attoThe number of trucks on the highways of America is increasing. That’s no secret. It doesn’t take a very long drive on one of the highways of this country to see that there is an increase in the number of drivers on the road. What might not be so apparent is the fact that all of this means an increase in the competitive nature of the truck driving business, with more drivers comes greater demand for them to drive longer hours to get deliveries to their destinations on time. Unfortunately, this does not bode well for anyone on the road since drivers are all too often driving longer hours with fewer rest breaks, a perfect prescription for deadly accidents.

Through the Grapevine

One of these deadly accidents occured not long ago for one car driver who was heading out of town in order to enjoy a short vacation with his family who were renting a cabin north of New York City. As the driver headed out of Brooklyn, he passed a truck stop during the early morning hours, when many truck drivers were finishing their breakfasts and heading back out on the open road. One driver in particular, however, made up for in meals what he lacked in sleep, and as a result collided with the vacation-headed driver and three others. All four vehicles that were hit by the truck were totalled, and drivers as well as their passengers received minor injuries.

Truck Accident Attorneys: Cut and Run?

As clearly at fault as most would see that the driver of the truck was, once the issue got to his insurance company, all of the happy talk ended. Although the extensive accident report that was compiled by the police investigators laid blame totally on the truck driver, who it was assumed fell asleep at the wheel, the insurance company decided to contest all of the claims made against them since the driver’s logbook showed that he had gotten adequate sleep at the time of the accident. This claim seemed to pacify some until several truck accident attorneys got involved and noted that the logbook, completed as required by law, was actually falsified in an effort to show that the driver had gotten enough sleep prior to the accident. What nobody noted prior to the truck accident attorneys getting involved and lining up their case was that the accident occurred at a time when the driver had indicated that he was sleeping at a rest stop more than 100 miles away.

Truck Accident Attorneys Encounter Fact or Fiction?

Faced with this new and more realistic look at the timeline that the trucker’s log established, the driver’s insurance company was very quick to offer a settlement to each driver who was involved in the accident that covered all of their losses. Further, the driver was cited by police for falsifying his logbook. The driver’s employer also faced significant fines for the driver’s actions. After all of the claims were paid the driver was terminated by his employer. Case closed.