Can You Sue the Trucking Company if the Driver Has a Sudden Heart Attack and Causes a Crash?
Driving a commercial semi-truck is one of the most physically demanding and unhealthy professions in America. Drivers sit for up to 11 hours a day, rely heavily on fast food and truck stop diners, suffer from chronic sleep deprivation, and endure immense stress. This lifestyle makes commercial drivers highly susceptible to cardiovascular disease. When a driver suffers a sudden, massive heart attack behind the wheel of an 80,000-pound rig traveling at 70 mph, the truck becomes an unguided missile. The resulting crashes often involve multiple vehicles and catastrophic fatalities.
When a medical emergency causes a crash, defense attorneys will immediately invoke the "Sudden Medical Emergency Doctrine." They argue that the heart attack was an unforeseeable "Act of God," and therefore, neither the driver nor the trucking company can be held legally responsible for the damages. However, in the highly regulated commercial trucking industry, heart attacks are rarely a surprise. Answering the question, "Can you sue the trucking company if the driver has a sudden heart attack and causes a crash?" depends entirely on proving that the medical emergency was actually foreseeable and preventable.
Unlike passenger car drivers, commercial truck drivers are required by the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) to pass a rigorous DOT physical examination to maintain their CDL. The medical examiner must specifically check for high blood pressure, heart disease, and vascular issues. If a driver is at high risk for a cardiac event, they are legally disqualified from driving a commercial vehicle. Therefore, a heart attack behind the wheel often points to a failure in the medical screening process.
Defeating the "Act of God" Defense
To win a lawsuit involving a medical emergency, a specialized plaintiff's attorney must pull back the curtain on the driver's medical history to prove the trucking company or the driver acted negligently:
Drivers terrified of losing their livelihood will frequently lie on their DOT medical intake questionnaires. They will check "No" when asked about chest pains, shortness of breath, or a history of heart disease. If an attorney subpoenas the driver's private medical records and finds they were secretly being treated by a cardiologist for severe angina, the "sudden emergency" defense collapses. The driver knew they were a risk and chose to drive anyway.
Some trucking companies know their drivers are unhealthy. Instead of sending them to a rigorous medical examiner, they send them to known "card mills"—unscrupulous doctors or chiropractors who will sign off on a DOT medical card for a cash fee without conducting a real physical. If the company intentionally utilized a negligent doctor to keep a sick driver on the road, the motor carrier is liable for the resulting crash.
Heart attacks often have warning signs hours before the main event. If the truck's cab communications (Qualcomm) show the driver messaging dispatch complaining of severe chest pain, numbness in the arm, or extreme dizziness, and the dispatcher told them to "just make the delivery and go to the hospital later," the company is directly responsible for the tragedy.
Holding the Industry Accountable
When a driver dies at the wheel and kills other motorists, it is a devastating tragedy for all families involved. However, the financial burden of the crash should not fall on the innocent victims. By proving the medical emergency was foreseeable, victims can access the motor carrier's multi-million dollar insurance policies.