Northwest Indiana Truck Driver Fatigue Accident Lawyers

Fatigue is often a factor in truck accident cases. If you have been injured in an accident caused by a tired truck driver, it’s important to take immediate steps to protect your rights to compensation.

At Laura L. Rybicki, LLC, in St. John, our Lake County trucking accident lawyers offer a free initial consultation to discuss issues such as truck driver fatigue. We represent truck accident victims in Lake County, Porter County and throughout northern Indiana.

Did the Truck Driver Take Required Rest Breaks?

Department of Transportation regulations require truck drivers to comply with hours-of-service laws to prevent accidents caused by driver fatigue. For example, truckers may drive a maximum of 11 hours after 10 consecutive hours off duty. Drivers also must maintain a log book to prove that they comply with hours-of-service laws.

Unfortunately, truck drivers are typically paid by the mile and do not earn money while they are resting. Many are under economic pressure to drive longer hours than is permitted by DOT regulations. As a result, it’s not unusual for truck drivers to falsify logbook entries to show they have compliance with hours-of-service laws when in fact they have driven longer hours. Truck drivers commonly refer to the logbook as the “cheat sheet.”

Even if a truck driver has falsified logbook entries, there are ways our lawyers can get at the truth. If the truck is equipped with a GPS, its records will show when the truck was moving and when it was stopped. Gasoline and toll road receipts can indicate distances traveled by the truck and times when the truck was on the road.

For More Information About Truck Driver Fatigue Accidents

For more information or to schedule a free consultation with our Lake County and Porter County truck driver fatigue accident attorneys, call (219) 365-7766 or fill out the contact form on this website.