Recently in Trucking Accidents Category

A car remained pinned underneath an 18-wheeler on Interstate 35 near the 20th street exit in Kansas City as emergency responders worked on extricating the occupants inside the trapped vehicle.  The southbound lanes of I-35 where closed for over an hour and traffic was diverted around the scene.  Responders report that a young child and two adults were injured in the truck crash.  Authorities continued to investigate the scene after the victims were transported to an area hospital.  Weather in the Kansas City area on the morning of the crash was wet. 

Serious truck crashes involve a large quantity of evidence that must be protected.  If a Kansas City truck crash lawyer does not immediately demand that evidence be preserved, a future claim for compensation may be diluted due to destroyed data which is critical to the claim.  A tractor-trailer has a black box known as an "electronic control module" (ECM) that stores data immediately following a hard brake or collision.  An immediate ECM download is critical in determining what the 18-wheeler did just prior to the collision.  Speed, location, direction of travel, throttle, gearing, and additional information is recorded and stored on a truck's ECM at the time of the impact.

If you are injured in a serious truck crash, you may able to obtain compensation by filing a Missouri truck crash injury claim.  If a truck driver is careless and causes a crash, both the driver and trucking company are legally liable to the injury victim.  Missouri law allows truck crash injury victims to seek compensation for pain & suffering and economic damages.

Authorities are still investigating the causes of a morning tractor-trailer crash in Franklin County Missouri that claimed the life of a young girl.  The crash occurred in the early morning hours Friday morning when traffic on Interstate 64 was already backed up due to an earlier accident.  A white tractor-trailer slammed into the back of another large blue truck that was idling in the previously slowing lanes of traffic.  The impact caused significant damage and claimed the life of a young 3 year-old toddler that was riding in the passenger seat of the white truck.  49 year-old Catherine Stults was driving the white tractor-trailer that slammed into the back of the blue tractor-trailer that was being operated by Timothy Williams.  The 3 year-old was eventually identified as Andrea Witherspoon of Cape Girardeau.

One of the most common type of serious tractor-trailer crash involves the situation where a truck inadvertently crashes into traffic that is slowing or stopped ahead.  Causes of this type of collision can include defective brakes, fatigue, or impaired line of sight.  Missouri has seen is share of serious wrecks of this type, including the fatal truck crash which occurred on Highway 64 near the Mason Road exit in West County.  The shear force and inertia of 60,000+ pounds of weight into a stopped object has devastating results.

Visit the truck accident injury website at Schultz Legal Group for helpful information and resources.  Don't be victimized twice.

Two semi-trucks were involved in a serious collision on southbound I-29 in Dearborn.  John Romines was ejected from the cab of his tractor-trailer after his truck struck another 18-wheeler that was partially parked on the shoulder.  Given the inclement weather in mid-Missouri over the past 48 hours, one wonders whether the truck that was parked on the shoulder would have been disclosed to Romines before the impact occurred.  Trucks are not permitted to park on the shoulder of an interstate highway unless they are having mechanical emergency or involved in an accident.  In all other situations, commercial motor vehicles are required to pull completely off of the highway onto an exit ramp or private lot. 

40 year-old Romines, of Sabetha Kansas, was ambulated and transported to Heartland Regional Medical Center.  This truck landed over 50 feet from the roadway.  Romines is probably lucky that he was in fact ejected upon impact.  His tractor and trailer was completely destroyed and had to be removed from the nearby creek bed by a commercial wrecker.  The Buchanan County Sheriff and Missouri State Highway Patrol jointly worked on the accident investigation.

Commercial motor vehicle vs. commercial motor vehicle can result in devastating accidents, primarily given the shear combined weight and mass of the two vehicles.  Accidents involving potential violations of the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Regulations PLUS two commercial motor vehicles, will require the assistance of a DOT expert and accident reconstruction investigator.  Contact the Missouri tractor-trailer injury lawyers at Schultz Legal Group for more information by calling toll-free (866) 840-3636. 

