Commercial Truck Driver Fatigue

As the first quarter of 2023 comes to a close, Miller Weisbrod Olesky is happy to report several significant settlements for our clients in different areas of practice. We strive to maintain a broad based personal injury , medical negligence and commercial vehicle accident practice handling cases across across the State of Texas, and throughout the United States.

This month we are highlighting the issue of a driver’s video camera inside 18 wheelers and other commercial vehicles as well as a few settlements that we have finalized so far this year.

Vehicle mounted video cameras are becoming more and more common in a variety of commercial vehicles as companies recognize the value of learning the truth regarding the facts of an accident. The most common cameras are those showing the driver view of the front of the vehicle and events occurring directly in front of the vehicle.

These cameras are valuable in determining how a wreck occurred by providing indisputable evidence of the events leading up to a crash as long as the events take place in front of the camera mounted vehicle.

Driver cameras are becoming commonplace not just in 18 wheelers, but in company vans and trucks, commercial buses and even many ride-share vehicles like Uber and Lyft.

Many times trucking companies and commercial carriers will produce the driver’s view camera only. While not included in every drive cam system, another important camera view to obtain is of the driver themself. This camera will show what actions the driver took before any crash, any distraction the driver was experiencing as well as important evidence of the physical condition of the driver.

In a recent MWO case, the defendant trucking company produced a driver’s view video. Then upon repeated requests, a camera view of the driver himself was produced. This wrongful death case involves an wide-load 18 wheeler veering into the adjacent lane to the right causing the wide load to strike the back of a box truck that sent our client’s wife into a column causing the death of her and her unborn child.

Upon inspection of the driver’s view camera to say the driver appeared fatigued is an understatement. We like to call the below video:

We have been busy the first quarter litigating a number of cases as we prepare for a busy trial calendar. Over the past three months, have resolved numerous cases pre-trial, a few of which are highlighted below:

$5,500,000 policy limit settlement in a motor vehicle accident causing our client to suffer a serious brain injury that will likely have lifelong consequences.

$3,175,000 settlement in a Texas birth injury case.

$3,000,000 policy limits settlement arising from a premises liability case at a party hosted by a bar leading to a spinal cord injury of our client.

$2,000,000 partial settlement in a Texas birth injury case. The primary target defendant case is still pending.

At Miller Weisbrod Olesky we appreciate that the successful recoveries we receive depend upon other attorneys trusting us to help their clients on a referral or joint venture basis. We welcome the opportunity to visit with you about how we can add value to your personal injury, wrongful death or medical negligence case.