Fieger Law knows how to expose fatigue-related crashes. Our team has handled complex motor vehicle accident cases across Michigan for decades. We understand how to prove driver fatigue, even when it’s not listed in a police report. If you’re recovering from a crash in which a drowsy driver was involved, we’re ready to dig deep and fight hard for your case.
Don’t let someone else’s poor decision to drive while tired violate your rights. Fill out our online form or call Fieger Law for a free case review with an auto accident attorney today.
What You Need to Know About Drowsy Driving
Drowsy driving crashes are not just accidents. They are preventable incidents caused by drivers too tired to respond in time in changes in road or traffic conditions. Fatigue affects the brain in ways similar to alcohol, yet it often goes unnoticed. Learning how sleep deprivation affects driving can help you hold a negligent driver accountable.
How Fatigue Affects Driving Ability
Fatigue slows reaction times, clouds judgment, and lowers awareness of the road. Exhausted drivers may also experience microsleeps, which are brief, uncontrollable moments of unconsciousness. One moment of inattention can lead to missed signals, unsafe lane changes, or a crash. Fatigue-related impairments put everyone around a tired driver at risk.
Driving Impaired: How Drowsy Driving Compares to Drunk Driving
Staying awake for just 17 hours in a stretch—for example, waking up at 7 a.m. and staying awake through midnight—can affect you in the same way as having a blood alcohol concentration (BAC) of 0.05 percent, the point of which driving impairment typically becomes noticeable. After 24 hours without sleep, the impact is similar to a BAC of 0.10 percent, over the legal limit. A tired driver may not feel impaired, but brain function is deeply affected.
When Are the Highest-Risk Times for Encountering Drowsy Drivers?
Most drowsy driving crashes happen between midnight and 6 a.m. Crash numbers spike again in the early afternoon. Long trips, changing work shifts, and poor sleep habits raise the risk of fatigue-related impairment for drivers.
Monotonous roads and long stretches behind the wheel also make it harder for a fatigued driver to stay alert. Long-haul commercial truck drivers are particularly at risk.
Drowsy Driving Risks on Michigan’s Highways and Rural Roads
Michigan has long rural routes and busy interstates where drowsy driving becomes even more dangerous. Rural roads may lack lighting and clear signage. High speeds on interstate highways leave little margin for error. A tired driver in either setting can cause serious, even fatal, consequences.
Don’t be a victim of drowsy driving. Call our firm today to start your case.
Michigan-Specific Drowsy Driving Factors
Michigan presents a unique mix of conditions that raise the risk of fatigue-related crashes. Long-distance commutes, long-lasting dark winters, and a workforce built around shift labor create a challenging environment for alert driving. If you were injured in a crash with a drowsy driver, understanding what contributes to drowsy driving in Michigan can strengthen your case for compensation.
Some of the most common Michigan-specific risk factors include:
- Long commutes across the state
- Seasonal considerations (winter driving exhaustion)
- Industrial and manufacturing shift workers
- Border crossing and long-haul trucking
- Tourism and seasonal travel patterns
- College students at Michigan universities
- Rural areas with long stretches of limited lighting
If your crash involved someone crossing from Canada, coming off an overnight shift, or returning from a campus visit, those details are not minor. Our legal team can uncover time logs, work schedules, and travel routes to prove fatigue played a role.
You deserve answers. Contact us today for bold legal representation.
Common Causes of Drowsy Driving
Not every driver who causes a fatigue-related crash is simply tired. Some push through health conditions, long work hours, or medication that further impairs alertness. If you were hurt in a crash, digging into the cause of the other driver’s fatigue can reveal whether your injuries could have been avoided except for their negligence.
Here are common factors that often lead to drowsy driving in Michigan:
- Sleep disorders (sleep apnea, insomnia)
- Shift work and irregular schedules
- Commercial drivers and their pressure to meet deadlines
- Manufacturing and industry workers with extended hours
- Medication side effects
- Young and inexperienced drivers
- Long-distance trips on Michigan highways (I-75, I-94, I-96)
You may not have known why the other driver crossed the center line or ran through a light, but we know how to find out. Whether it was ignored side effects of a prescription drug, irresponsible lack of rest between shifts, or pressure from a delivery schedule, we can build your case around the truth.
If someone else’s choices put you in the hospital, we are ready to fight through what comes next. Reach out to us to file your claim.
How to Identify Drowsy Drivers in Accidents
Recognizing Signs of a Drowsy Driving Crash
Fatigue is rarely admitted at the scene, but certain details can raise serious questions about the other driver’s condition at the time of a crash. If your crash felt sudden, with no sign the other driver tried to stop or swerve, the evidence may point to drowsiness as the real cause behind the impact.
