Posted on May 21, 2009 by Scott Grossman

Howell College Student Dies in Drowsy Driving Accident

A Bergen County Student died in what appears to be a drowsy driving accident last week. Daniel Buckiewicz died when his car struck a tree as he was on his way back home to Howell. It was the last day of his semester at Ramapo College in Mahwah. Crash investigations indicate that he most likely dozed off behind the wheel. He was airlifted to the Jersey Shore University Medical Center, but died soon after.

Daniel was a former Patriots team captain, and Freehold Township honored his memory by recording a win against St. Rose seven days after his death. Buckiewicz was an example to his peers even in death – all his organs were donated. At the game, Freehold players and coaches wore green, rubber ”Donate Life” bracelets in his memory.

Young and underage drivers are particularly at risk for drowsy driving because of their hectic, social lives. There are several other factors that can contribute to these accidents.

  • People who work long hours or who work in shifts may suffer from sleep deprivation.
  • Commercial drivers who spend long hours driving may not be able to sleep for the minimum required number of hours
  • People who suffer from chronic insomnia may miss out on essential sleep
  • People who suffer from sleep disorders like sleep apnea or narcolepsy are more likely to be fatigued and doze off at the wheel. Sleep apnea is a condition in which a person suffers from frequent periods of wakefulness during sleep at night, resulting in fatigue and drowsiness the next day. Narcolepsy is a neurological disorder in which individuals experience sudden and consistent urges to sleep.

To prevent drowsy driving

  • Make sure you get a good night's sleep.
  • If you feel drowsy while driving, schedule rest breaks on a long journey.
  • Drive with a passenger.
  • Consult a doctor for treatment of a sleep disorder, if any.

Studies indicate that driving while fatigued has the same effect on a motorist that alcohol does. Yet, we treat drunk driving with the stringency it deserves, while drowsy driving continues to be underestimated as a cause of serious accidents. Nationwide, 100,000 crashes are linked to drowsy driving every year, according to NHTSA estimates. However, the National Sleep Foundation says those estimates are very conservative. In spite of this, New Jersey is the only state that has a law against drowsy driving. However, for the law to apply, a person would have had to go 24 hours without sleep. As Bergen County personal injury lawyers, we believe it's about time we woke up to the dangers of drowsy driving.

 

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Posted on January 12, 2009 by Scott Grossman

Drowsy Driving Linked to Accident Death in Monroe Township, New Jersey

A Hawaii man who was in Monroe Township, New Jersey on a holiday died after a car accident, apparently caused when the driver  fell asleep at the wheel. The accident took place early in the morning of the 2nd of January. Reginald Streater was in a 2008 Toyota Avalon, and traveling on a Williamstown road when his brother Russell who was driving, allegedly dozed off at the wheel. As Russell drifted off to sleep, the car veered off the road and crashed into a utility pole. The passenger side took the full impact of the crash, and Reginald was ejected from his seat. He was airlifted to a Camden hospital, but died soon after from his injuries. Russell was not injured in the accident.

Ironically enough, Reginald was the one who was supposed to drive the car, but ended up telling his brother to drive because he was too drowsy! Driving while sleepy or fatigued is regarded by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration as a major cause of accidents and fatalities in the country, and the National Sleep Foundation frequently raises the issue of sleepy drivers and the dangers they pose on the roads. Yet, most states don't treat this issue with the seriousness it deserves. New Jersey is the only state that considers driving fatigued or sleepy, as reckless driving. Just last week, the Washington Post had a report about a Maryland drowsy driving accident that killed a truck driver. The motorist in that crash, a 19-year-old woman had not had sufficient sleep the previous night, and had dozed off at the wheel. She careened into the path of an incoming truck, driving it off the Chesapeake Bay Bridge.   No criminal charges were filed, and the conclusion was that drivers, who caused an accident because of fatigue, were not negligent. 

Elsewhere in the country, convictions of vehicular homicide have been successfully brought against drivers who drive when they know they are too sleepy or too fatigued to drive. However, applications of such statutes are quite inconsistent. Maryland, for instance, has had prior convictions for such motorists, but in the Chesapeake Bay Bridge case, no charges were filed. This ambiguity about whether drowsy driving does constitute negligence exists in most states, but fortunately not in New Jersey where Maggie's Law allows courts to consider a motorist's state of fatigue at the time of the accident as the cause of the accident.  New Jersey personal accident lawyers can also use this in a liability claim in the event of an accident.

 

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