Missouri Truck Accident Lawyer
Given Missouri’s central location in the country, it’s a prominent hub for truck traffic transporting goods across the Midwest. Hence, the state experiences a greater number of truck accidents than other US regions. A truck accident is a collision involving a semi-truck or tractor-trailer, often resulting in significant damage and serious injuries due to the size and weight of the truck.
When involved in a Missouri truck crash, passengers of smaller vehicles like cars, bicycles, and motorcycles face severe injuries. Accident victims must hire an experienced truck accident attorney who can determine the liability of the truck driver, trucking companies, or other parties and negotiate fair compensation.
Contact the Injury Lawyer Team to schedule a free consultation with a skilled Missouri truck accident lawyer.
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Contact our Missouri truck accident lawyers to schedule a free consultation. All confidential or sensitive information shared with your Missouri truck accident lawyer remains private through an attorney-client relationship.
Missouri Truck Accident Statistics
Missouri’s extensive highway system serves as a lifeline for transportation across the state, but the heavily trafficked routes can be hazardous for commercial trucks. If not driven carefully and attentively, trucks can collide with other large trucks or passenger vehicles, leading to most truck accidents.
We have compiled some of the key statistics related to Missouri truck crashes that present the state’s road safety.
- According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), nearly 5,000 individuals every year die in collisions with large trucks.
- Semi-trucks, cargo trucks, and 18-wheelers are some of the commercial trucking vehicles that are commonly witnessed on Missouri’s roads.
- In the year 2022, an estimated 2,308 large trucks throughout the state of Missouri were involved in crashes that caused accident injuries.
- According to the Missouri State Highway Patrol (MSHP), nearly 15,005 truck accidents occurred in 2022.
- In 2022, Missouri witnessed over 160 fatalities and approximately 1,000 serious injuries due to truck accidents.
- The period between 3:00 pm and 4:00 pm marked the peak for accidents, totalling 1,229 incidents during the year.
- St. Louis County recorded the highest number of truck accidents in 2022, with 2,462 cases, followed by Jackson County with 1,729 incidents.
- According to 2021 NHTSA data, distracted driving accounted for 8% of fatal crashes, 14% of injury crashes, and 13% of all police-reported motor vehicle traffic crashes.
What Types of Injuries are Eligible for Compensation in a Missouri Truck Accident?
Missouri truck accidents often cause more serious injuries than smaller passenger cars due to the larger vehicle’s impact. Seeking compensation in Missouri is crucial to cover medical expenses and lost wages resulting from these collisions.
Common truck accident injuries due to driver negligence for which you can seek compensation are:
- Traumatic brain injuries
- Concussions
- Cuts, bruises, and lacerations
- Broken bones
- Neck, shoulder, and back injuries
- Nerve damage or whiplash
- Spinal cord injuries
- Temporary or permanent paralysis
- Internal organ injuries and bleeding
- Amputations
- Burns
Victims of truck accidents deserve compensation for medical bills, lost wages, and pain and suffering. A St. Louis truck accident lawyer can help calculate an exact amount to cover these losses, ensuring victims and their families receive fair compensation.
7 Causes of Accidents Involving Trucks in Missouri
Although driver negligence is one of the common causes of accidents in the trucking industry, factors like overloaded cargo in the tractor-trailer, bad weather, and faulty equipment, too, cause truck collisions. The top seven causes behind Missouri truck accidents include:
- Driver Fatigue: The US Department of Transportation allows truck drivers to drive for a maximum of eleven hours, meaning seventy-seven hours per week. Long hours on the road without adequate rest decreases alertness and reaction time, encouraging a truck collision.
- Lack of Truck Maintenance: Neglecting proper upkeep of the large trucks can lead to equipment failures, such as brake malfunctions or tire blowouts. According to the FMCSA, 29% of crashes occurred due to truck brakes not functioning properly.
- Unsecured or Overweight Loads: Carrying loads beyond legal limits affects stability and maneuverability, increasing the risk of serious truck accidents.
- Speeding: Speeding commercial vehicles is one of the common causes of trucking accidents. Higher speeds reduce reaction time and worsen the impact of accidents due to the size and weight of trucks.
- Reckless Driving: Aggressive behaviors like tailgating and improper lane changes endanger the driver and others on the road.
- Driving Under the Influence (DUI): Operating trucks while impaired by alcohol or drugs affect drivers’ judgment, increasing the risk of Missouri truck crashes.
- Poor Road Conditions: Inadequately maintained roads, coupled with adverse weather conditions like rain or snow, make it difficult for truck drivers to gain traction and see other vehicles on the road. This leads to rising truck accident cases in Missouri.
