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One of the biggest concerns on the roads today—besides drivers who engage in texting and driving—is truck drivers who suffer from medical conditions. Certain health hazards can put truckers at risk for falling asleep at the wheel, failing to pay attention at the wheel, and not being able to drive safely.
Not only are truck drivers with sleep apnea or other medical conditions a hazard to themselves, but they present a danger to every other driver sharing the road with them. This is why there are rules in place and a division within the U.S. Department of Transportation’s Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) devoted to making sure truck drivers are in good enough health to operate a commercial motor vehicle. With the goal of improving highway safety, the Medical Review Board reviews truck drivers to see if they are physically qualified to drive a truck on the interstate.
The rules in place make a truck driver unfit for driving a semi if he or she has any of the following impairments:
- Hand or finger that has trouble power grasping
- Arm, foot, leg, or any limb impairment that interferes with the ability to perform normal tasks needed for operating a truck
- Diabetes that requires insulin, which could interfere with the trucker’s ability to control the vehicle
- Myocardial infarction, angina pectoris, coronary insufficiency, thrombosis, or any other cardiovascular disease that causes collapse, dyspnea, or congestive cardiac failure
- Respiratory dysfunction that could interfere with the trucker’s ability to operate a commercial vehicle
- High blood pressure that could interfere with the trucker’s ability to drive the truck safely
- Vascular disease that interferes with a trucker’s ability to operate a semi safely
- Epilepsy that could cause a trucker to lose consciousness and not be able to control and operate a truck safely
- Mental or psychiatric disorder that interferes with driving a commercial motor vehicle safely
- Vision problems that affect a trucker’s ability to see properly
- Hearing loss that affects a truck driver’s ability to safely operate a big rig
When truck drivers ignore the rules in place and operate their vehicles with any of the health conditions listed above, they have a greater chance of crashing. If you have been in a truck accident on Interstate 75 or elsewhere in the Sarasota-Bradenton area, it is important that an accident attorney review the truck driver’s medical history.
At Mallard Perez, we know that a person’s health can contribute to a crash, and we know how to obtain a truck driver’s medical history to look for the following medical conditions including:
- Diabetes
- Sleep Apnea and sleep disorders
- Psychiatric illness
- Hearing impairment
- Vision impairment
- Neurological disorder
- Parkinson’s disease
- Seizure disorders
- Cardiovascular disease
- Use of medications while driving
- Other medical conditions
We will even find out if the truck driver is taking any medications or has a history of using drugs or alcohol. After a careful review of a trucker’s medical records, we may be able to prove that a truck driver’s medical condition caused the crash and your injuries. If you found this article informative, we encourage you to share it with your friends and family on Facebook or another social media site. Simply click on a button to the left of the screen.
