Fatigued Driver Accident

Getting in the car to go where you need to go is an important part of the American way of life. Many people drive to and from work, home, family and friend’s houses, and the grocery store. This means many people get behind the wheel when they are exhausted; whether because of work, school, home life, or a million other reasons. Whatever the cause, there is real danger to driving while fatigued.

Drowsy drivers injure and kill countless people every year. There is no way around it: fatigued driving is a negligent act, and should be treated as such. If you have been injured by a drowsy driver, then you are probably in need of compensation. Thankfully, we at The Lenahan Law Firm can help you get the settlement you need to get on the path of financial recovery. To learn more, contact our office at (214) 295-1008 and speak to a member of our incredible team.

Our brains require sleep. After a long day, we just aren’t as capable of the same judgment calls, decision-making, and responsible thinking as we are when we are well-rested. In fact, driving while fatigued has been shown to have similar impacts on the brain as driving while drunk, which has long been understood to be negligent. Some common side effects of fatigue include:

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), driving after being awake for 18 hours is comparable to driving with a blood alcohol content (BAC) of .05%, which is nearly the legal BAC limit for drivers. Driving after being awake for 24 hours is similar to driving with a BAC of .10%, which is above the legal limit. Considering that driving while drunk is illegal in every state in America, Texas included, the fact that driving while overly tired is directly comparable is a clear indication of just how dangerous drowsy drivers can be.

Thanks to constant outreach and education programs run by concerned citizens and activist groups, most people are aware of the damage they can cause by getting behind the wheel while drunk. However, there is far less outreach to teach people about the dangers of driving while fatigued. This leads to exhausted people getting behind the wheel, despite being far too tired to drive responsibly. Unfortunately, these negligent drivers often cause deviating accidents, and leave their victims with debilitating injuries, such as: