A person with severe sleep apnea would never be allowed behind the wheel of a 30-ton 18-wheeler truck, would they? It's a scary reality, but there are many truck drivers in Texas and the rest of the country who suffer from sleep disorders and sleep deprivation while in control of these powerful machines on public roadways.

In May 2010, a New Braunfels, Texas, couple were traveling across the state when they had to stop while passing through a construction zone. Sadly, the driver of the tractor-trailer behind them did not stop and instead collided into the back of their car while traveling at 65 mph. Needless to say, the results of the trucking accident were catastrophic.

The wife was able to survive, but was forever changed as she lost her husband, who was the love of her life and best friend.

In the months following the accident she had to know: why didn't the truck driver stop? What was it that caused him to run right into the back of their car in a construction zone with his cruise control on?

The woman hired a personal injury lawyer and after some digging they found out that the truck driver, who was working for Celadon Trucking Company, had been diagnosed with severe sleep apnea just two months before the accident. However, he was still allowed by his employer to drive long stretches on little sleep.

Now the woman has taken it as her mission to get truck drivers with sleep apnea off of the roads. She said that through the John Lindsay Foundation she is trying to educate the public about how dangerous sleep apnea can be so that more senseless accidents like the one that took her husband can be avoided.

Source: KENS5.com, "Tragic crash prompts N.B. woman to speak out against driving with sleep apnea," Phil Anaya, Sept. 29, 2011.