No Doubt — Driver Fatigue Cause Of Tracy Morgan Accident
It has been more than a year ago that the comedian Tracy Morgan was seriously injured in a truck accident on the New Jersey Turnpike. Another comedian was killed in the same accident. Recently, in the middle of August, the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) made the findings from their investigation public. They clearly pointed out that driver fatigue is to blame for the accident.
The NTSB investigators have found that the accident could have been avoided. They report that the Walmart truck driver should carry the blame for the accident. It is reported that the driver was awake for more than 28 hours before the accident.
The investigators indicated that speed also contributed to the accident. The driver was traveling at 65 mph, when he should have been traveling at 45 mph. They attribute the driver’s lack of slowing down to his fatigued state. According to a NTSB spokesperson, the tragic truck accident clearly illustrates the consequences of mistakes made due to driver fatigue.
There is no doubt that driver fatigue is dangerous, and in New Jersey, criminal charges can be filed when a fatigued driver seriously injures or kills someone in an accident. However, civil claims can also be filed against such drivers and the companies for which they drive. The family of a deceased victim of an accident allegedly caused by a fatigued driver may decide to file a wrongful death claim. Seriously injured victims may file personal injury claims against an alleged fatigued driver. Damages awarded in successful claims cannot change what has happened, but it may ease the financial burdens that resulted from the accident.
Source: newyork.cbslocal.com, “NTSB Says Truck Driver Fatigue To Blame In Fatal Tracy Morgan Crash“, Aug. 11, 2015
