One person is dead and two others were seriously hurt in a head-on crash with a tractor trailer on I-71 in Henry County, Kentucky.

Jordan Mefford, 23, from Carrollton KY was going south on I-71 at 4 AM on April 24 when a northbound truck crossed the median and slammed into his vehicle head on. His passenger, Jacqueline Hayes, 26, from Louisville, was pronounced dead at the scene.

The car driver was taken to University of Louisville Hospital with serious injuries. The truck driver also was injured and taken to the same hospital.

We do not yet know the cause of this fatal truck crash, but there are strong signs that driver fatigue was involved. Statistics show that 13% of truck crashes are due to driver fatigue late at night and in the early morning hours.

While truckers often are to blame, trucker fatigue also can be due to shippers, as companies demand that their products be shipped as soon as possible. Some trucking companies will pressure drivers to drive when they are tired. Regular driving while tired also can lead to truckers abusing both prescription and non-prescription drugs, which can cause many serious accidents.

Personal injury lawsuits where it is suspected that the truck driver fell asleep can be won but the truck accident attorney must prove that the trucker was unfit to drive at the time of the crash, and that sleepiness was the primary cause.

Some of the ways to do this include:

• The driver may admit to the police at the scene that he fell asleep
• The driver might appear fatigued to the police or crash witnesses
• A review of his driver log could reveal that he had driven too many hours

A skilled attorney can help the grieving family to win a large settlement in cases where the truck driver either was negligent or fell asleep.