A crash involving a tractor trailer and two other vehicles forced the closure of U.S. 71 in Kansas City, Missouri on June 30, 2011, according to kmbc.com. The exact timeline of the crash is unclear, but the report does note that the accident involved a big rig, a dump truck and a car.
After the accident, the car resembled a scrap heap. Fortunately, none of the injuries in this Missouri tractor trailer crash were serious. The accident forced police to close U.S. 71 for an hour during rush hour to clear debris and investigate the crash.
The picture in the report of the mangled car is particularly striking. It shows how much damage these big rigs can do to the vehicles driven by everyday people. The use of big rigs to carry cargo has exploded since the mid-1970’s. Interestingly, with the more than 3 million more big rigs on the road today than in 1975, the number of fatalities caused by big rig accidents remains almost identical. This is likely the result of both better vehicle safety features and the improvement in healthcare for car crash trauma victims.
It also shows that not with all big rig drivers are the problem. The problem is with the negligent tractor trailer drivers who cause Missouri big rig crashes. Crashes with big rigs are extremely dangerous for other motorists and tractor trailer operators who drive negligently should be held responsible so that they are taken off of the road. If you have been injured by a negligent big rig driver and want to hold them responsible, call Page Law’s St. Louis tractor trailer crash lawyers at 314-322-8515.
A tractor-trailer hauling a load of live cattle overturned on Interstate 29 near Faucett, Missouri earlier this week, killing about 30 of the animals, according to a news article released by the St. Joseph News-Press.
The overturned truck accident in Missouri began when the driver, who was traveling in the right-hand lane, drifted too far into the passing lane on his left. He tried to straighten the truck but overcorrected, causing the live cattle in the trailer to shift their weight in an attempt to stay standing. As the cattle moved, the weight overturned the trailer just north of I-29’s Faucett exit. Luckily, the driver was not injured in the accident.
Motorists passing the accident said that they could hear many of the cows mooing in distress. Traffic was backed up for approximately five miles on northbound I-29 while rescue crews freed the living cattle by cutting into the side of the trailer and then guiding the frightened animals into a makeshift pen. Rescuers discovered that about 30 of the cows in the truck had been killed in the accident. The remaining animals were taken to the St. Joseph Stockyards until their owners could be contacted.
When a tractor-trailer accident occurs, getting medical attention for people involved in the accident is a top priority. Animals may also need medical attention, whether they are family pets or property, like livestock. It may be in your best interest to consult with an experienced Missouri truck accident attorney like those at Page Law to learn more about your legal rights and options. For a free consultation, call Page Law today at 314-322-8515.
Two tractor-trailer drivers were seriously injured on Monday, May 23, 2011 following a collision between the two trucks on Illinois Route 111 north of Brighton, Ill., according to a report on TheTelegraph.com. The accident allegedly occurred when a 54-year-old man decelerated to allow a pickup truck in front of him to turn. As the man slowed, a truck driven by a 72-year-old man hit him from behind. The 72-year-old’s vehicle skidded off the road and rolled over onto its side. The 54-year-old’s truck stayed on the road. The truck accident forced the police to close the highway for several hours. Following the accident, both truck drivers were taken to nearby hospitals.
Rear-end accidents like this one involving tractor-trailers are often a result of driver fatigue. Federal regulations make it unlawful for someone to drive a tractor-trailer while the driver’s ability or alertness is impaired by fatigue. The regulations also set forth a required driving to resting ratio for drivers of commercial vehicles.
These regulations are a result of a study undertaken by the National Transportation Safety Board after a number of accident investigations revealed that operator fatigue was a significant contributing factor. However, accidents caused by tractor-trailers are still the cause of thousands of deaths per year in the United States. In 2009, in Missouri and Illinois alone, 167 people were killed and 5,814 were injured in accidents involving tractor-trailers.
The NTSB earlier this month held a public forum to determine the success of regulations in reducing the danger of tractor-trailer and bus-related accidents in the past decade. Among the topics at the forum were driver health and safety, crash avoidance technology and crash mitigation technology.
Tractor-trailers throughout the country pose a significant danger on the highway and contribute to many accidents each year. If you or one of your loved ones has been injured in an accident with a tractor-trailer, you have certain legal rights. Contact the St. Louis truck accident attorneys at Page Law at (314) 241-2273. The consultation is free and there is no obligation.
A tractor-trailer hauling anhydrous ammonia tipped while traveling down US Highway 136 near Maryville recently, forcing officials to close the highway while the Missouri tractor-trailer accident scene was investigated, according to a recent article in The Maryville Daily Forum.
The truck’s driver was headed south on the highway when his truck, which was carrying a full load of anhydrous ammonia, tipped over. The truck landed on its side in a ditch on the right side of the highway, breaking a utilities pole before it stopped. Initial reports claimed that anhyrdous ammonia, which is toxic to humans, was leaking from the truck, but a closer investigation found that the Missouri chemical exposure would not endanger local residents or other highway users.
