A 2007 Mack dump truck being driven by 48 year-old Edwin West rear-ended a small van late Monday morning.  The rear-end dump truck crash took place on Missouri Route 6, just a few miles east of Kirksville.  William Pridemore of Quincy Illinois was preparing to make a left turn onto Hedgepath Lane when the dump truck impacted the back of his late model van.  The damage caused to the van was serious enough to warrant the vehicle being towed from the scene by a wrecker.  Pridemore sustained serious personal injuries in the crash and was rushed to Northeast Regional Medical Center for trauma care.  Driver inattention is suspected to have contributed to the cause of the wreck.

Dump trucks operating in intrastate commerce are guided by both the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Regulations and Missouri state law.  Drivers of these 26,000+ pound trucks are required to perform pre-trip safety checks to verify that all critical driving components are in good working order.  One of the most important checks is that of the air-braking system, which frequently is the cause of serious truck accidents when slack adjusters, or other components, are out of adjustment.  Many newer dump trucks and tractor-trailers have automatic slack adjusters, however, the systems can still fail when regular maintenance is not performed. 

Contact the Kirksville truck accident lawyers at Schultz Legal Group to learn more about what laws bind truck drivers and their employers.  If you are injured due to the negligence of a truck driver, you may be able to file a truck accident injury claim against the driver, his/her employers, and a commercial insurance carrier.  Call (866) 840-3636 for more details.