South Carolina Lawyer Blog

Researchers in Europe say that commercial drivers, such as those who drive buses and trucks, may deny or underreport serious sleep trouble in order to protect their jobs. At a recent meeting of the European Lung Foundation, researchers presented the results of a study focused on daytime sleepiness levels in commercial drivers versus the general public. According to a MedlinePlus review, the study focused on people with a condition known as sleep apnea, often targeted as a serious risk factor for auto accidents.

Sleep apnea is a medical condition that causes sufferers to have trouble breathing when asleep. People with the illness can be left with depression, headaches and high levels of sleepiness. As the MedlinePlus article points out, bus and truck drivers who have sleep apnea can have their licenses or jobs revoked if their employers think the medical condition will affect their ability to stay alert behind the wheel. Fear of losing their jobs may cause professional drivers who suffer from the illness to underestimate or hold back about how sleepy they really are — which may lead to serious, even fatal, auto accidents.

The researchers in Switzerland looked at two groups of sleep apnea sufferers — a group of 34 commercial drivers and a group of 74 people who don’t drive for a living. The study looked at actual levels of sleep disturbance versus the level of sleepiness that each person reported feeling. At the beginning, each group had the same level of problems sleeping. The commercial drivers, however, only reported an average sleepiness level of around 8, compared to the other group, which reported an average sleepiness of 11. (Higher scores mean higher feelings of sleepiness.)

Commercial Drivers Less Likely to Use Device to Aid Sleep

What the researchers found six months later is even more disturbing. All the participants were supposed to undergo treatment with a device called CPAP, which stands for continuous positive airway pressure and is supposed to help people with sleep apnea keep breathing throughout their sleep. According to the study, commercial drivers not only used the CPAP machine less than the non-professional drivers, but they also had more drop-in visits to sleep clinics. These results led the study’s authors to think that the bus and truck drivers were struggling with their illness and its symptoms more than other patients.

The study also asked both groups to report how sleepy they felt during the day after their six months of CPAP treatment. Again, the bus and truck drivers seem to have underestimated their own sleeplessness, scoring an average of only 4.8 on the sleepiness scale. The other group, which used the device more often and had fewer unplanned sleep clinic visits, reported an average sleepiness level of 7.7, in contrast.

‘Life-Threatening Condition’

According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, people who suffer from sleep apnea shouldn’t drive if they aren’t undergoing proper treatment for their condition. The NHTSA says that sleep apnea is “a serious, potentially life-threatening condition that should not be ignored.” Unfortunately, it appears from the European study that some people who drive buses and trucks for a living are doing just that — and they may be risking more lives than their own if they get behind the wheel when they’re tired.

Get Help from Our South Carolina Truck Accident Lawyers

Legal cases resulting from truck accidents are extremely complicated when they involve extensive damages and multiple defendants. If you have been injured in an accident involving a truck, bus or other commercial vehicle, it is important to consult a qualified South Carolina tractor-trailer accident attorney to make sure your rights are protected.

If you or a loved one has been injured in a South Carolina truck accident, contact the Louthian Law Firm today toll free at 888-662-2895, locally at 803-454-1200 or online for a free consultation.

We serve clients throughout South Carolina, including Columbia, Orangeburg, Lexington, Aiken and Sumter.

The sheriff of Lexington County recently asked bar owners to help deter drunken driving by not serving intoxicated customers. “I’m letting them know they have a part to play in this,” Sheriff James Metts was quoted in The State as saying. Metts said officers will increase patrols in areas around nearly a dozen bars.

According to The State and S.C. crash statistics, Lexington County is one of the most at-risk places in the state when it comes to drunk drivers. The idea to stop intoxicated drivers before they get behind the wheel came from a citizens group formed through the Lexington-Richland Alcohol and Drug Abuse Council. According to the group, drivers in the area may think there is little risk in getting behind the wheel while under the influence. The group also called for stronger efforts to prevent people from drinking too much and to stop people from driving after they have been drinking.

Not all bar owners are thrilled by the initiative. The Alcohol and Drug Abuse Council says that it can be a struggle to get some bar owners to cooperate with the group’s efforts to schedule training for bar employees so they can identify and handle intoxicated customers.

At least 40 people have died on Lexington County roads this year, more than at the same time in 2011 or 2010.

Lexington County’s efforts come on the heels of a new study finding that more than half of all drivers in fatal crashes had alcohol or drugs in their systems. Researchers looked at crash data for 14 states between 2005 and 2009. According to the MedlinePlus coverage of the study, about 57 percent of more than 20,000 drivers killed in accidents over the five-year study period tested positive for at least one substance.

The study’s authors point out that there are no consistent, nationwide standards for testing drivers for drugs and alcohol at the time of a crash, which may mean that important evidence of drunken or drugged driving may be slipping through the cracks. According to MedlinePlus, federal regulators estimate that drunken drivers account for about one-third of all fatal accidents in the United States each year, or about 10,000 deaths in 2010.

Contact a South Carolina Drunk Driving Accident Lawyer

If you were injured in an accident caused by a drunk driver, you may be entitled to compensation. The South Carolina drunk driving accident lawyers of the Louthian Law Firm can work to get you the settlement you need to get your life back on track. Call Louthian Law Firm today toll free at 888-662-9821 or locally at 803-454-1200 or contact us online for a free evaluation of your case.

