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Truck drivers have a responsibility to themselves, their companies, and to other drivers on the road to drive commercial motor vehicles as safely as possible. This is why it is critical that truck drivers get enough sleep, take the proper breaks, and follow the road rules, and other trucking rules that apply to them. Additionally, truckers have to keep themselves in good physical health in order to be able to safely control the large trucks.
If a truck driver has any medical condition that could interfere with his or her ability to safely operate a semi, he or she shouldn’t be driving. In fact, there are many rules put in place by the U.S. Department of Transportation’s Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration regarding a trucker’s health condition. For example, a person with a diagnosis of diabetes mellitus that requires insulin should not be driving a truck on the interstate.
Diabetes and Truck Driving
Because insulin is needed to control diabetes, a truck driver with diabetes mellitus—who doesn’t have his diabetes under control—might put himself and others at risk for a truck accident on I-75. While diabetes mellitus is a guideline to determine the medical fitness of a truck driver, there is also an exception to the rule. There are certain truck drivers participating in a diabetes waiver study program.
This means that there are insulin-controlled diabetic truck drivers on the roads who may pose a threat to the public. While they are physically examined each year under this program to confirm that they are properly managing their diabetes, all it takes is one time for a trucker to suffer hypoglycemia awareness or severe hypoglycemia to cause a truck accident.
If you were in a truck crash on Interstate 75 or elsewhere in the Sarasota area, you should speak with a personal injury lawyer immediately. A qualified attorney will know how to investigate a trucker’s health history to determine if diabetes or another medical condition could have been a factor in the accident.
Because this may be your first time being injured in an accident and you may not know what to do or where to start, you should get a free copy of our book, What You Need to Know After a Florida Auto, Truck, or Bike Accident. Request your free copy today.