Trucking Accident Attorney Blog

A Canadian trucking company is suing the State of New Hampshire, alleging that the state’s Department of Transportation is responsible for a fatal trucking accident because it failed to sand or salt an icy road. According to the Claims Journal, an insurance industry publication, a tractor-trailer was traveling along Interstate 93 when it jackknifed, running into a family’s van and killing a six-year-old boy inside. The trucking company, Fidele Tremblay of Quebec, settled a trucking accident lawsuit brought by the boy’s family for $2.5 million.

However, the company alleges in its lawsuit against New Hampshire that the state didn’t respond to at least eight calls from state troopers, requesting salting or sanding for the highway. In a deposition, a trooper called to the scene said he couldn’t stand or walk on the road, but had to “almost skate” to keep from falling. Other state troopers testified that they regularly complain about the lack of salt or sand in the area where the accident occurred.

Weather and poor roadway maintenance are relatively rare causes of trucking accidents, but they can certainly be a cause. That’s particularly true in the winter, when storms can add layers of treacherous ice to our highways. Here in Missouri, and throughout the Midwest, we’ve already lived through several storms this winter that caused a rash of serious traffic accidents. The state, local and federal governments that maintain our roads have a responsibility to take reasonable care for the public’s safety, just as drivers must take reasonable care around one another.

When government agencies fail in that responsibility, they’re liable for the results of their actions, just like a careless driver would be. In my practice as a Missouri trucking accident lawyer, I thoroughly investigate fault in trucking accidents, including the possibility that a government agency may be at fault. Using technical evidence from inside the truck and physical evidence from outside, it’s possible to establish where and how a slide started, the role a heavy load played and many other factors that could be important in a Missouri truck crash lawsuit.

In order to hold a government agency responsible for a crash, victims may have to follow special procedures and meet very tight deadlines. Experts recommend that they get help from an experienced trucking accident attorney. At the Lowe Law Firm, we offer free consultations to people who were seriously injured by a semi truck accident in Missouri or Southern Illinois. If you believe your family has a claim, you can contact us today through the Internet or call us toll-free at 1-877-678-3400.

A semi truck rolled over and spilled hazardous chemicals on an Interstate 70 entrance ramp Feb. 6, the Kansas City Star reported. According to the paper, the trucker got out of the truck himself and was taken to the hospital for non-life-threatening injuries. No other vehicles were involved. A hazardous materials unit from the Kansas City, Kan. Fire Department was called to deal with leaks of antifreeze, oil and diesel fuel caused by the accident.

Load spills are a common problem in trucking accidents, because almost all large commercial trucks exist to ferry goods around our big country. Even a spill of materials that aren’t hazardous can be a problem because of the sheer quantity of goods spilled into the highway; goods like logs can pose a special risk because of their size and weight. But when hazardous materials like gasoline are spilled, the danger increases dramatically. In addition to the problems posed by any spill, a gasoline spill is highly flammable, slippery and polluting. Other hazmat spills could pose a danger to humans because of their volatility or toxic fumes.

A rollover accident involving a large truck is also a serious concern. The size of a large truck poses a threat even when it’s upright and under control; a rollover raises the possibility that it could literally fall over onto another vehicle. And despite the fact that large trucks were just 3.9% of all of the vehicles involved in traffic accidents in 2007, they had a disproportionate share of rollover accidents -- 3.5% of truck accidents were rollovers, whereas 1.8% of passenger car accidents were rollovers. And a large truck is also much taller than most passenger vehicles, making it top-heavy and thus more likely to roll over than a low-riding economy sedan.

Luckily, nobody was seriously hurt in this Missouri truck accident. But when large trucks crash and roll over, they can cause brain damage, paralysis, serious burns or even deaths for the people who are unlucky enough to be in nearby vehicles. If the crash is the truck driver’s fault, victims and their families have a legal right to hold that driver -- and his or her trucking company -- legally responsible for the physical, financial and emotional results.

The Lowe Law Firm can help. Based in St. Louis, we represent victims of serious trucking accidents throughout Missouri and southern Illinois. To set up a free consultation with our experienced truck accident attorneys, please contact us online or call 1-877-678-3400 today.

