Sleep Deprivation

A good night’s sleep is a lot more than a comfortable luxury. It is also essential to your health – especially if you are a driver in Hollywood or anywhere in South Florida. Good sleep keeps you healthy and allows you to deal with the busy traffic on our roads. When drivers get behind the wheel fatigued, they risk causing injury to themselves and others.

As soon as you have sustained a serious injury in Hollywood or Florida, you need to get legal advice and start working to preserve evidence in your case. You may want to consult with a personal injury attorney immediately to start protecting your interests. Keep in mind that the Florida statute of limitations requires that you file any legal claim promptly. If you have been injured, an attorney at Flaxman Law Group can offer fast advice and may be able to offer advice about your situation. The legal team at Flaxman Law Group has more than sixty years of combined experience with filing claims and representing injured plaintiffs in court. To find out whether you qualify for a claim, contact our Hollywood, Homestead, or Miami offices for your free accident consultation with our team.

What Causes Sleep Deprivation?

Fatigue serious enough to cause a car accident doesn’t just result from long hours spent awake. There are many things that can lead to fatigued driving, including:

• Some medications that have drowsiness as a side effect
• Sleep disorders
• Sleep disturbances
• Poor quality sleep (often caused by sleeping in a bright or noisy spot)
• Drinking or drug use
• Stress, which can make falling asleep difficult
• Sleep apnea
• Poor time management, which can lead to staying up late
• Hormonal changes
• Some medical conditions or medical treatments

Any number of things can cause drowsy driving and it is important to pay attention to your body’s cues before getting on the road. Even if you went to bed early and stayed in bed for hours, keep in mind that you could be unknowingly suffering from sleep deprivation if you suffer from sleep apnea or another problem and don’t know it. If you are tired, very sleepy, or yawning, you may be too tired to drive.

Sleep Deprivation and Car Accidents

Sleep deprivation can lead to traffic collisions in a number of ways:

• Fatigue has been shown to affect judgment and response times as much as drinking does.
• Drowsiness can cause motorists to fall asleep at the wheel and lose control of their car.
• Severe sleep deprivation can lead to high blood pressure and other medical conditions, which can lead to medical emergencies on the road.
• Fatigue can make it harder to focus on driving, which can lead to a type of distracted driving.
• Drowsiness can lead to grumpiness, which can pave the way to road rage and aggressive driving.
• Fatigue can exacerbate the effects of alcohol, the sun, or some medications, making collisions even more likely.

Speaking with a Personal Injury Attorney after your Roadway Accident

If you were injured in a car accident caused by a fatigued driver, reach out to the professional and compassionate attorneys at Flaxman Law Group. We can offer a free initial consultation so that you can get answers with no risk. Flaxman Law Group has handled personal injury and car accident cases across South Florida and our attorneys have won settlements and compensation in thousands of cases. We can meet with you in our offices in Hollywood, Homestead, or Miami or at your home, workplace, or hospital room. Contact us today at 866-352-9626 for your free accident consultation.