 
 

St. Louis Tractor-Trailer Accident Lawyer Stephen Schultz was recently inducted into the Multi-Million Dollar Advocates Forum.  Attorney Schultz was awarded a lifetime membership into both the Million Dollar Advocates Forum and Multi-Million Dollar Advocates Forum.  Membership requires a trial lawyer to obtain a single verdict or settlement in excess of one million dollars and in excess of two million dollars.  This elite organization was founded in 1997 and to-date has just 3000 members nationwide.  Fewer than 1% of trial lawyers in the United States share this distinction. 

Tractor-trailer accidents require exceptional legal representation from a lawyer who is focused in this practice area.  Truck accidents involve a complicated body of federal statutory authority entitled the "Federal Motor Carrier Safety Regulations."  These Federal Regulations set the minimum safety standards that commerical motor carriers and professional truck drivers must follow.  These laws are designed to protect other motorists who share our nation's highways with trucks that can exceed 60,000 pounds each. 

An experienced St. Louis truck accident lawyer can investigate the circumstances of the crash with its own accident reconstruction team.  It is well-known that commercial motor carriers dispatch insurance teams to the scene of a serious tractor-trailer accident within hours.  Evidence such as driver log books, trip sheets, fuel receipts, bills of laiding, and other critical documentation may be purposely or accidentally misplaced.  These types of documents are necessary for an injury victim or wrongful death claimaint to receive full and fair compensation from the negligent truck driver and negligent trucking company.  Don't be victimized twice.  Contact a lawyer immediately by calling toll-free (866) 840-3636, locally at (314) 448-0934, or by email.

An unidentified tractor-trailer fled the scene of a serious accident late Thursday afternoon near Warrenton Missouri.  The tractor-trailer allegedly sideswiped a Jeep SUV, causing the Jeep to spin out of control into another vehicle that was parked on the side of the Interstate.  The sliding SUV struck a parked Chevy Blazer, causing a subsequent impact with a pedestrian who was standing next to the Blazer.  The tractor-trailer that started this chain reaction of events was traveling westbound on Interstate 70 near the Route F exit in Warren County.  The chain reaction caused serious injuries to Chandlier Scronce of Hawk Pointe and Jessica Richardson of Overland Park Kansas.  17 year-old Scronce (the pedestrian) sustained catastrophic injuries and was required to be airlifted to the level-1 trauma unit at St. Johns Medical Center in St. Louis.  The identity of the tractor-trailer driver or the company he/she was hauling for is yet to be determined.  Authorities are urging any witnesses to come forward who may have information to assist in bringing the truck driver and commercial motor carrier to justice.

Many serious tractor-trailer accidents involve improper lane change/improper lane usage.  In this specific case, it is alleged that the truck driver merged into the lane of the Jeep SUV, without warning, causing this crash.  Improper lane usage by a commercial motor vehicle is in the top 4 of contributing circumstances to serious truck accidents each year according to the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration and its 2006 Large Truck Crash Causation Study.  Improper lane change is a serious safety violation according to Federal Regulations.

Serious tractor-trailer crashes require serious legal representation. Contact a Warren County truck accident lawyer today to discuss your legal options.  A lawyer is available day or night by calling (866) 840-3636, or locally at (314) 448-0934.  Don't be victimized twice.     

32 year-old Christina Girard of Marshall was involved in a collision with a tractor-trailer last Wednesday evening.  The serious crash occurred on the Route J exit ramp off of eastbound Interstate 70 in Saline County.  The Peterbilt tractor-trailer was partially blocking the exit ramp.  Unsure whether the truck driver was in his sleeper berth at the time of the crash, the investigation will continue forward.  The identity of the truck driver has not yet been released.  Girard was transported to a local hospital in Marshall before being airlifted to University Hospital in Columbia due to the severity of her injuries.  Girard's Dodge minivan was destroyed and had to be removed from the scene by a flatbed wrecker.