The Johnston City Fire Department will cover the costs of multiple minor accidents caused by a dropped fire hose, the Southern Illinoisan reported Feb. 4. The truck dropped 1,000 feet of hose on Interstate 64 near Centralia, the paper said, on its way to Freeburg for maintenance. The hose caused a 10-car pileup behind the truck, but all of the damage was minor, fortunately. Johnston City’s fire chief apologized and said the city’s insurance carrier would cover the damage, although he did not have a cost estimate at the time.

A dropped fire hose sounds like a joke, but we’re lucky it didn’t cause a more serious accident. One thousand feet of empty fire hose can weigh hundreds of pounds, which would have a real effect if it all hit a vehicle at once. Perhaps more importantly, dropping anything on a freeway at high speeds could cause an accident, simply because other drivers might have to take evasive action. When they see an object flying toward them, drivers might also be tempted to overcorrect.

Fire trucks aren’t the trucks most people think of when they think of accidents with large trucks -- but they’re involved in a surprising amount of accidents, considering that they are driven by professionals. According to research by the University of Michigan, traffic collisions are one of the biggest occupational risks for firefighters, causing an average of 21 deaths and 1,076 injuries every year. However, as with large commercial semi trucks, the majority of those deaths -- 15 out of 21 -- are the deaths of people in other vehicles. Like 18-wheelers, fire trucks far outweigh passenger cars and trucks, making them deadly in an accident.

The Lowe Law Firm handles all types of truck accidents, from serious tractor-trailer jackknife accidents to collisions with municipal and local trucks. Our experienced Missouri trucking accident lawyers understand the complicated physical, legal and medical problems posed by a serious truck accident and will represent you thoroughly and aggressively in any trucking accident lawsuit. Based in St. Louis and Belleville, Ill., we represent clients throughout Missouri and southern Illinois. To set up a free consultation on your case today, you can contact us online or call toll-free at 1-877-678-3400.

A truck driver was sentenced to 20 years in prison for causing an Illinois accident that killed two people, the Muncie Star-Press reported Jan. 31. Robert Whitney, most recently of Albany, Ill., was driving a tractor-trailer without a license and under the influence of drugs in mid-2006 when he fell asleep at the wheel. He crashed into a guardrail and came to a stop blocking lanes, causing a traffic pileup. Another trucker was unable to stop in time and crashed into the stopped traffic, killing himself and a 15-year-old girl from Michigan, who was in one of the stopped cars with her family.

This was the third fatal accident involving Whitney. In 1985, according to the paper, he was acquitted of criminal recklessness in a boating accident that killed a 12-year-old boy. Later, in 2001, the truck driver pleaded guilty to hitting a Chicago man with his truck while intoxicated, then leaving the scene of the accident. The judge in that case suspended Whitney's driving privileges for life. However, the Indiana Bureau of Motor Vehicles, which said it wasn't informed of the suspension, issued him a license when he was released from prison in 2005. Another report says that Whitney was on parole for that violation during the 2006 accident, during which he had been driving for 40 hours straight with only a pair of two-hour breaks.

Sleep deprivation is such a common problem among truck drivers that it's almost a cliché for Midwestern truck accident lawyers. Long-haul truckers and their trucking companies are sometimes forced to take a reduced payment if they don't make their deliveries on time. That's true regardless of weather, traffic or other delays that could pose special safety concerns for ten-ton trucks. Under financial pressure from clients and dispatchers, some of these truck drivers go without sleep -- or, worse, turn to drugs to help them stay awake. A much smaller group of truckers also uses drugs or alcohol chronically, simply because they are addicted. In either case, this is dangerous and unacceptable behavior that puts everyone on the roads around them at risk of death, severe burns, paralysis and other catastrophic injuries.

When truckers like this one cause serious accidents with their own carelessness, they and their trucking companies are legally responsible for all of the results -- physical, emotional and financial. In addition to, or instead of, bringing criminal charges, victims of serious trucking accidents have the right to bring a southern Illinois semi truck accident lawsuit for compensation for the loss of a loved one, a permanent disability and other injuries, as well as all of the financial costs of the accident.

The Lowe Law Firm represents victims of serious trucking accidents in Missouri and southern Illinois. If you believe you have a case and you'd like to know more about your options, please contact us online as soon as possible or call us at 1-877-678-3400.

