Tired Semi Truck Drivers Pose Hazard On MN Roads
Tired semi truck drivers can pose a risk on Minnesota roads, but due to the Minnesota state shutdown, MN semi truck drivers have fewer options for places to pull over and rest, according to local news articles.
Unlike regular motorists, semi truck drivers are required by federal law to observe the “Hours of Service” rules. This means they must keep a log showing that they have gotten enough rest to be safely driving on highways, and that they have not been driving so long that they have become fatigued, which could result in an accident. These regulations are enacted and enforced by the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration.
According to Minnesota news outlets, truck safety experts are concerned:
With nearly all highway rest areas closed during the state shutdown — which continues, at least for now, despite an agreement between Gov. Mark Dayton and Republican leaders — truck drivers have overrun truck stops and gas stations. It’s feared that truckers could even resort to illegally parking on highway shoulders to sleep or drive past their allowed time. Experts worry that without a safe place to sleep, tired truckers will be behind the wheel.
Semi truck drivers and trucking companies are responsible for accidents caused by driver fatigue, even under the current state shut down in Minnesota that has closed rest areas. “There is no excuse for a semi truck driver getting behind the wheel when he or she is tired,” said accident attorney Fred Pritzker. “We are handling semi accident cases involving amputation, brain injury and wrongful death. These accidents would not have happened if the truck drivers had acted responsibly.”
Our Minnesota semi truck accident lawyers represent accident victims and their families nationwide.
Semi Accident Attorneys Support Truck Size and Weight Freeze
Semi truck accident attorneys at PritzkerOlsen, P.A. support the current proposals in the House (H.R. 1574) and Senate (S.876) that would improve safety and prevent excessive wear and strain on the nation’s aging roads, tunnels and bridges. If passed, the legislation would freeze national truck size and weight limits on Federal-aid highways at 53 feet and 80,000 pounds.
The proposed Senate bill, Safe Highways and Infrastructure Preservation Act (SHIPA) of 2011, introduced by Senator Frank Lautenberg (D-NJ), would extend the present weight limit and freeze on triple-trailers to the entire 160,000-mile National Highway System (NHS). Currently, most truck size and weight restrictions apply to only the 44,000-mile Interstate Highway System. Certain exemptions would still be allowed, including for firefighting equipment.
“Keeping super sized tractor-trailers off our roads will save lives and protect our highways and bridges from heavy damage,” Lautenberg said in a statement. “Closing the loophole that allows these long, overweight trucks on our National Highway System will protect our families and our nation’s infrastructure. We know how important trucks are to our economy, but trucks share the roads with our families and we must take every step possible to avoid senseless tragedies. This legislation takes a balanced, common-sense approach to maintaining our highways, keeping our economy moving forward, and making sure our roads are safe for everyone traveling on them.”
The truck size and weight freeze is vital because heavier and longer trucks present additional safety risks, including longer stopping distances, increased risks of rollover and trailers swaying into adjacent lanes. Research conducted on 100,000 and 80,000 pound trucks found that, once the brakes were applied, the heavier truck with unadjusted brakes traveled 25 percent further than the lighter truck.
That greater stopping distance could contribute to the disproportionately high share of large
truck accident deaths based on miles traveled compared to standard vehicle traffic. In 2009, 3,380 people died and 74,000 were injured in large truck traffic accidents. In addition to the personal safety issue, America’s roads, bridges and other infrastructure were not built to accommodate the larger trucks.
Semi Truck Accident Lawsuit
Pritzker Olsen Semi Truck Accident Attorneys Fred Pritzker and Eric Hageman recently won a jury verdict in a semi trailer vs. bicycle accident case where a 53-year-old bicyclist was killed when she was run over by the rear wheels of the trailer of a right-turning tractor-trailer.
Initially, the investigating police officers felt that the bicyclist was 100% at fault. However, with expert investigation, Fred and Eric were able to determine that the truck driver should have been out of service at the time of the accident, he failed to monitor his right outside mirrors during his turn (which is crucial due to the significant “off-tracking” which occurs) and he believed he was pulling a 48-foot trailer rather than a 53-foot trailer. After an eight-day trial, the jury found 70% fault on the truck driver and 30% fault on the bicyclist and awarded her heirs and next of kin $2,469,339 in damages.
For information regarding a semi truck accident lawsuit, call a Pritzker Olsen truck accident attorney at 1-888-377-8900 (toll free) or submit our free consultation form.
MN Truck Accident Attorney Supports Distracted Driving Awareness Month
Last year the U.S. House of Representatives passed a resolution (H. Res. 1186 – see below) to designate the month of April as National Distracted Driving Awareness Month. The resolution, authored by Congresswoman Betsy Markey, encourages all Americans to consider the lives of others on the road and put an end to distracted driving.
“Studies have shown that distracted driving is just as dangerous as driving drunk and while everyone knows that drunk driving is dangerous, far fewer people are aware of the risks of distracted driving,” said Rep. Markey. “A driver increases the risk of a crash by 2,300 percent if he or she is texting while driving.”