In a new test from the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety mimicking a common crash condition overlooked by many car makers and safety experts less than 30 percent of the tested cars earned good or acceptable ratings. The new test is called the “small overlap frontal crash test.” It is different from older frontal crash tests, because only part of a car’s front end hits an obstruction in the new tests. Objects collide with the outside edges of the car, which are often not directly protected by a vehicle’s safety cage — a structure that safeguards the essential “survival space” in a vehicle, or the area that resists collapsing in a crash.

The IIHS says that these front-end overlap crash safety tests aren’t carried out elsewhere in the United States or Europe except in a handful of automaker tests. The fact that this kind of test isn’t more common is alarming, especially when small overlap front-end accidents make up almost 25 percent of all frontal crashes that result in a death or serious injury, says the IIHS. Front-end crashes account for more than 10,000 deaths each year, the IIHS says.

The IIHS says the new test is designed to follow what happens when an auto strikes another object like a tree, pole or even another auto at around 40 mph. In these types of crashes, experts say, crash energy isn’t sent to a vehicle’s safety cage or “crush zone,” which is designed to keep a vehicle from collapsing on passengers in a crash. In these overlap crashes, energy is instead sent directly to a vehicle’s front wheel, suspension system or firewall. Alarmingly, testers say they saw examples of serious “intrusions” by wheels and other parts of the car into vehicle cabins. They also saw cases where a test dummy was knocked around so much that it missed the airbag and struck other parts of the vehicle, which would cause serious injury or possibly death in a real-world crash.

Importantly, the new IIHS test has looked only at mid-size luxury or “near” luxury cars. Testers say they’ll be looking next at moderately priced cars like popular Ford, Honda and Toyota models.

South Carolina drivers should be aware of this dangerous front-end crash safety gap, and drivers may want to take steps to find out whether their automaker has tested for this sort of accident. Unfortunately, many South Carolina drivers may find out the hard way whether their vehicle can protect them and their passengers in an overlap front-end crashe.

Contact Our Auto Injury and Defect Lawyers

When a product is put on the market, we expect it to comply with safety standards. We certainly expect the manufacturer or seller to take precautions to protect us from any unnecessary harm. Our expectations are even higher when the product is a vehicle that weighs a ton or more and is capable of high speeds..

Unfortunately, the cars we rely on in our daily lives are sometimes released into the marketplace with faulty parts or defective designs. Those defects can lead to catastrophic injuries and fatal accidents on South Carolina's roads and highways.

If you have been injured due to a defective automobile, please contact the South Carolina product liability attorneys at Louthian Law Firm today at 1-866-410-5656 or fill out the free online case evaluation form. It is your legal right to ask the manufacturer and other responsible parties for money to cover your medical bills, property damage, pain and suffering and any permanent disability or loss. If a case is warranted, we will seek to hold the negligent parties liable for the injuries they have caused.

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has continued receiving reports of injuries from the supplement Reumofan Plus and Reumofan Plus Premium since it issued a warning about the product in June. The FDA said it has heard reports of serious internal bleeding, stroke, insomnia, dizziness, problems with blood sugar levels, harm to the liver and kidneys, and even some deaths among users of the so-called “natural” supplement.

The supplement is sold as a remedy for arthritis, muscle pain, bone cancer and osteoporosis, a disease that causes bone to weaken. According to the FDA, the supplement contains substances not shown on the product labels that should be used only under in a doctor’s care.

Experts warn that some of the substances in the flagged Reumofan can also cause serious problems if a user suddenly stops taking the product. In fact, the FDA says that some consumers may experience “withdrawal syndrome” — a potentially life-threatening illness that can strike people who suddenly stop taking some drugs and medicines. For this reason, the FDA recommends that users of Reumofan Plus or Reumofan Plus Premium seek medical care as soon as possible, especially before they stop taking the pills.

The updated recall warning about Reumofan Plus and Reumofan Plus Premium says the pills are made in Mexico for a company called Riger Naturals. They were sold widely on the Internet, some stores and even flea markets. After the updated recall notice, some companies issued recalls or warnings about their Reumofan Plus products.

Consumers Should Be Cautious about Supplements

Some experts have warned of a growing problem with so-called “natural” supplements and health products, which often don’t have to undergo testing or safety trials before being marketed to the public. To help consumers make better choices before buying or taking natural supplements, the FDA recommends that people look for a few potential warning signs.

Daniel Fabricant, director of FDA’s Division of Dietary Supplement Programs, says that people should think twice before buying “natural” supplements that seem to act similarly to prescription drugs. He also says that people should be careful when purchasing drugs with label information in a foreign language. Reumofan Plus and Reumofan Plus Premium, for example, are labeled in Spanish. However, the FDA warns, versions of the drugs with labels in English may also exist.

Experts working for the FDA say that it is especially important for people to be aware of the potential dangers that many “natural” supplements may pose to avoid harming themselves or loved ones.

Contact a South Carolina Defective Product Attorney

If you or someone you care about has been injured by a defective product, you have the right to ask the manufacturer for money to cover your medical bills, property damage, pain and suffering and any permanent disability or loss. To protect that right, you should speak with the experienced South Carolina product injuries attorneys at the Louthian Law Firm as soon as possible.

We have more than 50 years of experience helping injured South Carolinians seek justice, and we’re committed to ensuring that you get the best legal representation possible. For a free consultation, call us toll free at 888-926-0060 or locally at 803-454-1200, or fill out our confidential online case evaluation form.