck driver is now facing four counts of vehicular assault and one count of vehicular death. Wal-Mart has stated that the driver adhered to its hours of service semi truck safety regulations and that the company would take full responsibility if its driver was found to be at fault.
Semi Truck Safety: Driver Fatigue Can Cause Devastating Semi Truck Accidents
According to a recent semi truck safety study conducted by the FMCSA, nearly 20 percent of all semi truck accidents in the U.S. are caused by driver fatigue. Although there are fewer vehicle accidents per 100 million miles involving semi trucks than other types of cars, semi truck accidents result in more fatalities, and driver fatigue is one of the most common causes.
In an effort to reduce the number of semi truck accidents caused by driver fatigue, the FMCSA updated its semi truck safety regulations in June 2013 to include rules that a truck driver can only drive 70 hours per week instead of 82 as was previously allowed; a truck driver must rest for 30 minutes during the first eight hours of his trip; and a driver must take 34 consecutive hours off if he or she drives 70 hours per week.
FMCSA: Hours-of-Service Recorders Can Reduce Semi Truck Accidents
The FMCSA also released results in June 2014 from a final semi truck safety report on electronic hours-of-service recorders. According to the report, trucks equipped with these electronic devices, which are intended to track and keep log of a driver’s hours, had 53 percent fewer violations relating to hours of service. Additionally, EHSR-equipped commercial vehicles had a 49 percent lower rate of non-driving-related hours of service violations than semi trucks that were not equipped with these devices.
Contact Attorney Group for Georgia for a Free Consultation
A semi truck accident can occur for any number of reasons, including driver fatigue, overloaded cargo, distracted driving, driving under the influence, defective parts or inadequate maintenance of the semi truck. For this reason, it is important to seek legal counsel from an experienced attorney in Georgia if you believe that you have been injured in a semi truck accident that was caused by the fault or negligence of another. The Georgia Injury Attorney Group can help answer your questions and connect you with a local affiliated attorney who can file your lawsuit in Georgia and work to help you seek damages to which you may be entitled
