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News & Analysis | REG•WATCH Blog | Press Room
Friday, February 03, 2006
Fatigued Driver in Fatal Crash
The deadly crash that claimed the lives of seven children -- and then prompted the death of those children's grandfather, who had a fatal heart attack upon learning the news -- happened in Florida, but it will hit close to home for the Bush administration:
The truck driver who plowed into a car near Lake Butler, Florida, on January 25 killing seven children in a fiery crash had little sleep in the 34 hours before the wreck, investigators revealed Friday.
"Except for a short nap, he was awake for 34 hours, but I'm not prepared to tell you whether or not he was exceeding the allowable hours of service," said David Rayburn, a National Transportation Safety Board investigator. . . .
Investigators were able to determine he had been awake for an inordinate amount of time by examining records and interviewing many people. . . .
No drugs or alcohol were found in Wilkerson's system, Florida Highway Patrol Lt. Bill Leeper said.
[Via CNN.com - U.S.]
Details are yet to be released, but keep in mind that trucking companies are notorious for overworking their drivers to the point that they are a hazard to themselves and others on the road. The Bush administration actually tried to increase the number of hours that trucking companies can force workers to drive without rest.
For more on this issue, be sure to check out Public Citizen.
Posted by Robert Shull
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