Driving Drowsy in Colorado Springs Can Be Just as Dangerous as Driving Drunk

Written by Jeremy D. Earle, JD

February 6, 2023

DRIVING WHILE DROWSY VS DRIVING WHILE DRUNK

Accidents involving cars often occur in Colorado Springs. When you’re in a car, whether you’re leaving a roundabout at rush hour or driving to a game at Fenway Park, the packed traffic alone is enough to cause accidents. When some drivers are impaired, it is more probable that they will cause an accident, and this is not simply due to alcohol; weariness may also cause an accident.

Driver weariness is one of the major causes of car accidents that is seldom acknowledged. Driver weariness, on the other hand, is a risky activity that might have serious repercussions.

Many of the same accident-causing limitations exist in drowsy Colorado Springs drivers as they do in intoxicated drivers, such as reduced response time. Sleepy driving may not be as vilified as drunk driving in our workaholic society, but the damage to victims of drowsy driving accidents is no less.

FATIGUE IN DRIVERS IS A TERM THAT HAS BEEN DEFINED.

Driver tiredness occurs when a person is too weary of driving a car safely. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), sleepy driving causes impairments and increases the risk of car accidents in the same manner as drunk driving does.

When you don’t get enough sleep, your brain takes longer to respond to what’s going on around you, increasing your chances of being in an accident if you’re driving. For example, if you’re driving tired and a car in front of you suddenly stops, you won’t be able to respond as quickly as you would if you were well-rested, and you’ll wind up rear-ending the car in front of you. When you don’t get enough sleep, your response time slows down, which may lead to catastrophic accidents and injuries.

Drowsy drivers should not be on the road. Driver tiredness may manifest itself in a variety of ways, including

Delayed response Blurred eyesight Cloudy thinking Rambling voice

Impaired judgement.

Anyone who gets fewer than six hours of sleep for even one night might get drowsy behind the wheel. People with sleep apnea, insomnia, and other sleep problems may feel sleepy all of the time.

IN A CAR ACCIDENT IN COLORADO SPRINGS, PROVING DRIVER FATIGUE WAS CRUCIAL.

Driving when tired and driving while intoxicated by alcohol or any other substance is reckless. If you were injured in a car accident in Colorado Springs and believe the other driver was tired, you may be eligible for compensation.

When you are injured in a Colorado Springs car accident through no fault of your own, it doesn’t matter whether the other motorist was intoxicated or sleepy at the time of the collision. Either way, you might have prevented injury if they had behaved appropriately. However, to win compensation in a case, you must first determine the exact causes of the accident and gather evidence to show the defendant’s negligence, recklessness, or willful behavior.

In a Colorado Springs car accident, proving driver intoxication or sleepiness might be challenging. Hiring a qualified Colorado Springs driver tiredness attorney may be beneficial since they can analyze the accident and know what indications to look for to establish whether sleepy driving was a factor and how to prove it. Lawyers often hire auto accident specialists to examine the specifics of an accident and precisely establish the reasons.

A lawyer may be able to evaluate if driver drowsiness was the cause of your accident by looking at variables specific to your case, such as:

SKIDMARKS

A lack of skid marks might suggest that a motorist fell asleep or took too long to apply the brakes before colliding with your car.

Driver weariness is more likely to have played a part in your accident if it happened before dawn or far after dusk.

OTHER DRIVER ACTIVITIES

If the other motorist was going home from work, maybe an overnight shift, they may have been tired and driving erratically.

TRUCK DRIVER

Whether a truck driver caused your accident, we can look at their logbook to determine if they drove for longer periods than permitted by law, making them more likely to be sleepy.

Drowsy driving occurs for a variety of causes. Whatever caused the other driver’s tiredness, the outcome is your injuries, escalating bills, and life-altering consequences. When you work with a skilled Colorado Springs driver fatigue attorney, you can be certain that your case is in excellent hands. You may concentrate on recuperating while your attorney works relentlessly to collect every dollar you deserve by transferring the legal load of demonstrating driver tiredness to your lawyer.

CAUSES OF DROWSY DRIVING TRUCK ACCIDENTS IN COLORADO SPRINGS

Drivers spend their days and nights on the road. Truck drivers are required by federal law to take breaks and not drive for more than 11 hours in a 14-hour window and rest for 10 hours before beginning their 14-hour window. However, the legislation is not always fully observed or enforced, and truck drivers who are in a rush or behind schedule on a cargo may drive beyond the limitations and grow sleepy.

When truck drivers are drunk, the results might be far worse. Commercial trucks are much heavier than typical passenger cars. A truck driver who falls asleep at the wheel may crash head-on into a smaller car, frequently fatally. You may be eligible for compensation from the truck driver if you are involved in an accident with a tractor-trailer or other big commercial truck. However, you may be able to recover money from the driver’s employer, the trucking business, and other parties who may have had a role in the driver’s exhaustion and subsequent accident.

INJURIES ASSOCIATED WITH COLORADO SPRINGS DRIVER FATIGUE CAUSES

Nearly 700 individuals perished in car accidents involving driver drowsiness in the United States in a single year. Although not every driver tiredness car accident ends in death, since the sleepy driver’s response time is slower, these accidents are more likely to occur at greater speeds and result in more catastrophic injuries.

