DRIVER FELL ASLEEP AT THE WHEEL – CAR ACCIDENT ATTORNEYS
Our car accident injury lawyers have seen many studies that focus on how sleep affects the ways in which our bodies function, and especially on how it impacts the brain. New research confirms that lack of proper sleep has a severe impact on how the brain functions.
DRIVING OFF THE ROAD OR INTO ONCOMING TRAFFIC
When someone falls asleep at the wheel while driving, the result can be a deadly car accident. Our top MN attorneys have successfully handled many car accident cases caused because the driver fell asleep at the wheel. The driver may drive off the road or hit an oncoming car. In many cases, the drowsy driver has slow reaction time and rear-ends the car ahead of him.
New research from the David Geffen School of Medicine at the University of Los Angeles, California (UCLA) and Tel Aviv University in Israel now confirms this. Sleep-deprived people experience memory lapses and may deal with distorted visual perception. “We discovered that starving the body of sleep also robs neurons of the ability to function properly. Further, this paves the way for cognitive lapses in how we perceive and react to the world around us.”
“Sluggish” neurons communicate inefficiently
The scientists noticed that the sleepier and more tired the participants became, the slower they performed. “We were fascinated to observe how sleep deprivation dampened brain cell activity,” explains lead study author Dr. Yuval Nir. He notes that with lack of sleep, brain cells became “sluggish” and neural communication was impaired. “Unlike the usual rapid reaction,” he says, “the neurons responded slowly, fired more weakly, and their transmissions dragged on longer than usual.” Basically, sleeplessness impacted how effectively visual stimuli were transposed into conscious perception.
Activity in overtired brains is ‘sleepy’ leading to car crash
The scientists cited research that detailed some potentially catastrophic effects of sleep deprivation. When drivers are tired, for example, their attention wanders because the neurons aren’t responding as efficiently as they should. “The very act of seeing the pedestrian slows down in the driver’s overtired brain. It takes longer for his brain to register what he’s perceiving,” says Dr. Nir.
Brain cells were found to take longer to respond and were associated with slower brain waves. In fact, there were more like those normally registered during sleep phases. “Slow sleep-like waves disrupted the patients’ brain activity and performance of tasks,” explains Dr. Fried. “This phenomenon suggests that select regions of the patients’ brains were dozing, causing mental lapses. Meanwhile, the rest of the brain was awake and running as usual.”
AUTO ACCIDENT INJURY LAWYER MN
If you have been injured in a car accident because the other driver fell asleep at the wheel, call us and speak with an attorney for a free consultation. Pam Rochlin and David Rochlin have over 25 years’ experience. We successfully represent people injured in a car accident throughout Minnesota.
The primary focus of our top MN auto accident lawyers is to get complete compensation for our clients. This includes medical bills, lost wages, future care, and pain and suffering. We can help you if the crash was caused by the other driver falling asleep. Likewise, if you are a passenger in a vehicle and the driver of your car fell asleep and lost control of the vehicle. Our best MN lawyers have also represented many people injured by a truck because the truck driver fell asleep or was too tired to drive safely. The consultation with a lawyer is free and we never charge anything unless you receive compensation for your injuries.