Missouri Truck Accident Blog

Department of Transportation Analyzes Truck Behavior

The Missouri Department of Transportation’s report, “Investigating Large Truck-Passenger Vehicle Interactions,” reveals a number of interesting facts about how large trucks and passenger vehicles share the road. The Department of Transportation also makes a number of recommendations about ways to increase safety when passenger vehicles share the road with large trucks.

The report notes that, on average, large trucks on Missouri freeways drive only two miles per hour slower than surrounding passenger vehicles. On sections of freeway with more than two lanes, trucks commonly used the middle lane or lanes, avoiding both the “fast” lane on the far left and the “slow” lane on the far right. Finally, although trucks do not account for a large share of accidents on rural roads, study of freeway accidents involving large trucks showed that large trucks were involved in more freeway accidents than their numbers suggested they should be.

To reduce the number of truck accidents on Missouri’s freeways, the report’s authors suggest a number of solutions. First, implementing a truck speed limit that is five to ten miles per hour lower than the speed limit for passenger cars would slow trucks down and reduce collisions. The authors also recommend putting in dedicated truck lanes to reduce the number of trucks using the center lanes.

Passenger cars sharing Missouri’s freeways with large trucks are at risk of injury due to careless or negligent truck driving. If you or someone you love has been injured due to a truck driver’s negligence, the experienced Missouri truck driver negligence attorneys at Page Law are able to help. Our attorneys will review your case and help you seek compensation for injuries, lost wages, pain and suffering, and other adverse consequences of your accident. Please don’t hesitate to contact Page Law today at (314) 322-8515 to schedule a free case evaluation.

Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration Issues Final Rule on Electronic Logging Devices

The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) has issued a regulation covering the use of electronic logging devices by trucking companies. The electronic logging devices keep track of a truck’s hours on the road in order to ensure the driver complies with hours-of-service laws. Drivers who violate hours-of-service laws by driving more than the laws allow may be subject to penalties.

The new regulation has three separate parts, all designed to encourage trucking companies to monitor hours of service closely. The first part encourages voluntary use of logging devices by allowing companies that use them to monitor only samples of logs and relieving these companies from the need to keep extensive supporting documents.

The second part makes electronic logging devices mandatory for any company whose truck drivers are found to have committed a “critical” hours of service violation. A critical violation is one in which ten percent of the drivers’ logs show the same violation. For example, if ten percent of a company’s drivers are driving more than eleven consecutive hours without stopping, the company will be found to have committed a critical violation. FMCSA requires these companies to use electronic logging devices for two years.

Finally, the third part of the new rule requires new electronic logging devices to be able to track a truck’s GPS coordinates and to be synchronized with the specific vehicle they are installed to track. Trucks that already have electronic logging devices may continue to use their device even if it does not meet the new requirements.

FMCSA regulations are designed to increase safety for large trucks and the drivers who share the road with them. A driver who fails to follow FMCSA rules may be acting negligently. If you are in an accident with such a driver, you may be entitled to compensation for lost wages, medical bills, pain and suffering, and more. The experienced Missouri big rig crash attorneys at Page Law can help you understand your legal rights and win you the compensation you deserve. Call Page Law today at (314) 322-8515 for a free case evaluation.

Tractor-Trailer Spill Causes I-35 Backups

A recent tractor-trailer mishap on Interstate 35 near downtown Kansas City tied up traffic for hours, in what local ABC affiliate KMBC called “a traffic nightmare.”

The truck managed to stop traffic in all but one lane of northbound I-35 when its trailer bowed, spilling its load across the freeway and bringing the truck to a halt. Northbound traffic, already congested and moving slowly due to construction on the freeway, was slowed to a crawl as the single open lane attempted to sneak past the stopped truck.

The Missouri Department of Transportation immediately began warning drivers to avoid northbound I-35, especially during rush hour, as their crews predicted that cleaning up the truck’s spill would take hours. The Department of Transportation also noted that the truck had stopped in an awkward section of the freeway, where there was “no good way to get him out,” according to Department of Transportation spokesperson Laura Wagner.

No one was injured in the I-35 truck spill. Unfortunately, not all motorists who share the road with large trucks are so lucky. When a driver loses control of a truck or its load, devastating injuries and even death can result. Drivers may lose control for a number of reasons. The driver may be fatigued, distracted, or even impaired by drugs or alcohol. The truck’s brakes may fail because the truck has not been properly maintained or is overloaded. When a truck’s load is not secured properly or is too heavy, it may fall from the vehicle, causing damage and injury to nearby vehicles and their passengers.

When a truck accident in St. Louis is caused by the driver’s negligence, injured victims may be able to seek compensation to cover medical expenses, lost wages, cost of hospitalization, rehabilitation, pain and suffering, long-term care and other damages. If you’ve been injured in a truck accident, please contact the experienced Missouri trucking collision attorneys at Page Law to discuss your rights and options. Call Page Law today at (314) 322-8515 for a free case evaluation.

