According to the FMCSA, seat belt use among truck drivers was up to 78 percent in 2010, from 74 percent in 2009. Truck drivers were more likely to buckle up in states that had primary seat belt laws than they were in states with secondary laws. A primary seat belt law allows law enforcement to stop a vehicle if the driver is not wearing a seat belt, even if he or she has done nothing else to warrant a stop. A secondary law, on the other hand, can only be enforced if the vehicle has already been stopped for some other reason.

In addition, drivers that worked for trucking companies that operated a fleet of trucks averaged an 80 percent rate of buckling up, while independent owner-operators averaged only 71 percent. The FMCSA hypothesizes that greater safety awareness by trucking companies may have more to do with the increase in their drivers wearing seat belts. Fleet drivers and owner-operators tend to cause roughly the same number of accidents each year, however, indicating that more focus on drivers protecting others on the road is also needed.

A seat belt can protect anyone wearing it in a crash, but it can’t prevent a negligent driver from causing an accident. At Page Law, our experienced St. Louis truck accident lawyers are dedicated to representing those who have been injured in accidents with trucks and other large vehicles. To learn more about how we can help you, call us today at (314) 322-8515 for a free and confidential consultation.

Accidents involving single- or multi-unit tractor-trailers caused property damage in 7,898 separate situations in 2010, according to the state highway patrol’s report. Meanwhile, 1,173 people were injured in tractor-trailer accidents and 83 lost their lives. While these numbers are still unacceptably high – especially for those who were injured or lost a loved one in one of these accidents – they are significantly better than the rates for death and injury in Missouri passenger vehicle accidents in 2010.

Another category in which deaths were rare but property damage common was among commercial buses (not school buses). Only three people lost their lives in commercial bus accidents in Missouri in 2010, but property damage occurred in 956 accidents. 250 people were injured in Missouri commercial bus accidents in 2010.

Often, property damage without injury to any people involved is preferable to the alternative, especially if the accident involves a tractor-trailer or other large vehicle. While vehicles, buildings, road barriers, and other items can be expensive to replace, their cost does not come close to the value of a human being’s life or health.

When property damage or injury occurs, you have certain legal rights in Missouri. At Page Law, our experienced Missouri truck accident attorneys are dedicated to helping those who suffered injury or property damage in a crash hold any negligent parties accountable for their actions. To learn more about your options after a truck crash, call us today at (314) 322-8515 for a free and confidential consultation.

The accident occurred at the intersection of U.S. Highway 63 and Highway W. The driver of the pickup truck, a 38-year-old man from Greentop, Missouri, had stopped at the intersection. As he pulled into the intersection, his pickup was struck by a tractor-trailer driving through the intersection. According to preliminary police reports, the driver said that although he had looked both ways, he did not see the semi coming until it was too late.

His passenger, a 37-year-old woman who is also a Greentop resident, suffered serious injuries in the crash. Rescue workers transported her to a local hospital, but her injuries proved too extensive for medical personnel to treat. She passed away at the hospital several hours after the crash. The driver of the pickup truck suffered moderate injuries and was also taken to the hospital. The semi’s driver was not injured.

Semi accidents are less common than passenger vehicle accidents, but when a large semi collides with an ordinary passenger vehicle, tragic losses can result. If you or someone you love has been injured in a truck accident, the experienced St. Louis truck accident lawyers at Page Law are here to help. For more information, call us today at (314) 322-8515. The initial consultation is free, and your information is always kept confidential.

Leave extra space. Leave space between you and the semi truck in front of you, so that you have adequate space to stop even if the road is slippery. Likewise, if you merge in front of a truck, make sure you leave several car lengths between you and the front of the truck. In winter weather conditions, a semi truck may need the length of a football field to stop completely so plan accordingly.

Drive more slowly, especially if passing a truck that is pulling over or has stopped on the side of the roadway. Do not use cruise control on wet, snowy, or icy roads.

Clean off your car thoroughly to prevent snow or ice from obscuring your headlights or flying off your car and distracting or obscuring other drivers’ vision – including truck drivers – from the road ahead.

Pack extra blankets and a heat source, such as a candle in a tin can, in case your vehicle is disabled in an accident and you must wait for help to arrive. Extra blankets and clothes can help keep you warm if your heater won’t run after a crash.

If you or someone you love was involved in a truck accident, the dedicated and experienced St. Louis truck accident attorneys at Page Law can help. Call us today at (314) 322-8515 for a consultation. The call is free, and your information is kept confidential.

According to the FMCSA, “reincarnation” is a common practice among small trucking companies. The cycle begins when a company receives one or more citations from FMCSA for failing to follow safety rules. The citation may be for a defective or poorly-maintained truck, for violating the Hours of Service (HOS) rules, or for another reason. Rather than fixing the problem, the company goes out of business – at least, on paper.

The trucks and assets of the first business are transferred to a new company name, and the company starts over with no “official” violations on its record and no responsibility for fixing the old violations – even if they still endanger drivers or other motorists. Some companies “reincarnate” several times to avoid dealing with ongoing violations. This form of truck employer negligence is very dangerous.

FMCSA has already begun doing more background research into owner-operators and trucking companies, looking for signs that the company is a reincarnation. Now, the agency is developing uniform rules for weeding out reincarnations and holding trucking companies responsible.

