Collision involving box truck in Murphysboro leaves unanswered questions
Our truck accident injury lawyers are following a fatal truck accident that took place in southern Illinois on Tuesday morning. The crash occurred in front of a Wal-Mart on Route 13 in Murphysboro, IL, and caused quite a scene. Between the Illinois State Police, Jackson County Sheriff's Department, Murphysboro Fire Department, and media, the scene was busy with investigators and reporters. Daniel Batz of Missouri was operating a box truck when he struck the passenger side of a Chevy driven by 72 year-old Donald Leggans of Murphysboro. Leggan was rushed to a local emergency room and was unfortunately pronounced dead within an hour of arrival at the hospital.
We find it interesting that Batz was issued a citation for logbook violations. Depending upon the type of the violation, this could offer insight into the cause of this fatal box truck crash. A truck drivers' logbook is an accounting of everything that driver does in a 24-hour time period. It includes time on, time off, on-duty time, on-duty not working time. It is critical for a truck driver to abide by the rules set forth by the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration with regard to hours-of-service and logbook audits.
As Illinois fatal truck accident injury lawyers, we regularly see truck drivers to blame, or at the very least partially to blame, for accidents where logbook violations were identified at the scene of the crash. These violations could mean that a truck driver was operating in excess of the hours of service limitations set forth by federal safety regulations. Furthermore, this could indicate truck driver fatigue, which is the leading safety concern in the commercial trucking industry.
One of the first things that an Illinois wrongful death lawyer will need to do is file for a protective order against the trucking company. Why? Because without a protective order, forensic evidence will likely be lost, manipulated, or destroyed. Logbooks are just one piece of the puzzle. Trip receipts, scale records, QUALCOMM data, ECM data, maintenance records, pre and post-trip inspection reports, and other evidence must be preserved in order for a truck accident lawyer to protect the interest of the persons injured or killed in the crash.
Missouri and Illinois truck accident lawyer Stephen Schultz has offices in St. Louis and Chicago. His lawyers protect the innocent victims of fatal truck accidents each day and have brought countless trucking companies and rogue drivers to justice. If you have lost a loved one in a fatal truck accident, contact a wrongful death lawyer immediately, before the critical evidence necessary to win your case is lost.
We find it interesting that Batz was issued a citation for logbook violations. Depending upon the type of the violation, this could offer insight into the cause of this fatal box truck crash. A truck drivers' logbook is an accounting of everything that driver does in a 24-hour time period. It includes time on, time off, on-duty time, on-duty not working time. It is critical for a truck driver to abide by the rules set forth by the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration with regard to hours-of-service and logbook audits.
As Illinois fatal truck accident injury lawyers, we regularly see truck drivers to blame, or at the very least partially to blame, for accidents where logbook violations were identified at the scene of the crash. These violations could mean that a truck driver was operating in excess of the hours of service limitations set forth by federal safety regulations. Furthermore, this could indicate truck driver fatigue, which is the leading safety concern in the commercial trucking industry.
One of the first things that an Illinois wrongful death lawyer will need to do is file for a protective order against the trucking company. Why? Because without a protective order, forensic evidence will likely be lost, manipulated, or destroyed. Logbooks are just one piece of the puzzle. Trip receipts, scale records, QUALCOMM data, ECM data, maintenance records, pre and post-trip inspection reports, and other evidence must be preserved in order for a truck accident lawyer to protect the interest of the persons injured or killed in the crash.
Missouri and Illinois truck accident lawyer Stephen Schultz has offices in St. Louis and Chicago. His lawyers protect the innocent victims of fatal truck accidents each day and have brought countless trucking companies and rogue drivers to justice. If you have lost a loved one in a fatal truck accident, contact a wrongful death lawyer immediately, before the critical evidence necessary to win your case is lost.