Pritzker Olsen MN truck accident attorneys support this resolution because we have witnessed too many needless tragedies caused by distracted drivers. It is time for drivers to realize that driving is a privilege not a right.
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In July 2008, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) compiled a report for congress entitled, National Motor Vehicle Crash Causation Survey. The NHTSA investigated crashes and surveyed critical pre-crash data and critical reasons underlying the critical event (crash). The following statistics are from that report:
- About 41 percent of the critical reasons were recognition errors (inattention, internal and external distractions, inadequate surveillance, etc.).
- About 22 percent of the vehicles ran off the edge of the road just prior to the crash.
- About 11 percent of the vehicles failed to stay in their own lane prior to the crash.
- About 23 percent of the drivers were fatigued and made at least one performance error (ran off side of road, drove out of their lane, etc.).
- 18 percent of the drivers were engaged in at least one interior non-driving activity. The most frequent interior non-driving activity was conversation, either with other passengers in the vehicle or on a cell phone, especially among young (age 16 to 25) drivers.
- 80 percent of all traffic incidents and 65 percent of all near-crashes involve some type of distraction.
- Driver distraction was reported to have been involved in 16 percent of all fatal crashes in 2008, a 12 percent increase since 2004.
MN Truck Accident Attorney
When we take a MN truck accident case, we thoroughly investigate to determine liability. If the truck driver was distracted by an internal (cellphone, reading, etc.) or external (billboard, scenery, etc.) event, the driver needs to be held accountable. In addition to the truck driver, the following parties may be liable:
- trucking company
- owner of the truck
- owner of the trailer
- owner of the freight
- a third-party maintenance company
Eric Hageman and Fred Pritzker are lead attorneys for our MN truck accident cases. They have won millions for people in personal injury and wrongful death cases involving an auto, motorcycle or bicycle being hit by a semi truck. To contact a Minnesota semi truck accident lawyer, please call 1-888-377-8900 (toll free), call 612-338-0202 or submit our free consultation form. We are not paid unless you win.
H. Res. 1186 RESOLUTION
Expressing support for designation of April as National Distracted Driving Awareness Month. Whereas 9-year-old Erica Forney of Fort Collins, Colorado, was struck and killed by a distracted driver in 2008; Whereas there were more than 276,000,000 wireless cell phone subscribers in the United States as of June 2009, an increase of 42 percent from 194,000,000 in June 2005, and nearly 3 times more than the 97,000,000 wireless subscribers in June 2000; Whereas over 600,000,000,000 text messages were sent in 2008, nearly 4 times the number sent in 2006; Whereas according to the recent National Motor Vehicle Crash Causation Survey, 80 percent of all traffic incidents and 65 percent of all near-crashes involve some type of distraction; Whereas according to data from the Fatality Analysis Reporting System (FARS), driver distraction was reported to have been involved in 16 percent of all fatal crashes in 2008, which is an increase from 12 percent in 2004; Whereas the Secretary of Transportation held a Distracted Driving Summit in September 2009; and Whereas April would be an appropriate month to designate as National Distracted Driving Awareness Month: Now, therefore, be it Resolved, That the House of Representatives—(1) supports the designation of Distracted Driving Awareness Month; (2) encourages all people in the United States to consider the lives of others on the road and avoid distracted driving; and (3) respectfully requests the Clerk of the House to transmit a copy of this resolution to FocusDriven, an advocacy group for victims of motor vehicle crashes involving drivers using cell phones.
Volvo Semi Truck Recall due to Steering Defect
A truck recall by Volvo has been announced because of a steering defect that may be a contributing factor in a semi truck accident, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) announced. More than 63,000 model year 2001 – 2006 trucks are affected by this Volvo recall.
“Volvo Trucks is recalling certain model year 2001-2006 VNL and VNM trucks manufactured with a TRW sealed drag links.
Tractor Trailer Traumatic Brain Injury Victim Awarded $2 Million
Truck accident attorneys Fred Pritzker and Elliot Olsen recently won more than $2,75,000 for a tractor trailer accident traumatic brain injury victim. The client was working as an independent contractor when he was injured. He was hauling asphalt in a tractor pulling a belly dump trailer when the trailer became stuck and a tow truck began to pull it out.
While sitting in the cab of his tractor trailer, the client was struck in the face by a hook that came loose from the tow truck and smashed through his windshield at a high speed.
Driver in Fatal Semi Accident Likely Not Wearing Glasses
A Minnesota four-car semi truck accident that killed two and released a swarm of bees is still under investigation and new information indicates that the driver may not have been wearing the corrective lenses required by law, according to Minnesota State Patrol officials.
The accident on Interstate 35 in Lakeville, Minn., happened in late May and caused a four-car pileup, killed two people and released thousands of honey bees, which were the cargo of the second semi truck involved in the accident.
