Driver fatigue has been linked to a fatal truck accident in Bond County, Missouri.
According to police, the accident occurred last Saturday morning when a truck driver on Interstate 70 fell asleep while driving. The tractor-trailer veered off the highway, and struck the victim, 50-year-old truck driver Basil Khamis, who was standing on the shoulder of the highway. Khamis sustained fatal injuries, and was declared dead at the scene. The other truck driver also sustained minor injuries in the accident.
This tragic accident is just another example of how truck driver fatigue continues to impact trucking safety across Missouri. A truck accident investigator, in this case, will look at the driver’s logbooks, to determine how many hours he had been driving before the crash. However, manipulation of log books is widespread in the trucking industry. Drivers are paid on an hourly basis, and it’s a common practice for drivers to drive beyond the maximum hours they are allowed under federal laws, to earn more money.
Drowsy driving has also been in the news recently after a study found that it is a factor in at least one out of every six fatal car accidents in the country. Tired or fatigued driving is a major accident risk, even when you are driving a small passenger vehicle. When you are at the helm of a massive tractor-trailer that can weigh up to 80,000 pounds, the risks to the safety of other motorists around are magnified.
For Missouri truck accident lawyers, the issue of truck driver fatigue is also linked to the dwindling number of truck stops and truck driver rest facilities in Missouri . Budget cuts have led to the closing down of dozens of truck stops over the past couple of years. This has made it difficult for a truck driver to pull over somewhere safe to rest for a few hours.
