Truck Driver Negligence

From August 18, 2011 until October 3, 2011, tractor-trailers hauling loads of sand, gravel, or other materials required to rebuild and restore areas damaged due to flooding are exempt from restrictions limiting the weight of loads that may be carried on Missouri roads, according to a recent news article from KAIT.

Trucks are allowed to carry up to 10 percent more than their usual road limits on state highways without requiring an additional permit until post-flooding reconstruction in southeast Missouri is complete, according to the Missouri Department of Transportation (MoDOT). Drivers may not, however, haul these heavier loads on interstate highways or national defense routes. In addition, drivers must limit their speed on Missouri state bridges to 30 miles per hour and must drive in the center of the road across the bridge, straddling both lanes of traffic. Truck drivers traveling across bridges in this fashion must yield to traffic coming towards them.

All other tractor-trailer regulations are in force during this period, according to MoDOT. These include restrictions involving licenses, wage and hour regulations, and regulations regarding safety and maintenance on trucks, trailers, and loads.

Overloaded tractor-trailers can cause serious damage in a crash. In addition to putting extra stress on roads and bridges, heavier trucks have more momentum, making them harder to stop, and causing more damage in many kinds of crashes.

If you or someone you love has been injured in a truck accident in Missouri, the experienced St. Louis overloaded tractor-trailer accident attorneys at Page Law can help you protect your legal rights and hold any negligent people or companies responsible for their actions. For a free consultation, call Page Law today at 314-322-8515.

A tractor-trailer driver who failed to hit his brakes in time set off a chain-reaction accident on Interstate 64 recently, according to a recent article in the River Bend Telegraph.

According to accident reports, the accident began as traffic in the right-hand lane of I-64 began to slow down when entering a construction zone. A large truck that was part of the line of traffic did not brake properly in time and hit the back of a Dodge van. The impact pushed the van into the two cars directly ahead of it, causing further damage and injuries. The truck’s driver told police that he had been momentarily distracted as he adjusted the truck’s mirrors, and when he looked up, he did not have time to stop the truck safely.

The driver of the van and a passenger in another car had to be taken to nearby hospitals via helicopter, where they were admitted in critical condition with serious injuries. The drivers of the other two cars were treated for minor injuries and are expected to make a full recovery. Police did not say whether the driver of the truck was injured, but the truck driver did receive a traffic ticket for failing to reduce his speed in order to avoid an accident.

Driver distractions cause thousands of accidents on U.S. roads each year. When the driver is responsible for a large, heavy vehicle like a semi truck, the accident may cause serious injury or death. If you’ve been injured in a truck accident, please don’t hesitate to contact the experienced Missouri truck driver negligence attorneys at Page Law. To learn more about how we can help, call 314-322-8515 today for a free consultation.

Recently, the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Association (FMCSA) proposed a new rule that would restrict the use of cell phones by tractor-trailer and commercial bus drivers. The FMCSA accepted public comment on the proposed rule, including suggestions for alternatives.

In designing a rule for cell phone use, the FMCSA had three options: do nothing, ban cell phone use entirely, or restrict cell phone use to hands-free devices but ban dialing or otherwise manipulating a cell phone while driving. The agency received over 400 responses from various individuals, companies, and interest groups involved in the trucking industry. Most of these results agreed that the new rule should take the middle ground, allowing the use of hands-free devices but restricting dialing and other activities that take the driver’s eyes off the road and hands off the wheel.

In reconsidering this “middle ground,” the FMCSA cited a recent study performed at Virginia Tech on distracted drivers. The study found that merely talking on a hands-free device did not distract truck drivers nearly as much as dialing or holding a cell phone did. The FMCSA noted that there was little evidence from any source to suggest that merely talking posed a significant risk – but that dialing a phone or looking up numbers made the risk increase.

While most truck drivers take their safety responsibilities seriously, no one is immune to distraction. If you’ve been injured in a Missouri truck accident, please don’t hesitate to contact the experienced truck accident lawyers in St. Louis at Page Law. We will examine your case carefully and help you fight to protect your legal rights. To learn more, call us today at 314-322-8515 for a free consultation.

Currently, Missouri and several other U.S. states exempt drivers from having a commercial drivers license (CDL) or from having to meet federal standards if the drivers are only moving farm trucks or farm equipment within a certain distance of the farm to which they belong. However, allowing states to make their own farm equipment exemptions has created a confusing patchwork of rules across the nation.

