Minneapolis Personal Injury Law Blog

When negligence is a factor in a truck accident, it may seem as if an accident was almost inevitable. The fact is that truck accidents can be bad enough without adding a distracted and reckless truck driver to the mix. Some courts in Minnesota, and nationwide, are looking to send a strong message to careless truck drivers and those who employ them.

In 2010, a Coca-Cola semi truck crashed into a small Ford Fusion. The driver of the Fusion suffered serious injuries and has experienced significant pain in her neck and back since the accident. According to documents, the driver of the semi was talking on her cell phone at the time of the accident. A court recently recognized the level of negligence on the part of the truck driver and awarded the victim a significant amount in damages.

As more and more states address the issue of distracted driving, an increase in studies examining the behavior has been seen. Despite recommendations to ban all cell phone use while driving, some worry that there is not enough research to support the true role that distractions play in car accidents. Although texting and driving is banned in Minnesota, how much do we understand about the behavior?

The problem, experts say, is that the concept of distracted driving has been an issue since radios were installed in cars. Studies consistently show that using a phone is distracting behind the wheel, but at one time, so was music. The issue is not necessarily whether or not distracted drivers are dangerous, but rather how much of this behavior should be regulated.

People may not immediately understand what the significance is between sleep apnea and the trucking industry. The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration, however, is well aware of the connection. They are now increasing evaluation of the sleep disorder among truck drivers in the hopes of decreasing the rate of truck accidents.

Sleep apnea is a serious condition that affects many Minnesotans. A person with sleep apnea frequently stops and starts breathing while sleeping. It is either caused by throat muscles relaxing, the brain failing to send breathing controls while sleeping, or a combination of both. In most cases, a person with sleep apnea is still tired after a full night of sleep due to the poor quality of rest.

Every year, people are injured or killed in a car accident when a driver is distracted behind the wheel. Recent laws prohibiting dangerous behaviors such as texting while driving have been passed in Minnesota, but some believe that the law has done little to curb the activity. In an effort to prevent more car accidents, Minnesota officers will increase enforcement of distracted driving on April 19.

The Minnesota Department of Public Safety Office of Traffic Safety reports that 70 people were killed and 350 were injured annually in accidents caused by a distracted driver. Even though it is illegal in Minnesota to write, send or read texts while driving, it still is a leading cause of crashes.