Two people were killed Jan. 16 when their pickup truck overturned and was struck by a big rig truck, which also rolled over. According to the News-Leader of Springfield, the victims were on Interstate 44 east of Joplin around 4:35 a.m. when the driver lost control of the pickup, which overturned. When their truck came to rest in a driving lane, a tractor-trailer struck it from behind and also rolled over. The occupants of the pickup died; the truck's driver was not hurt.

As a Missouri large truck accident attorney, I know it can be difficult to stop a vehicle as heavy as a tractor-trailer quickly. But in general, many drivers don't realize that a rear-end accident with a truck is very dangerous. Many of us think of rear-end accidents as minor accidents, and that's often true when the vehicles are traveling slowly and have about the same weight. But with high speeds and mismatched vehicles, it's a different story. Federal accident statistics don't specifically track rear-end accidents involving trucks, but they do say that 15% of fatal truck crashes in 2007 started when another vehicle hit the back of the truck. For passenger cars and trucks, that rate is 2% to 2.6%.

A staggering 45% of trucking accident fatalities in the same year started with an impact to the front of the truck, which includes (but isn't limited to) accidents in which the truck rear-ended a passenger vehicle. All crashes can be dangerous if they happen at high speeds or among vehicles with substantial height and weight differences, as happened here. But rear-end accidents are particularly dangerous because the point of impact can whip victims' heads around, leading to serious neck injuries. A 2003 study by the General Insurance Association of Japan found that 77% of injuries in rear-end accidents -- the vast majority -- were neck injuries.

At their most serious, neck injuries can lead to death or permanent damage to the spinal cord, which means lifelong paraplegia, quadriplegia or other forms of paralysis. This is always a tragedy, but when it's caused by someone else's careless driving or law-breaking, it is also a form of negligence allowing victims to sue for the costs of the injury. In a Missouri trucking accident lawsuit, victims and their families can win the money they need to pay accident-related medical and other bills; make ends meet when victims cannot work; and compensate them for a lifelong disability or the permanent loss of a loved one.

The Lowe Law Firm represents semi accident victims throughout Missouri and southern Illinois -- and we offer free evaluations of potential clients' cases. If you'd like to speak with us about your own case and your options, please contact us today.

A truck driver was injured Jan. 13 after his tractor-trailer rolled over on Highway 60, the Joplin Globe reported. The driver was in Lawrence County at about 1:21 p.m. when he apparently fell asleep, according to the Missouri Highway Patrol. He lost control of his truck and swerved off and onto the road before swerving off again and overturning the tractor-trailer. No other vehicles were involved, but the trucker was taken to the hospital.

Truck drivers sleeping behind the wheel is more common than you might think, unfortunately. Truckers, particularly long-haul truckers, have to meet strict delivery deadlines, and clients may dock their pay or their companies' pay for late delivery. That means truckers are under pressure to keep driving, even when they're so fatigued that they're no longer able to drive an 80,000-pound vehicle safely. Some just drive while sleepy; others may turn to illegal drugs to stay awake. In either case, the result can be unsafe driving that exposes the motorists around them to serious injuries or even death.

The federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration, which is responsible for regulating interstate trucking, recognizes this danger. That's why they limit the number of hours per day that truckers may drive and require them to keep logs showing that they've complied. Unfortunately, the logs are self-reported, and many truckers simply lie on them -- often with implicit approval or explicit orders from their trucking companies. This may help trucking companies keep their profits high, but it's a very real threat to everyone else on the road. Most truckers who follow these illegal and unsafe practices are never caught -- until they kill or gravely injure someone in a serious Missouri commercial truck accident.

Given that this accident happened in early afternoon, we are all lucky that only one vehicle was involved. When trucks hit passenger cars, trucks or SUVs, they can instantly kill the people inside or cause very serious injuries, including brain damage, paralysis and severe burns. If the accident is caused by the truck driver's (or trucking company's) own carelessness, victims have the right to hold them legally and financially responsible with a Missouri trucking accident lawsuit. If you or someone you love was in this type of accident and you'd like to know more about your rights and your legal options, The Lowe Law Firm can help. Our experienced truck accident lawyers handle claims in southern Illinois and throughout Missouri. To set up a free consultation today, please contact us through our Web site.