In order to fix the confusion and create uniform rules, the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) is taking public comment on a new rule that addresses both CDLs and service rules for drivers of farm equipment and trucks. The FMCSA is considering issues such as the difference between transporting farm vehicles in-state and out-of-state, whether CDLs should be required over short distances, and whether farms should have to meet other FMCSA regulations such as hours of service requirements and maintenance logs.

Currently, Missouri does not require a CDL if a farmer, family member, or employee is transporting a truck or farm equipment in-state and within 150 miles of the farm and the vehicle is not transporting hazardous materials. Changes to the current FMCSA requirements may mean that farm drivers would be required to get a CDL, maintain health and maintenance records, and/or obtain special permits or training to move oversized loads.

Truck drivers in Missouri who lack proper training and experience are more likely to cause accidents. If you or someone you love has been injured in a truck crash caused by a truck driver, the experienced Missouri truck driver negligence accident attorneys at Page Law can help. For a free consultation, call 314-322-8515 to find out more about your legal rights.

A man died Wednesday, June 8 after being involved in a crash with a stopped tractor trailer, according to ksdk.com. The crash happened at the intersection of St. Rose Road and Baumann Road in Clinton County, Illinois. A tractor trailer was stopped waiting for traffic to clear so that he could turn on Baumann Road when the man plowed into the big rig from behind.

Approximate location of the accident:

The crash knocked the big rig into a ditch next to the road and caused the truck to catch fire with the man trapped inside. The man was killed in the resulting fire. The trucker was taken to a hospital nearby and is in serious condition. There was one passenger in the deceased man’s truck, who had to be airlifted to a nearby hospital.

An accident like this one shows how a moment of inattention at the wheel can result in a serious crash. It is likely that the deceased man simply lost focus for a moment and didn’t realize that the tractor trailer was stopped in front of him. Unfortunately, he was not able to stop his truck in time to avoid a horrific crash.

Crashes like this one highlight the importance of avoiding the use of any electronic device while operating a motor vehicle. Whether it is a cell phone, the radio, a GPS, or an iPod, taking your eyes off of the road for a second can cause you to be unprepared for changing traffic conditions. Moreover, they can cause you to be involved in accidents that can threaten both your life and the lives your passengers and other drivers.

Accidents caused by driver inattention like this one can be tragic. When an accident like this occurs, you need someone to help you get you a settlement to take care of your injuries. At Page Law our experienced Missouri truck driver negligence attorneys know how hard it can be to return to normal after a serious accident. What you need is a lawyer who has your interests at heart. If you need help after a serious accident, call Page Law today at 314-322-8515 for a free consultation.

Source:http://www.ksdk.com/news/article/262419/3/Clinton-County-crash-kills-Chad-True

A mother is still seeking answers about the fatal Missouri truck accident that claimed her son’s life in October of 2010, according to KCTV.com.

On October 1, the woman’s son, a senior at a Missouri college, was heading to Kansas City for the weekend in a pickup driven by a friend. The students were travelling on Highway 71, just south of Highway 58, when a large truck in front of them began scattering debris, which included tree limbs and logs. Several motorists called 911 to report that the logs were on the road on a two to three mile area.

The driver of the pickup truck tried to dodge the debris. While trying to miss a large tree, the driver lost control of the vehicle, and it hit the median and flipped three times. The passenger was not wearing a seatbelt, and he was thrown 200 feet from the vehicle and died.

Fatal Missouri trucking accidents occur across the state on a regular basis because debris flew off of a tractor-trailer. Debris can be the load the truck was carrying, a large tire tread, ice or snow, or something else. Overloaded trucks in Missouri pose serious risks to truck drivers and others on the road should a truck unexpectedly release its load or rollover when making a sharp turn.

In order to prevent getting involved in a debris-related accident while sharing highways with tractor-trailers, there are a few basic safety tips to follow. First, don’t follow the tractor-trailer too closely. Give yourself enough space to stop if the materials being transported by the truck happen to come loose and suddenly dump onto the road. If you need to pass a truck, do not stay in the passing lane any longer than is necessary.