Commercial motor carriers and truck drivers are required to pull completely off the highway when stopping for rest or to address mechanical problems.  They are required to use flares and reflective triangles when there are potential mechanical issues with the truck or trailer.  Tractor-trailers that are partially stopped on the highway or exit ramp present a real danger to passenger cars and other commercial motor vehicles.  These trucks may be large, but at night they can blend in with surroundings and become indiscrete to other drivers.  Drivers of passenger vehicles or other tractor-trailers may not notice a large parked truck until it is too late.

Time is of the essence in any tractor-trailer accident when serious personal injuries or death is involved.  Evidence at the scene is critical and often times the initial responders do not know what to look for in the way of contributing causes to the crash.  A Marshall tractor-trailer accident lawyer will dispatch his own crash investigation team to the scene.  Even if a few days have passed since the crash, a truck accident injury lawyer will still be able to inspect the truck and conduct an ECM (electronic control module) download to pull data that will prove useful when presenting a claim to the trucking company and its commercial insurance carrier.  Call (866) 840-3636 to speak to a lawyer immediately. 

Authorities report that a Western Star Diesel Tractor-trailer was backing up on Westbound 160th Street near Canton Missouri early Monday morning when it crashed into another vehicle.  The tractor-trailer was being driven by 43 year-old Daniel Fahser of Canton.  A GMC truck heading southbound on Route B impacted the tractor-trailer, causing a serious collision.  66 year-old Wayne Priebe, also of Canton, sustained catastrophic injuries in the collision with the tractor-trailer.  Priebe was airlifted from the scene by Air Evac, and taken to Blessing Hospital for emergency treatment.  His GMC truck was completely totaled and taken from the scene by a flatbed wrecker.

This serious crash raises questions of whether the Star Diesel Truck had the appropriate truck and trailer markings as required by the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Regulations and Missouri state law.  Did the truck driver have a spotter?  Could Mr. Priebe even see that the large truck was backing up at the time of the crash?  Federal regulations and Missouri state law require that commercial motor vehicle operators exercise the highest degree of care when operating a truck over 26,000 pounds.  These regulations are very particular with respect to trailer lighting and reflectors.  Because this crash occurred very early in the morning, just after sunrise, lighting and reflectors may very well have contributed to the cause of the crash. 

A truck accident injury attorney will be able to assist in the investigation and determine what circumstances contributed to the cause of the collision.  If it is determined that the driver of the Western Star Diesel Truck failed to exercise due care or failed to have the proper lights or reflectors on his dump bed trailer, the victim may be able to file a truck accident injury claim.  Call (866) 840-3636 for an immediate consultation with a Canton truck crash injury lawyer. 

Statistics prove that almost every person will be involved in a car accident at some point in their life.  The nature of a car accident itself is traumatic, even when there are no serious injuries reported by persons involved.  Dealing with property damage and negotiating with car insurance companies is unfamiliar to most people.  The gravity of the situation is increased when injuries are involved. 

Car accidents cause both physical injuries and emotional injuries.  Recovery from the injury itself, substantial medical bills, lost wages, damaged credit, and compromised family relationships cause the injury victim to become emotionally vulnerable.  Car insurance claims adjusters often prey on this vulnerability and use it as an opportunity to force injury victims into accepting a low ball settlement offer.  Insurance companies play the odds that most injury victims will not hire an car accident lawyer to file an injury claim against them.  Historically the gamble has paid off for the insurance industry, which even in an economic downturn continues to turn billions of dollars in profits.

If you have been injured in a St. Louis car accident, contact the lawyers at Schultz Legal Group to discuss your legal rights.  Don't be victimized twice by an insurance claims adjuster.  Call (314) 448-0934 or toll-free at (866) 840-3636 for an immediate consultation with an aggressive Missouri injury lawyer. 

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.