What is the Legal Deadline for Filing a Truck Accident Claim in Missouri?
A statute of limitations is the time limit within which an individual can file a personal injury claim against the negligent parties. Missouri’s statute of limitations allows you to file a truck accident claim within five years from the date of the accident or injury.
Unfortunately, if you have lost a family member or a loved one in a fatal truck crash, Missouri law allows three years to file a wrongful death lawsuit on behalf of the deceased from the date of death.
Failing to meet the statute of limitations could lead to your case being dismissed by the court. Since lawsuits involve thorough investigation and preparation, it’s crucial to reach out to a St. Louis truck accident attorney as soon as possible.
Can I Get a Compensation If I’m Partially Responsible for a Truck Accident in Illinois?
In Illinois, a modified comparative negligence system is applicable for personal injury cases. Each party, including the injured victim, is assigned a percentage of liability for the truck crash. If your responsibility is less than 50%, you can still recover compensation for the truck accident, but it’ll be reduced proportionately based on your fault.
Insurance companies and trucking corporations may use this rule against you to minimize payouts. Therefore, it’s recommended to seek legal assistance from an experienced truck accident lawyer and avoid being unfairly blamed for the truck crash.
Who Can Be Held Responsible in a Missouri Truck Accident Case?
To establish liability in a truck accident case, an experienced truck accident attorney will prove that another party was at fault for the accident.
Parties that may be at fault and held liable for a Missouri truck accident include:
- The commercial truck driver
- The owner of the commercial truck
- The company that leased the commercial truck from the owner
- The manufacturer of the truck or truck components
- The person who loaded the truck’s cargo
In most truck accident cases, establishing liability means proving that the incident happened because of the defendant’s negligence. In other words, the defendant failed to exercise reasonable care, this failure caused the accident, and the truck accident resulted in both economic and non-economic damages to you.
What are the Important Laws Related to Truck Accidents in Missouri?
Laws and regulations linked to Missouri trucking accidents can be overwhelming. That’s why victims need the help of St. Louis truck accident lawyers who can advocate for their legal rights and help them hold offenders accountable for negligence.
Following are the most essential Missouri trucking laws every accident victim should know:
- All commercial truck drivers operating a vehicle weighing over 26,000 pounds or transporting hazardous materials are required to have commercial driver’s licenses (CDLs) issued by the Missouri Department of Revenue’s Motor Vehicle Bureau issues.
- In Missouri, truck accident laws encompass regulations such as Hours of Service rules as stated by the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA). Hours of Service rules mandate rest breaks for truck drivers to ensure alertness.
- The Missouri State Highway Patrol establishes that every commercial truck must undergo inspections at least once every 12 months.
- The FMCSA sets limits for the blood alcohol concentration of 0.04 percent for commercial drivers to be charged with impaired driving.
- Weight restrictions are also enforced to enhance road safety. Typically, the weight limit for a standard tractor-trailer is about 80,000 pounds.
- If involved in an accident, truck drivers must undergo drug and alcohol testing.
- The maximum speed limit for Missouri trucks on interstate highways is 70 mph.
How a Truck Accident Attorney from the Injury Lawyer Team Can Help
The Injury Lawyer Team helps in your Missouri truck accident case by:
- Our experienced truck accident lawyers understand Missouri’s personal injury law and their experience ensures you don’t lose any potential compensation for medical bills, lost wages, and mental suffering.
- We gather and present the necessary evidence to prove the liability of the other party in Missouri semi-truck accidents.
- A police report, medical records, eyewitness testimonies, statements by accident reconstruction experts, and footage of traffic surveillance cameras are most helpful when strengthening your injury claim.
- Our Missouri truck accident lawyers ensure fair compensation by negotiating with insurance companies on your behalf, protecting your rights.
- If the insurance company refuses to provide fair compensation through negotiations, we will take your case to court.
- Using our trial experience when facing mega trucking companies and their legal teams, we advocate fiercely for your rights before a jury or judge.
Hire a Skilled Truck Accident Lawyer to Pursue Your Injury Claim or Lawsuit
Did you get hurt or lose a loved one in an accident involving a commercial truck? The Missouri truck accident attorneys at Injury Lawyer Team, powered by Rosenfeld Law Offices, can help. Our truck accident lawyers represent accident victims in personal injury cases and wrongful death claims in St. Louis, Missouri.
Contact an experienced truck accident attorney today at (888) 424-5757 to schedule a free consultation. All shared confidential or sensitive information with your Missouri truck accident attorney remains private through an attorney-client relationship.
We accept every truck accident claim on a contingency fee basis. This guarantees you will pay no upfront legal fees until your professional truck accident attorney wins your case.