Pocatello Driver Fatigue Injury Attorney

One minute you are driving down Yellowstone in Pocatello Idaho or between Inkom and Pocatello. It doesn’t matter what time of day it is or which southeast Idaho highway you are on. The person in an opposing lane of traffic nods off, enters your lane of traffic, and an accident occurs. It’s amazing how fast an accident like this can happen. One moment your life is fine and everything is right. The next second, there’s been an accident and your life will never be the same. Suddenly you find yourself in a Pocatello ambulance and on your way to Portneuf Medical Center, Bingham Memorial, or some other local hospital. Medical treatment is required and medical expenses and lost earnings leave you desperate. Racine Olson has faced these situations before, and we can help. Racine Olson has had an office in Pocatello, Idaho for more than 70 years. You are our neighbor and when a client has not been able to come to us due to injury, we’ve always been willing to travel to you. We have the years of experience here in southeast Idaho to instill confidence in you.

Drivers in Pocatello, American Falls, Blackfoot, and the surrounding communities have to be aware of the roads, the weather, and other drivers. This has never been more true than when a driver is travelling over lonely Idaho roads. These less traveled county roads can lull drivers into a sense of security and cause sleepiness. Recently, the Center of Disease Control came out with their 2017 report. It indicated that more than 70 million suffer from a sleep disorder. Obviously, this means that if those 70 million people are driving, they are not doing so with the proper rest or sleep hygiene. In other words, they are sleepy when driving. Bannock county Idaho is not immune to such drivers.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration has stated that drowsy driving is responsible for approximately 72,000 car accidents per year. Even with the lower population centers in Idaho, one knows that there are certainly our share of such accidents and injuries here. We are not immune. Indeed, the freeways and highways in Bannock, Power, Bear Lake, and Bingham counties with few diversions and low traffic volumes likely leads to a higher number of such accidents. Whether you live in Pocatello, American Falls, Blackfoot, Inkom, McCammon or Preston, Idaho, drowsy driving happens and the results can be heartbreaking.

Idaho law has a code provision that covers, and forbids, drowsy driving. The statute is found in Idaho Code § 49-1401(3). It reads as follows:

Inattentive driving shall be considered a lesser offense than reckless driving and shall be applicable in those circumstances where the conduct of the operator has been inattentive, careless or imprudent, in light of the circumstances then existing, rather than heedless or wanton, or in those cases where the danger to persons or property by the motor vehicle operator's conduct is slight. Every person convicted of inattentive driving under this section shall be guilty of a misdemeanor and may be sentenced to jail for not more than ninety (90) days or may be fined not more than three hundred dollars ($300), or may be punished by both fine and imprisonment.

In summary, this statute provides that where a driver acts in a careless or inattentive or imprudent manner, then he or she can be guilty of Inattentive Driving. This is important because, as explained in other web pages on this web site, once a person is found to be in violation of a statute, that defines the negligence standard and the jury may be instructed that the wrongdoer is liable as a matter of law. This is also known as negligence per se. An experienced Pocatello, Idaho personal injury attorney will recognize the advantages of using this tool to advance and maximize your case.

Some people are more likely to drive in a fatigued fashion than others. Who are they and what can you do to make sure you are not one of them?

Make sure you get enough sleep before driving. That would seem to be an easy thing to do, but Idahoans frequently do not get enough sleep. The CDC has found that people who get less than six hours of sleep are much more likely to drive drowsy. If you find yourself blinking or yawning frequently, perhaps drifting out of your lane, or onto the rumble strip, honestly assess your situation. Do you need to pull over and take a nap? Even 20-30 minutes helps make a safer driver. There are lots of places on the freeways and highways around southern Idaho that you can stop and catch a short nap. Be safe and take advantage of them.

People with sleep disorders and medications are much more likely to have a drowsy driving vehicle or truck accident in Idaho. Be mindful of what the doctor has prescribed and how it will affect you. Likewise, compliance with driving restrictions for sleep disorders is a must. Be careful.

At Racine Olson we have attorneys who specialize in personal injury cases including driver fatigue in Pocatello, Blackfoot, American Falls, and other southeastern Idaho cities. We know that more than likely the reason you visited this web page is that you’ve been injured in an accident. Maybe it was a Drowsy driving or Fatigued Driver accident. We can help you, and we think you’ll be glad you stopped in to meet us. At Racine Olson, you’ll meet with a personal injury lawyer who has handled cases like yours before. That attorney will have a secretary and a paralegal or legal assistant to make sure all of your questions get answered, and there is always someone there when you need to talk. We know how to maximize your case, because we’ve been there before. Trust us with your problem. Give us a call. Problem solved.