Truck accidents can cause serious injuries and even death. If you or someone you love has been injured in a truck crash, the dedicated tractor-trailer accident attorneys in Missouri at Page Law have the courtroom experience and legal resources to help you hold any negligent parties accountable for their actions. For a free and confidential consultation, call Page Law today at (314) 322-8515.

The DPS offers the following statistics related to Missouri truck accidents:

• Approximately 200 people are killed and 4,500 are injured in Missouri truck accidents each year. Put another way, a person is killed or injured in a Missouri truck crash every 1.7 hours.
• Nearly 75 percent of Missouri truck accidents begin when the truck hits another vehicle or another vehicle hits the truck. The remaining 25 percent usually begins with the truck or another vehicle striking a fixed object, like a telephone pole or highway divider.
• 59 percent of all Missouri truck crashes take place in urban areas. However, 75 percent of crashes that happen in rural areas prove fatal.
• Approximately 70 percent of truck drivers involved in Missouri truck crashes each year are licensed in Missouri. About 29 percent are licensed in another state, and about 1 percent has no license. The average age of a truck driver involved in a crash is 42 years.

With such high rates of death and injury, truck accidents can have serious consequences. If you or someone you love has been injured in a Missouri truck accident, please don’t hesitate to contact the experienced St. Louis truck accident attorneys at Page Law. For a free and confidential consultation about your case, call us today at 314-322-8515.

Waller, which hauls dry goods and products of various kinds, received the award as part of Great West Casualty Company’s 2010 National Safety Awards Program. Great West Casualty Company insures trucking companies throughout the United States. Each year, it gives awards to client companies that manage to minimize the number of preventable trucking accidents their drivers suffered in the past twelve months. The Platinum Award is the highest honor that Great West offers, though companies can also earn a Gold, Silver or Participatory Award depending on their performance in accident prevention.

The Platinum Award is not the first safety award Waller Truck Co. has received from Great West Casualty Company. The trucking company also won a Gold Award for fleet safety in the past, according to Waller. This year’s National Safety Awards Program handed out over 800 awards to trucking companies throughout Missouri and the United States, recognizing their commitment to minimizing accidents and protecting the safety of their drivers and other motorists who share the road.

Most truck drivers and the companies they work for take safety seriously. When an accident does occur, however, it can leave other motorists or pedestrians severely injured. If you’ve been injured in a truck accident, please don’t hesitate to call an experienced truck accident lawyer in Missouri at Page Law. We will help you investigate the causes of the crash and fight to hold any negligent parties accountable for their actions. For a free consultation, call Page Law today at 314-PAGE-LAW.

Eight of the 14 orders were issued between March and July of 2011. Most of the orders to remove unsafe vehicles from the road were issued to bus companies, but at least one trucking company was also ordered to stop using a tractor-trailer until unsafe conditions were fixed.

In addition to examining trucks more carefully and issuing imminent-hazard orders when significant dangers are found, the FMCSA has also increased the number of random inspections performed on commercial vehicles. The number of semi trucks stopped on U.S. highways for inspection has doubled in the past two years, and the number of commercial bus inspections is nearly one and a half times higher than in the past decade. U.S. Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood has stated that, while he is in charge of the Department of Transportation (DOT), its first priority will be highway safety.

A large and heavy tractor-trailer or passenger bus can cause serious damage in a crash with a smaller passenger vehicle like a car or pickup truck. If you’ve been injured in such a crash, the experienced Missouri truck accident attorneys at Page Law can help. Call us today at 314-322-8515 for a free and confidential consultation. You can also visit our Page Injury Law Twitter account for valuable information and topics of interest.

The damage to the car was significant and both of the occupants of the car were seriously injured in the crash and taken to a nearby hospital. The driver of the car later died as a result of his injuries.

Sadly, this accident seems to have been caused by an older driver who made a mistake and wasn’t able to turn in time to avoid getting hit by a dump truck. I will always remember what my driving instructor told me about the correlation between age and driving ability. He said that young drivers have enormous physical driving skills because reflexes, vision and eye-hand coordination are at their best when a person is young. Young drivers, however, often lack good judgment that comes from experience behind the wheel.

As drivers age, many become safer because they begin to drive more slowly and gain more experience on the road. Unfortunately, at a certain point, aging deteriorates a person’s physical driving skills to a degree that their experience can no longer make the difference that it once could. I dare say that this was the problem in the above accident. This was probably not a mistake that the driver would have made even a few years ago.

Have you been injured in a crash and need money to help you pay for your medical expenses? The St. Louis truck accident lawyers at Page Law are here to help, call us at 314-322-8515 for a free consultation.

This particular stretch of road has five lanes with a center turn lane. Police cited the driver for, among other things, improperly using the turn lane. It is important that people know the traffic rules regarding the center turn lane because it may, as in this case, be an important part of determining whether a driver was negligent.

The Police Department from Springfield, Missouri recently described legal and illegal uses of a center turn lane. They said that center turn lanes are designed so that people can use them both to turn from and to pull out into when making a left turn across traffic. Police say that driving down a turn lane as if it is a normal lane while waiting for a spot to open in the traffic so that you can merge is an illegal use of a turn lane.

Missouri pedestrian accidents happen all the time. It is possible that this accident could have been averted had the driver of the truck not attempted to drive down the turn lane illegally after pulling into it. If you’ve been hit by a car, you need to talk to a lawyer to figure out if you have a claim against the driver. Call Page Law’s St. Louis pedestrian truck crash lawyers at 314-322-8515.