St. Louis police and accident investigation teams are still pouring over evidence from the scene of a fatal Missouri tractor-trailer crash that occurred on westbound I-64 yesterday morning.  Both lanes of the highway were closed for several hours as authorities collected evidence and removed the mangled truck from the roadway.  Witnesses claim that the tractor-trailer was in the fast lane when it suddenly veered into the median and struck a concrete bridge support beam.  The cab of the truck was pulverized and the driver was pronounced dead at the scene.  The Taylor Road overpass also remained closed as structural engineers examined whether or not the bridge was safe for motorists to traverse.

Fortunately, the truck driver was able to keep the big rig from striking other surrounding passenger vehicles.  Had the out of control truck crashed into other vehicles, there could have been additional fatalities or serious personal injuries caused.  Typically truck accidents involve at least one other vehicle on the road, even if that is another tractor-trailer.  These big rigs can weigh in excess of 60,000 pounds, that's 30 tons!  That amount of weight is difficult to keep from bouncing off other smaller passenger vehicles or stationary objects. 

Tractor-trailer crashes in Missouri can be serious incidents of injury and death.  Our state has seen its fair share of high profile truck accidents throughout the state.  This has also lead to concerns of whether there is strict enough legislation to assure safety in the commercial trucking industry.  Distracted driving is a lead concern in that campaign, and whether truck drivers should be banned from using cell phones behind the wheel.  A recent influx of fatal rear-end truck crashes in southern and central Missouri have been the product of distracted truck driving.  It remains a heated issue amongst motorists and the commercial trucking industry.  Missouri tractor-trailer accident lawyers remain dedicated to advocacy for improved safety in the trucking industry.