It is a feeling that many of us have had after being deprived of a good
night’s sleep. You may be at your desk at work trying to get through
the day or sitting in a classroom attempting to listen to a lecture when
all of a sudden you just sort of zone out. You don’t keel over in
slumber, but you are not at all mentally engaged with what is happening
around you.
If this has happened to you, you may have been experiencing a condition
called “microsleep.” When experiencing microsleep, your eyes can even remain open when in fact your brain may be entering
the early stages of sleep. Such episodes can last for several seconds,
and you may not even be aware that you were briefly in a state of microsleep.
Typically, falling into microsleep poses no big problems beyond the embarrassment
of seeming out of it to other people. However, if a person experiences
a bout of microsleep while driving, those brief seconds of unconsciousness
could create a very hazardous situation. It is especially true if the
person slipping into microsleep is behind the wheel of a big rig truck.
Given the circumstances of their jobs, truck drivers can be extremely vulnerable
to falling into bouts of microsleep. Truck drivers keep long, odd hours.
The job can also entail sitting in one place for long periods of time
staring at the open road. If a truck driver should zone out while in motion,
it could be all too easy for a very serious accident to occur.
Truck drivers are legally required to make regular stops for rest and sleep.
If you are injured due to a fatigued driver nodding off at the wheel,
a Texas truck accident attorney may be able to help you take legal measures
to acquire proper compensation for your medical and other associated expenses.
Contact us today!