The Kansas Highway Patrol reported Dec. 29 that two tractor trailer drivers died in a head-on wreck in southeast Kansas. 

The police reported the accident happened in the early hours of Dec. 28 west of Severy, Kansas. They stated that a truck driver was pulling two trailers when he went over the center line of US 400. His rig smashed into another truck driven by a 33 year old driver from Parsons, Kansas.

Both drivers were killed upon impact. The police are still investigating the accident.

Our View

Each year, thousands of tractor trailer accidents occur. Many of these terrible accidents are due to drivers falling asleep while driving. Statistics show that many late night or early morning tractor trailer accidents are due to driver fatigue. We do not yet know if that is what caused this Kansas truck crash, but it s definitely possible.

Our tractor trailer accident attorneys licensed in Virginia have worked on many cases over the years where a truck driver fell asleep and caused a serious or fatal crash. Our wrongful death attorneys want to stress to truck drivers that it is very important that they get enough sleep before they drive.

It is best to not even drive between the hours of 12 am and 6 am, as this is when the body naturally wants to sleep. A recent study by the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration or FMCSA found that the alertness of drivers was more related to the time of day than how many hours they had driven. 

It also is important to not take any type of over the counter or prescription drugs that can cause drowsiness while driving a truck. Most drugs that can make you drowsy will note this fact on the label. A recent FMCSA study found that 17% of truck drivers involved in a crash were using an over the counter drug at the time.

Last, truck drivers should know that relying on tricks to keep you awake do not work well. Some of the most common ways people try to stay awake include opening the window, smoking, drinking coffee or turning up the radio. These attempts may work for a few minutes, but the best way to be safe driver when drowsy is to pull over and take a nap.

Our truck crash attorneys handled a lawsuit that resulted in a $5.5 million settlement where a truck driver nodded off while driving and slammed into a small car at a stop light. The children in the back suffered serious brain injuries that to this day are affecting their lives.