The driver was not seriously injured, and investigators have not yet said what they believe caused the crash. The accident pushed traffic going south on US 136 into a single lane for several hours before officials decided to close the highway altogether.
Anhydrous ammonia is a colorless gas with a sharp, highly irritating odor. Extended exposure to anhydrous ammonia can cause severe damage to the mouth, nose, and eyes, as well as chemical burns in the lungs and nasal passages.
At Page Law, our experienced truck accident lawyers in St. Louis understand that the damages caused by a truck accident don’t always stop when an impact occurs. Trucks carrying caustic chemicals or other dangerous loads can cause even greater injuries if the load spills or escapes. If you’ve been injured in a truck accident, call Page Law today at 314-322-8515.
According to STLToday.com, all lanes of Interstate 270 were closed due to an early morning multiple car accident near Tesson Ferry Road on March 18. All lanes have since reopened.
The crash, which occurred around 6 a.m., was caused by the driver of a Honda who lost control and veered off the southbound lanes of I-270. The Honda re-entered the road and was hit by a white van. What proceeded was a series of rear end accidents. The white van was rear ended by a tractor trailer, and the tractor trailer was rear ended by a dump truck. Finally, the white van hit a black pickup truck and pinned it against a median wall. Fuel spilled from a vehicle following the crash, but it did not cause a fire.
Following the accident, two people were transported to area hospitals. Their injuries were minor to moderate. It’s unknown at this time what caused the Honda driver to lose control of the vehicle. However, early morning accidents frequently involve the driver falling asleep at the wheel. Falling asleep at the wheel is a common hazard and can be very problematic for long haul truckers.
According to the AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety, sleep can become an irresistible urge for drivers, and that urge is strongest between midnight and 6 a.m. Crashes related to sleep also often occur between one and five p.m. Sleepiness while driving slows reaction time, impairs judgment and decreases awareness of surroundings. A recent survey showed that 90 percent of police officers reported stopping a driver believed to be drunk who was actually sleepy.
The Foundation recommends not driving at all while you are sleepy. If you are taking a long road trip, get enough sleep the night before. If you begin feeling sleepy, take a 20 minute nap, which can help a driver immensely.
Motor vehicle accidents involving sleepy drivers occur on a daily basis in the U.S. but are very hard to track. Accidents where a large truck or tractor trailer’s driver fell asleep can often be deadly because of the sheer size of the vehicle. If you have been involved in an accident with a negligent tractor trailer driver, contact the experienced Missouri tractor trailer accident attorneys of Page Law at 314-322-8515 today.
New data analysis and crash tests from the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) show that the rear guards on tractor-trailers can fail in low-speed crashes. Those failures can have very deadly consequences.
When a smaller vehicle crashes into the back of a tractor-trailer, rear guards are the primary way to reduce deaths and injuries. Without the guards, the upper part of the passenger vehicle usually crushes, making death for the vehicle’s occupants more likely. Sometimes those guards are present, but they fail, which can cause great injury to passenger vehicle occupants, even if the crash occurs at a low speed.
The IIHS has been studying the problem since the 1970s. The latest study analyzed 1,000 crashes that involved passenger cars rear-ending semi-trucks between 2001 and 2003. Among those truck accidents, 28 people in the passenger vehicle died, and in 23 of those, the entire front end of the vehicle slid underneath the truck. The study, as well as crash tests, showed errors with many of the guards, which led to guard failure and catastrophic damage. The IIHS is now recommending new safety measures in manufacturing the rear guards. It is recommending that the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) improve standards for those guards.
Trucking companies, as well as tractor-trailer manufacturers, have the duty to make sure the trucks they produce operate as safely as possible while on the road. If you have been injured in a tractor-trailer accident in Missouri that was due to the negligence of another party, you may be able to recover for your medical expenses, damage to your vehicle, lost wages, pain and suffering, and more. To learn more about your legal options, call the Missouri tractor-trailer accident attorneys at Page Law at 314-322-8515 to learn more.
A tractor-trailer was involved in a significantly large crash Wednesday morning on Interstate 270 at Route 367. Several automobiles were involved and the personal and property damage was so severe that the highway was closed for two hours.
Multiple people were injured, though authorities have yet to report the extent of the injuries suffered. Compared to the collision of two automobiles, the injuries caused in a truck wreck are almost always more serious. The unequal weights of the two colliding vehicles can result in terrible and severe injuries for the occupants of the car.
If you are ever injured in a trucking accident, you should immediately seek the advice of a trucking accident lawyer. Large trucking companies have virtually inexhaustible resources and an army of lawyers. When that company’s agent (i.e. their driver) injures you, all those resources and lawyers have one goal: to pay you as little as possible.
