New York Sleep Deprivation Car Accident

On July 9, 2016, a man who fell asleep at the wheel while driving his pickup truck caused a three-vehicle accident that sent one driver to the hospital and left the three vehicles with extensive damage. Unfortunately, this scenario happens far too often in New York and across the country. One of the top causes of vehicle accidents is drowsy driving. According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration each year there are over 100,000 car accidents caused by driver fatigue, resulting in 1,550 deaths and 71,000 injuries. Many people believe that as long as they are able to stay awake, they can safely operate a vehicle. This is not true. Simply being fatigued or feeling drowsy is enough to significantly increase the risk of an accident. Fatigue affects judgment and slows response time to the same extent that drinking does. Thus, fatigued drivers may not be able to properly respond to the movement of other vehicles, road conditions, weather conditions, and hazards. As a result an accident may occur resulting in devastating injuries. The victims of such accidents often suffer serious injuries with long recovery periods. For example, it is not uncommon for a victim to suffer a traumatic brain injury such as a severe concussion, or a life-altering spinal cord injury that leave the victim paralyzed. Such injuries are not only physically and emotionally painful they also can cause the victim financial stress since the victim may have to miss a substantial amount of work. If you are considering contacting a New York Injury Lawyer because you or a loved one suffered a serious injury in a car accident because a driver was sleep deprived, it is critical that you immediately contact an experienced New York Sleep Deprivation Car Accidents Lawyer who will work tirelessly to ensure that you receive compensation for your losses through a personal injury or wrongful death claim.

There are variety of reasons that a driver may experience deprivation. The most obvious reason is failing to get enough hours of sleep prior to getting behind the wheel. However, there are other reasons for sleep deprivation that are more complicated, including:

• Side effects of prescription or over-the-counter medications
• Medical treatments
• Sleep disorders
• Sleep disturbances
• Poor quality sleep
• Drinking or drug use
• Stress
• Hormonal changes

Anything which causes a person to have too little sleep or poor quality of sleep can cause that person to drive drowsy putting other drivers at risk.

If a driver is sleep deprived there is a good chance that that driver will cause an accident leaving another person with serious injuries. This may be due to the driver falling asleep while driving or because the driver was not alert enough to properly maneuver the car. If you were injured in an accident because another driver was too fatigued to effectively operate a vehicle, through a personal injury lawsuit there are number of different types of damages that you may be able to recover:

• Medical expenses. The person responsible for the accident that caused your injuries may be required to pay for your medical expenses. This would include medical bills you accumulated prior to filing your claim as well as future medical expenses related to the treatment of your injury.
• Lost wages. Even a relatively minor accident may cause you to miss time at work. The person responsible may be required to pay the wages you lost. If you end up using earned sick days or vacation days, you may be entitled to receive compensation for those days. Furthermore, if as a result of your injury your earning potential declined, you may be able to recover damages for loss of future earning capacity.
• Pain and suffering. Another potential source of damages that you may be entitled to receive is pain and suffering. In the context of a personal injury claim, pain and suffering refers to physical pain as well as emotional distress.
• Property damage. The person whose negligence caused the accident may also be responsible for damage to your vehicle or other property.

A personal injury lawsuit against the person responsible for the accident will not only hold that person accountable for his or her negligent acts but will also provide you and your family with needed financial relief. To ensure that your rights are protected it is important that you are represented by someone with experience representing victims of car accidents. The staff at Stephen Bilkis and Associates has extensive experience representing clients injured in head-on collisions, rear-end collisions, side collisions as well as other types of vehicle accidents. Contact us at 800.696.9529 to schedule a free, no obligation consultation regarding your car accident.