Signs that the at-fault driver may have been drowsy include:
- No skid marks, indicating no braking
- Rear-end collisions
- Accidents during peak drowsy times (late night/early morning)
- Commercial driver logbook violations
How Fieger Law Investigates Drowsy Driving Claims
When the cause of a crash is not obvious, we look beyond surface-level reports. We review travel timelines, analyze digital records, check for skipped rest breaks, and examine whether the driver had a medical condition or a demanding schedule. We know how to build a case that proves fatigue without relying on a confession.
If a tired driver caused your injuries, we have the tools to hold them accountable. Get a free consultation today.
Michigan’s No-Fault Insurance and Drowsy Driving Claims
How Michigan’s Auto Insurance System Affects Claims
Michigan’s no-fault system requires every driver to carry Personal Injury Protection (PIP) auto insurance that covers their injuries, regardless of who was at fault. Benefits come from your own insurer. However, if your injuries are severe and exceed PIP’s “threshold” of coverage, you may be eligible to file a third-party claim against the other driver for the difference. Michigan law defines a threshold injury as death, permanent serious disfigurement, or serious impairment.
How Fieger Law Navigates Complex Insurance Issues
We review every part of your coverage to uncover what benefits you are entitled to and identify any attempt to delay or underpay. We challenge denials, which allows interest penalties for overdue payments.
We also coordinate medical evaluations and expert testimony to prove the seriousness of your injuries when third-party compensation is on the table. From the first phone call to the courtroom, we can handle every part of your case with the experience needed to confront both insurers and opposing attorneys.
Protect your rights under the law. Let us help you get the compensation you deserve.
Determining Fault and Compensation in Drowsy Driving Accidents
Proving fault in a drowsy driving case requires evidence that fatigue impaired the other driver’s ability to operate their vehicle safely. In Michigan, this often involves reviewing driving records, witness statements, time logs, and physical evidence from the scene. When fatigue plays a role, our job is to uncover it and hold the right party accountable for your injuries under Michigan’s negligence laws.
Establishing Negligence in Drowsy Driving Cases
Negligence in drowsy driving cases is based on the driver’s failure to exercise reasonable care. Falling asleep at the wheel, skipping rest breaks, or driving after extended shifts can all serve as evidence of breach of duty. Under Michigan law, even if fatigue is not listed on a police report, it can still support a negligence claim if the facts show the driver should not have been behind the wheel.
Additional Liability for Employers of Commercial Drivers
When a commercial driver causes a crash, the employer may share responsibility under theories of vicarious liability or negligent supervision. Michigan courts allow claims against trucking companies and commercial operators when policies, scheduling demands, or lack of rest enforcement contribute to a crash. We examine logbooks, dispatch instructions, and safety procedures to expose employer fault.
Types of damages available to victims include:
- Medical expenses
- Lost income
- Pain and suffering
- Property damage
- Long-term care costs
Special Considerations for Catastrophic Injuries
Catastrophic injuries—such as traumatic brain injuries, paralysis, or multiple fractures—require a different level of preparation and proof.
Michigan law may limit noneconomic damages in some auto cases, but exceptions exist when injuries meet the serious impairment threshold or involve permanent disability. We work with medical experts, life care planners, and economists to project long-term needs and demand compensation that reflects the full impact of your injuries.
How much is your case worth? Call today to learn more.
Why Choose Fieger Law
When you’re recovering from a drowsy driving crash, the lawyer you choose can change the outcome of your case. You need a team that understands not only the legal issues, but also the real-world challenges that follow a serious collision. Fieger Law delivers strategy, pressure, and precision to every case we take on.
Here is what sets us apart in drowsy driving car accident cases:
- Extensive experience with motor vehicle accident cases
- Understanding of Michigan traffic patterns and accident hotspots
- Resources to thoroughly investigate drowsy driving claims
- Commitment to maximum compensation for victims
- Proven track record of successful auto accident verdicts and settlements
Insurance companies know our reputation in court. They also know we will not settle for shortcuts or low offers. If your crash happened near a known fatigue crash corridor or involved a commercial driver skirting safety rules, we know how to turn those facts into leverage. Every detail matters. We use it all to fight for the result you deserve.
You’ve been through enough already. Let us take on the fight while you focus on healing. We listen, dig deep, and never back down. If a drowsy driver changed your life, contact us today. We’re ready to help you pursue the answers and compensation you deserve. Get a free case evaluation from a Fieger Law drowsy driving car accident attorney in Michigan today.
