A blue hatchback after colliding with a tree due to a fatigued driver at the wheel.Driving drowsy is completely avoidable. When a reckless, sleepy motorist gets behind the wheel anyway, they are putting the lives of everyone on the road at risk.

If you have been injured by a drowsy driver in Hartford, Bert McDowell Injury Law may be able to help. Our team has served countless members of the Hartford community through similar accident recoveries, and we have associates standing by to aid you through yours, too!

Your first meeting with us is always free, with no obligation to continue using our services further. This consultation is the perfect opportunity to review your case details and help you determine the best path forward.

Schedule your initial case review with an experienced attorney near you when you call (203) 633-7449 or contact us online today!

Hartford Fatigued Driving Accident Attorneys Work Just for You, Not the Insurer

Driving drowsy can be just as dangerous as distracted driving or operating a vehicle while inebriated. A sleepy motorist is limited in their ability to pay attention on the road, with slower reflexes and the potential to fully lose control of the vehicle if they doze off.

 

When you have been hurt in an accident with a drowsy driver, you may be able to recover the costs of your medical treatments, lost wages, and other damages through a personal injury claim. A fatigued driving accident lawyer in Hartford can review your crash to determine negligence and help you seek all compensation available.

 

Working with an attorney not only relieves you of the obligations you face when filing a claim, giving you time to heal, but it also provides you with the experience, knowledge, and resources you need to give your claim a high chance of success.

 

Attorneys know how to handle insurers, and that goes doubly for Bert McDowell. He used to work as an attorney on behalf of a large carrier, so he knows the exact factors insurers look to when deciding how much a claim is worth.

 

With his experience at your side, you can make all the right moves in order to ensure you don’t hurt your own ability to get all the compensation you need after your accident.

What Are Some Common Mistakes That Claimants Can Make?

In most cases, a person will only file a few insurance claims within their life, which means that an accident victim may not know how their actions can harm or otherwise impact their claim.

After an accident, a claimant could accidentally make any of the following mistakes:

  • Apologizing for the accident: Even a simple ‘I’m sorry’ can be more harmful than you think. Oftentimes, it can be an instinctual response to an accident, even if you know you aren’t to blame for the events of the crash. Unfortunately, apologizing will only harm your case in the long run, in many cases, as it could be interpreted as an admission of fault.
  • Delaying the completion of important tasks: It can be scary to face an injury claim, but ignoring important tasks will only hurt your claim’s outcome. There is a 2-year statute of limitations on all car accident claims in Connecticut. Even before that deadline, you will need to act quickly in order to secure all available evidence, especially when it comes to seeking a medical diagnosis.
  • Assuming the insurance representative will have their best interests at heart: Insurers use a claim adjuster during your injury claims processing to look out for their own interests, not yours. They are motivated to find any reason to reduce or deny coverage. Your attorney can protect you from agreeing to a lowball offer.

What Damages Are Available After a Drowsy Driving Accident?

The damages you obtain through a settlement will depend on the unique details of your case. They can include any of the following:

 

  • Medical bills, including all emergency treatments and medical attention needed immediately after the crash, as well as the projected future costs of all related medical care.
  • Lost wages, compensating you for income missed (or benefits used) as a result of being too injured to return to the job, in addition to any long-term losses that would result from a temporary or permanent disability
  • Out-of-pocket costs, such as the costs of a vehicle rental or parking at medical appointments, as well as any other reasonable expenses made necessary because of the accident
  • Pain and suffering, giving you some restitution for the bad experiences you’ve had to endure and your loss of ability to enjoy your normal routine as a result of the accident

What Counts as Drowsy Driving?

It is important to assess your mental state before getting behind the wheel of a vehicle. Many people will not realize that they are driving in a dangerous state of mind until it is too late. Fatigue makes it difficult to think, let alone operate heavy machinery. Drowsiness can also cloud a motorist’s judgment.

 

According to a research study conducted by AAA, there are an average of 328,000 drowsy driving accidents across the U.S. every year.

 

Fatigue will feel different for everyone, but some common factors that officials consider when labeling a driver as drowsy include:

 

  • Operating a vehicle after being awake for more than 16 hours
  • Getting behind the wheel after a restless night
  • Zoning out while on the road because it is easier on tired eyes
  • Uncontrollable blurry vision

How to Spot a Drowsy Driver

Drowsy driving can be hard to identify because it will have similar tell-tale signs to drunk or distracted driving, though they are somewhat easier to point out at night when it is easy to assume that the motorist may be sleepy.

 

It is most common for fatigued driving accidents to take place between midnight and 6 a.m.

 

During the day, poor control over a vehicle is more likely to be attributed to distracted driving, but it is possible to encounter a drowsy driver anytime throughout the day. Some of the most commonly reported signs of drowsy driving that motorists report to 911 dispatch operators include:

 

  • Irregular speed
  • Slow response at green lights
  • Stopping or slowing unnecessarily
  • Swerving between lanes
  • Following other cars too closely or stopping too far behind

Is Driving Drowsy Illegal?

The short answer is “yes.”

 

In an accident with a drowsy driver, law enforcement will use a series of behavior tests to assess if a driver is fatigued. Their assessment may cause them to levy fines or even bring criminal charges against the negligent, tired driver.

 

Driving drowsy is dangerous, and in a situation where a tired driver is unable to control their vehicle and follow the rules of the road, causing an accident, they can face license suspension — or even be charged with crimes like reckless driving.

 

In the event a drowsy driver causes a fatal accident, they can be charged with manslaughter.

Who Is Most Likely to Drive Fatigued?

Some groups of commonly sleep-deprived people are more likely to drive drowsy and encounter an accident, including:

  • Commercial drivers, such as bus and truck operators
  • Motorists who take medication that has drowsy side effects
  • Students who may work and study at the same time
  • New parents who are adjusting to a shift in their sleep schedule
  • People with untreated sleep disorders
  • Graveyard shift workers or swing shift workers

Work With a Hartford Fatigued Driving Accident Law Firm After a Crash

After facing injuries from an accident with a drowsy driver, it can be overwhelmingly inconvenient to spend any more of your own time or energy on dealing with an insurance claim. Many claimants may feel uneasy about submitting evidence, documenting expenses, and otherwise backing up a reasonable request for damages.

 

They may even put off the steps of filing because of a lack of time or available knowledge. By putting a claim on the back burner, you may miss important milestones, including the statute of limitations, leaving you to scramble at the end in order to protect your financial recovery.

 

An attorney can manage every step of your claim while giving you the knowledge and other tools you need to put the best strategy forward; Bert McDowell and his team handle many thousands of these types of claims each year, while this may be your very first. Let us help you determine the best path forward while recording every penny of losses you have suffered.

 

The liable party’s insurer can make the process of filing feel more complex and difficult than it needs to be, but an attorney can prevent a claimant from falling for tactics that attempt to undervalue their claim.

 

Perhaps most importantly, you won’t pay any upfront fees when you retain the legal services of Bert McDowell Injury Law. Our team works on contingency for accident claim settlement representation, which means that we only take a small, agreed-upon percentage of the final settlement instead of charging upfront, hourly, and individual service fees.

 

If you get nothing, we get nothing. In other words, we don’t win unless our client does!

 

Schedule a free case review with an experienced attorney today when you call (203) 633-7449 or contact us online.