A tractor trailer driver in Thomasville, NC has been cited in a crash that left a local man with serious injuries.

Thomasville police stated that they were called to US 29/70 at North Forest Park Drive last week where a tractor trailer and a Mercury Marques crashed at the intersection. The truck was going south on US 29/70 and was attempting a U-turn. The truck driver allegedly did not see and yield to the Mercury, causing a serious accident. The car driver – Steven M. Brown from Lexington NC – was airlifted to a local hospital with serious injuries.

A passenger in the tractor trailer – James Pickens from Atoka, OK – also was taken to a local hospital with minor injuries.

Our North Carolina trucking accident attorneys have represented many seriously injured clients due to the carelessness and inattention of truck drivers. All commercial truck drivers have a very important obligation to drive safely; after all, their vehicles are very large and heavy and can cause devastating injuries in an accident.

The Virginia Commercial Driver’s Manual stresses the importance of truck drivers staying alert so that they do not get into serious accidents. We do not know for certain why this truck driver did not see the driver of the Mercury, but we can assume that she was not paying attention as closely as she should have.

The truck driver’s manual stresses that it is very important that truck drivers get enough rest so that they can do their job safely. When a truck driver goes off duty, the first concern should be to get at least seven or eight hours of sleep. It also is very important for the truck driver to get rest when he is off duty. The circadian rhythm dictates that the average person will have lower levels of alertness from 2-6 am and from 2-5 pm. The risk of falling asleep in these periods is higher.

Our North Carolina truck accident lawyers have found that as many as 75% of truck crashes are due to driver fatigue.  In such cases, large settlements are possible when the truck accident attorney has the experience and skill to ensure that the trucker’s negligence is properly highlighted in court.