Sleep is a necessary and critical component of a healthy lifestyle. Yet, Americans routinely do not get enough sleep every night, often turning to herbal supplements, coffee, and energy drinks just to make it through the work week. From doctors to construction workers, no one is immune to the effects of sleep deprivation and everyone at some point drives fatigued. Sadly, driving while drowsy can result in serious and often fatal car accidents.
Consider these most recent examples. In July, a traffic safety contractor with RoadSafe Traffic Systems fell asleep while driving and he ventured into oncoming traffic. He sideswiped a school bus on Weld County Road 49, injuring 28 people, mostly high school students. Two weeks later an employee of Patriot Well Solutions fell asleep at the wheel of his pickup truck while driving down U.S. 34 near Kersey. One of the passengers in his truck was killed after being ejected during the crash.
Further Reading: How Happy are Coloradans?
Did you know that Colorado drivers are 2x as likely to get into a drowsy driving crash than in a distracted driving crash involving a cellphone. According to Colorado State Patrol, in 2018 alone, there were 51 crashes in Weld County alone that were blamed on drivers falling asleep. Only Denver ranks higher with 82 drowsy driving crashes. El Paso County ranks third with 35 drowsy driving accidents in the same time period.
Colorado accidents caused by human error are all too common. In the decade between 2005 and 2015, accidents in Colorado were caused by a variety of factors, including:
While drowsy driving doesn’t account for the majority of accidents, safety experts believe that it does contribute to more accidents than are actually reported. The AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety has been studying drowsy driving since 1999. They believe the problem is more prevalent than we understand and that the estimates for drowsy driving may be well over 21% of all fatal crashes.
If you or someone you love has been injured in a car accident in Arvada, Northglenn, Thornton, or anywhere in Northern Colorado, it is important to contact our experienced Arvada car accident attorneys immediately. At Hull & Zimmerman, P.C., our lawyers are dedicated to the belief that everyone deserves justice. Contact us at (303) 423-1770 or (866) 385-3505.
Our car accident lawyers have extensive experience representing injured accident victims in Broomfield, Arvada, Superior, Lafayette, Louisville, Erie, Brighton, Commerce City, Northglenn, Westminster, Thornton, Longmont, and throughout Colorado.
At Hull & Zimmerman, P.C., we are honored to help accident victims in their time of need, and take our responsibility as personal injury lawyers incredibly seriously. We know how important it is for victims to secure the full and fair compensation they need following a serious accident, and that is why we take a hands-on, personalized approach to every case we handle.
awarded to a woman who was a victim of a car crash. The woman was driving the highway when the other driver approaching from the opposite direction lost control of his vehicle, crossed the center line and hit her head on. She suffered multiple broken bones, including her hip, pelvis, leg, and right arm. She missed several years of work as a result of her injuries. Read More
awarded to a woman who was the victim of a t-bone car crash. The client suffered multiple injuries. The most significant of which was a head injury. While she was ultimately able to return to work on a part-time basis, Plaintiff was never able to return to work on a full-time basis. Read More
settlement awarded to a lady who suffered a head injury. She slipped and fell in a slanted parking lot at her place of employment. Evidence demonstrated that the owner of the building had constructed a fence shading the parking lot such that ice was allowed to continuously accumulate during the winter months. Multiple people had fallen on the ice prior to the client’s fall. As a result of her injuries, Plaintiff was forced to take early retirement. Read More
awarded to a man whose vehicle was hit from behind by a semi. The injured party suffered back pain and rotator cuff tears in each shoulder and was forced to retire from his job doing road repair four years earlier. Read More
settlement (policy limits) awarded to a young man who lost his eye when another child shot an arrow into the air. Read More
settlement obtained for a man who was injured in a rear end automobile accident. He suffered a herniated disc in his low back which was not well resolved by surgery forcing him to leave his employment as an apartment maintenance manager. Read More
awarded to a gentleman in association with a workman’s compensation case. He initially sustained a head injury at work when attacked by a patient. Several years later, his condition worsened resulting in his inability to return to work in his usual job. Read More
settlement achieved in a legal malpractice case. The client initially suffered a herniated disc in her neck in association with an automobile accident. The attorney failed to file the lawsuit in a timely manner and the Plaintiff was initially denied her ability to achieve any monies from the original lawsuit. Read More
settlement awarded to a man who was a victim of an automobile accident. Plaintiff was a passenger who was rear-ended by another driver. Following the accident, he suffered a long term back injury. Read More
settlement awarded to a lady who aggravated a pre-existing back condition when she slipped and fell at the entrance to a casino. Read More
awarded to a woman who suffered a rotator cuff tear from an automobile accident. Read More