Department of Transportation Clarifies Rules on “Medical Marijuana” Use by Truck Drivers

The Department of Transportation’s Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FCMSA) released a statement announcing its position on the use of state-law-approved medical marijuana by truck drivers. The FMCSA will not include “medical marijuana” use as an exception to its rules prohibiting drug use by truck drivers.

Currently, truck drivers are required by federal regulation to submit to the Department of Transportation’s regulated drug testing program. The program is intended to ensure that truck drivers are not operating under the influence of any controlled substances, which endangers both the driver and any other motorists sharing the road.

Federally-mandated drug tests of truck drivers are reviewed by a Medical Review Officer (MRO), who is responsible for resolving any discrepancies in the report. The FCMSA’s regulations prohibit MROs from certifying a drug test result as “negative” based on information that the driver’s physician prescribed medical marijuana. Drug tests with a “positive” result for marijuana must be read as a positive drug test result by federal authorities even if the marijuana was prescribed by a physician under a state law.

Federal drug-testing requirements for truck drivers are intended to keep the country’s roadways as safe as possible. However, tractor trailer accidents in St. Louis still claim the lives of motorists every year, and not all truck drivers stick to the rules. If you or a loved one has been injured by the drug use or other improper behavior of a truck driver, you have certain legal rights. Contact an experienced Missouri DUI truck crash attorney at Page Law today. Our legal team will examine the details of your case and help you protect your legal rights while holding any negligent parties accountable for their actions. Call Page Law at (314) 322-8515 today for a free and confidential evaluation.

I-55 Wrongful Death Tractor Trailer Crash Caused by Negligent Trucker

A recent St. Louis Post-Dispatch story emphasizes the serious risk of commercial truck driver inattention. After one truck driver took his focus off of the highway along Interstate 55, he crashed into one vehicle, and then collided with another, dragging it for approximately 100 yards before stopping.

Based on the story, the truck driver told officers that he took his attention away from the road to look to his right. When he looked back at the road, he noticed that traffic had come to a halt. Unfortunately, a 52-year-old man and a 28-year-old woman were killed as a consequence of the tractor trailer being unable to stop in time.

The Jefferson County chain-reaction accident involved eight vehicles and is currently being further examined through reconstruction investigation. When truck accidents are caused by truck driver negligence or trucking company oversight and result in serious injury, and especially in fatality, responsible parties may face criminal charges in addition to civil liability.

Overconfidence, fatigue, distraction, and various forms of reckless and negligent behavior have individually and collectively contributed to a handful of Missouri tractor trailer crashes as well as other accidents throughout our nation. Truck accidents can lead to wide range of calamities such as head trauma, spinal cord injury, broken bones, lacerations, and even wrongful death. These truck accident consequences often do not affect the truck driver; instead, pedestrians as well as drivers and passengers of smaller vehicles and motorcycles are typically the ones who suffer.

State and Federal trucking rules and regulations are intended to help keep roads and highways safe by setting truck inspection, maintenance, repair, and driving laws for truck drivers and trucking companies to follow. If an accident results from these regulations being broken or another form of negligence, injured individuals and family members of wrongful death victims may seek compensation. Contact the aggressive and skilled St. Louis tractor trailer collision attorneys at Page Law to learn more about your legal rights and options. Call 314-322-8515 for a free consultation today.

Department of Transportation Proposes Ban on Truck Driver Texting

The Journal of Commerce reported recently that the Department of Transportation has proposed a rule to make its temporary two-month ban on truck driver texting a permanent measure. The rule is intended to cut down on the number of accidents related to cell phone text-messaging while driving. According to the Department of Transportation, drivers are twenty times more likely to get into an accident while texting.

The new rule bans texting by drivers of commercial motor vehicles. It does not address texting by drivers of regular cars or trucks. The rule provides for a fine or disqualification from driving if a driver is found texting.
The proposed rule does not prohibit talking on a cell phone while driving a large truck, nor does it prevent drivers from using other electronic devices, such as GPS systems, while driving. The Department of Transportation has announced that it will propose separate rules to cover these activities.

The rule was first proposed by Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood at the 2009 Distracted Driving Summit. In January 2010, LaHood issued a two-month interim ban on texting while operating a large truck. The proposed permanent rule was offered for public comment on March 30, 2010.

Distracted driving results in a large number of motor vehicle accidents every year; some of them catastrophic and others fatal. The risks are higher when a large truck is involved in such a crash, as the size and maneuverability of these trucks make it more likely they will be unable to avoid a collision and will cause greater damage to other motorists and their vehicles.

If you or a loved one has been injured or killed by a distracted truck driver, please don’t hesitate to contact the skilled St. Louis truck driver negligence attorneys at Page Law. We will help protect your legal rights after an accident and fight to hold negligent parties accountable for their actions. Call Page Law today at 314-322-8515 to schedule your free case evaluation.