Broken bones, burns, neck injuries, back injuries, and spinal cord injuries are all common injuries in Colorado Springs driver fatigue accidents.

TBIs (traumatic brain injuries) and concussions Injuries to soft tissues

MAKING A CLAIM FOR A CAR ACCIDENT

You must submit a car accident claim to obtain compensation following an auto accident caused by a sleepy driver. You have three years from the date of your accident to make a car accident claim in Colorado Springs. In many sleepy driving accidents, the victim is rendered incapacitated and requires extensive medical attention. The time to make a claim might fly by between their recovery and all of the additional disruptions created by accident.

Consider all of the potential stumbling blocks: Long periods away from work Extended hospital stays

Multiple operations

in-facility rehabilitation In-home care

Three years may seem like a long time, but with all of the demands on your time after an accident, it may fly by. If you attempt to file outside of the statute of limitations—the legal phrase for the amount of time you have to file—you will almost certainly lose your opportunity to get compensation from those who are accountable.

Furthermore, even if you submit by the deadline, postponing action may be bad in other ways. You will need to create a case, which will entail collecting evidence to receive compensation. Time tends to erode evidence, including witness statements and testimony. Of course, with everything else on your plate after an accident, trying to figure out what evidence you need and how to collect it on your own may be daunting.

A CAR ACCIDENT CLAIM AND EVIDENCE

An expert Colorado Springs car accident lawyer can help you ensure you don’t miss the deadline for filing your claim and gathering all of the information you’ll need to develop your case. While you concentrate on your health and well-being, your lawyer gathers all of the facts needed to establish that the other motorist is at fault.

This evidence might include things like police and medical records video surveillance

witness interviews

accident and medical expert analysis

Collecting this material takes time, and you’ll probably need to do some investigating before you can file. Contact a Colorado Springs driver tiredness lawyer as soon as possible. One of the easiest methods to get your financial recovery ahead as rapidly as possible is to contact a lawyer as soon as possible following an accident.

GETTING COMPENSATION AFTER A DROWSY DRIVING ACCIDENT IN COLORADO SPRINGS

Your injuries may need substantial medical treatment after a car collision caused by a sleepy driver in Colorado Springs. This might have a huge financial impact. When a family member

is wounded in a catastrophic car accident, family members may feel compelled to work extra or find another employment to make ends meet while the injured family member is out of work. However, paying these costs should not be your duty, nor should it be that of your family.

If you work with an expert Colorado Springs driver tiredness car accident lawyer, your family may not need to face that burden. Your lawyer will fight to get you the most money possible so that your family can be by your side while you recover, rather than taking on extra work to pay the costs.

You’ll need to claim damages against the at-fault motorist and any parties who are involved. This claim may be filed on your behalf by a lawyer who will argue that the other motorist was irresponsible in driving. At the same time, tired and should be held liable for the significant injuries that ensued.

Your attorney may seek compensation for the following: Pain and suffering.

Emotional discomfort Lost income

Lost earning potential Loss of companionship Loss of life pleasure

Medical expenses (current and prospective) Rehabilitation costs

OBTAINING REIMBURSEMENT FOR DROWSY DRIVING-RELATED DAMAGES

After an accident, your life may alter dramatically depending on the circumstances, and transitioning to a new way of life may be expensive. You may never work again, at least not at the same pay level. You could need medical attention for the rest of your life. All of these requirements put a significant financial strain on you and your family. Even small injuries might put a family’s finances in jeopardy. You should be able to recoup these expenses from the at-fault motorist.

However, the consequences you face aren’t confined to the mounting medical bills on your kitchen table, even though some people believe it is the most amount of money they may recover from the irresponsible driver. That isn’t the case at all. Drowsy driving victims in Colorado Springs may be able to collect further damages, such as pain and suffering.

This is even another incentive to consult with a lawyer. They can assist you in identifying all possibly recoverable damages and ensuring that you leave no stone unturned in your pursuit

of every euro you are entitled to. You and your family can work together to generate an accurate estimate of your future medical requirements, giving you a better idea of how much money you’ll need to make sure you and your family don’t have to pay anything out of pocket. Your medical costs and lost wages will account for a significant percentage of the money you need to collect. Still, your attorney will assist you in calculating any other possible sources of recovery that you may use in your damages estimate.

TRYING TO RESOLVE A DROWSY DRIVING ACCIDENT IN COLORADO SPRINGS

The great majority of car accident claims are resolved without going to court. This isn’t due to the insurance company representing the at-fault driver’s generosity. Rather, defendants agree to a settlement to reduce their responsibility and avoid a court decision that would force them to pay even more money.

Insurance firms are especially concerned about limiting their liabilities. You may get a call from the tired driver’s insurance company shortly after your collision. They could attempt to make you a fast deal. You may want to take it. However, it is in your best interests to have your settlement offer reviewed by a lawyer to verify that it is reasonable and adequate to pay your expenditures.

The insurance company makes a hasty offer hoping that you will be desperate enough to take it. If you accept the offer, you normally relinquish your right to sue the insurance company for this accident in the future. There is no way to seek additional money months or years later when you still have medical costs to pay, but the settlement monies have run out.

Contacting a competent car accident lawyer in Colorado Springs as soon as possible helps you avoid being undercut in your driver tiredness lawsuit. Your lawyer can assist you in determining how much money you are entitled to and fighting for it.

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