They will accomplish this by suggesting that you are treated by their physicians who will suggest less expensive versions of medical procedures. They will work with a team of experts to show all the possible ways in which you were responsible for the accident. They will hire investigators to watch you to make sure that you really are as injured as you claim. Remember: they are not on your side, and they have no regard at all for what is right or fair to you. This is especially true when it comes to any money you may be entitled to for your pain and suffering.
When a trucking accident attorney handles your claim, you do have someone on your side. An injury attorney’s job is to advocate for his client’s interests, and when you are facing all the resources that a large trucking company can use to fight you, you will be very glad to have an advocate.
If you or someone you know has been injured in a Missouri trucking accident, call the experienced trucking accident lawyers at Page Law today. They will skillfully pursue the maximum settlement for your case to make sure you recover for all your pain and suffering. Call Page Law today at (314)-241-2273 for a free consultation with no obligation.
A jury recently awarded $35 million to the family of a woman killed in Missouri in 2006, according to KansasCity.com. The woman was one of four who died in an accident while stopped on Interstate 70, east of Columbia. Their car was stopped for an accident, and a tractor-trailer slammed into the rear of the vehicle.
The attorneys for the family argued that the truck driver was fatigued as he drove, and he lied on his trucking logs in order to show that he had rested a sufficient amount. The driver’s cell phone records showed that he was in Illinois when his log said he was in Missouri. At trial, attorneys for the family argued that the trucking company behaved recklessly by ignoring the truck driver’s driving record and his failure to obey company policies.
By law, truck drivers are limited to a maximum of 11 hours of driving between 10 consecutive hours off duty. They also cannot drive more than 60 hours in seven consecutive days. These regulations are intended to prevent Missouri tractor-trailer accidents caused by drowsy drivers.
The families of the other three women who were killed settled the case in April 2008, and received a total of $18 million combined. The $35 million verdict is expected to be appealed.
Trucking companies who allow their drivers to ignore federal laws intended to protect the public are liable for all damages those drivers cause. If you have been injured by a negligent tractor-trailer driver, contact the Missouri truck crash attorneys at Page Law, LLC today at 314-488-2433.
Tragically, a Missouri man died in a car crash with a tractor-trailer, according to Springfield news outlet News-Leader.com.
The man, age 27, was from Branson. He was traveling on U.S. 65 south of Ozark when his 1996 Buick rear-ended the back of a Kenworth tractor-trailer. The Branson man was pronounced dead at the scene of the fatal Missouri tractor-trailer crash.
When most people think of accidents with tractor-trailers, they think of a tractor-trailer hitting a car, the results of which can be devastating to a smaller vehicle. However, a car striking a tractor-trailer can be just as deadly, since most tractor-trailers weigh between 12,000 and 80,000 pounds, or 25 times the weight of an average passenger vehicle.
According to the Missouri Department of Transportation, there were over 3,500 accidents in 2009 involving tractor-trailers in Missouri. Among those accidents, there were 45 fatalities.
To avoid an accident with a tractor-trailer, driving defensively is key. Pay special attention to large trucks—don’t assume they see you, for large trucks have significant blind spots. Don’t drive next to a truck for any longer than necessary and keep a good distance when passing a truck.
If you have been involved in a Missouri accident with a tractor-trailer, you may be entitled to compensation for any injuries you sustained. Contact the Missouri tractor-trailer accident attorneys at Page Law today at 314-488-2433 for a free consultation of your tractor-trailer crash case.
Two Fordland men were injured by a semi-truck on October 19, according to MarshfieldMail.com.
The Missouri truck crash happened on Highway 38 near Marshfield. Around 12:20 a.m., a Ford F350 truck and a Sterling tractor-trailer collided on a curve in the highway. According to the Missouri State Highway Patrol, the tractor-trailer was over the center line. The tractor-trailer swerved to the right in order to avoid the Ford. However, the trailer veered into the Ford’s lane. The trailer struck and totaled the Ford.
The driver of the Ford had moderate injuries, and the Ford’s passenger had serious injuries. Both were transported by ambulance to a local hospital. Neither of the occupants in the Ford were wearing seatbelts.
Large commercial trucks are far more likely to be involved in a fatal vehicle collision than a passenger car, partially because of their large size in comparison to other motor vehicles on the road. Every 16 minutes in the U.S., a person is injured or killed in a tractor-trailer accident. Surprisingly, the majority of large truck accidents occur in rural areas during the daytime, and on weekdays. Most occur on dry roads in good weather.
If you have been injured in a Missouri commercial truck accident, you may be able to obtain compensation for your injuries from the trucking company for medical expenses, vehicle damage, lost wages and pain and suffering and more. Contact the experienced Missouri tractor-trailer accident attorneys at Page Law by calling 314-322-8515 for a free consultation.
