Kickapoo, IL — A driver was injured when he fell asleep at the wheel and his truck overturned near Kickapoo, Illinois, on Thursday, September 4, 2014. The accident took place on Interstate 74, around 2:30 in the morning.
According to local reports, Marty Scott was traveling along 74 when he nodded off at the wheel. The truck drifted off the side of the road where it hit a guardrail and rolled over.
Emergency workers took Scott to OSF Saint Francis Medical Center, where he was treated and released later that day.
Local police have charged Scott with improper lane usage and driving while fatigued.
Scene of the Accident
Commentary
Accidents like this are not the most uncommon thing in the world. There are certain things about the trucking industry that unfortunately encourage this sort of behavior. Drivers are being asked to make deliveries in shorter and shorter amounts of time. They’re really only getting paid when their wheels are spinning. I’d be really interested in getting a look at the truck’s Qualcomm data, just to see how long the driver had been out on the road when the accident occurred. Luckily, this accident wasn’t nearly as bad as it could have been. Hopefully, trucking companies will take steps to try and avoid these accidents in the future. As we’ve seen many many times in the past, they can have consequences not only for others on the road, but for the company’s own employees.
— Grossman Law Offices