Trucking companies have a legal duty to ensure that trucks and truck drivers comply with weight and load safety rules and regulations. If you have been injured from debris falling from a tractor-trailer, you have rights. Call the Missouri truck accident attorneys at Page Law, LLC at 314-241-2273 to learn more about your legal options and how we can help you obtain compensation from negligent parties.

A man who was injured in a serious truck accident on Interstate 64 in St. Louis in 2008 was awarded $13.8 million from a truck driver and the trucking company, according to STLtoday.com. His wife was also awarded $4.2 million.

The Missouri big rig accident occurred when a truck driver became distracted when reaching for a cell phone. His truck plowed into several vehicles, which caused three deaths and fourteen injuries.

The plaintiff in the accident case was one of those injured. As a result of the accident, he is unable to walk or talk and now is in a nursing home. He has two children and one grandchild. The large verdict came after a one-day bench trial. The judge ruled both the driver and the trucking company were responsible for the plaintiff’s injuries from the Missouri truck accident because it was more likely true than not true that the driver was negligent. Evidence showed the truck driver had been violating federal regulations by driving more than the maximum hours allowed over a period of eight days. Two other families have sued the driver and the trucking company, but those suits are pending.

This tragic accident shouldn’t have happened. The driver had been working more hours than allowed under law, and was more than likely exhausted and not thinking clearly when he was distracted by his cell phone. If you have been involved in an accident with a tractor-trailer in Missouri, you may have a cause of action against the trucking company. Contact the Missouri truck crash attorneys at Page Law, LLC at 1-314-488-2433 today for a free consultation.

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.

Taking and receiving cell phone calls may have distracted the truck driver responsible for a crash that killed eleven passengers in a church van in March, according to a news report released recently by local ABC news affiliate KMBC. The tractor-trailer crossed a median and struck a passenger van, killing the eleven passengers inside. The passengers were on their way to a wedding.

Cell phone use was cited as a “human factor” involved in the fatal trucking accident, according to the recently-released police report. However, police have still not determined whether the driver was actually using the cell phone at the moment the accident occurred.

Also according to the police report, the truck driver was traveling faster than the posted speed limit of 70 miles per hour when he crossed the median. According to witnesses, the driver attempted to brake for about 100 feet before striking the van, but the truck was still traveling faster than 80 miles per hour when the truck crash occurred. Neither weather nor alcohol appears to have been a factor in the accident.

Both the Kentucky State Police and the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration are continuing to investigate the accident. Although cell phone use by truck drivers is still permitted, the Department of Transportation has promised to consider issuing rules about cell phone use.

Distracted drivers are a factor in a large number of truck accidents in the U.S. each year. Drivers may be distracted by their cell phones, GPS locators, or other objects in the cab. Avoiding distractions is crucial to safe driving, especially for operators of large tractor-trailers.

If you have been injured by a distracted truck driver, you have certain legal rights that deserve to be protected. The experienced Missouri tractor trailer accident injury attorneys at Page Law can help you understand your options and protect your rights. Contact the attorneys at Page Law today by calling 314-322-8515 to schedule a free and confidential consultation.

According to a recent article in the St. Louis Post-Dispatch, an Alabama trucker who killed three people on I-64/40 west of St. Louis in 2008 has been released after pleading guilty to three counts of involuntary manslaughter.

The judge accepted the trucker’s guilty plea and sentenced the trucker to one year in jail. However, the judge also granted the trucker credit for the 371 days he’d already served in jail. In court, the trucker apologized to the families of the victims. He has no plans to return to truck driving as a career.

According to police, the 2008 accident occurred when the trucker, who was distracted while reaching for his cell phone, plowed into multiple vehicles on the highway. The crash killed three motorists and injured fourteen.

At least one of the severely injured motorists in the crash was awarded monetary damages in a civil suit for his injuries. In addition to criminal penalties, civil claims may be brought against negligent truck drivers whose behavior causes injuries or death. In a civil case, an injured person and/or the person’s family may seek monetary compensation to help pay medical bills and other expenses associated with the accident.

If you or a loved one has suffered through a tractor-trailer crash, please contact the Missouri trucking crash lawsuit attorneys at Page Law. Our experienced attorneys will listen to the details of your case and fight to get you and your loved one the compensation you need to move forward after the accident. Contact Page Law today by calling (314) 322-8515 for a free and confidential evaluation of your Missouri truck accident case.