Truck Crash Lawyers in Missouri

What Causes a Truck Crash?

One wrong move, and in the blink of an eye, lives can change forever. Truck accidents can happen for many reasons, but some of the most common causes include:

• Distracted driving, such as cell phone use, eating or daydreaming
• The truck driver attempting to drive longer hours than permitted by law in order to make their delivery quicker and make more money
• Failing to adjust driving to road and weather conditions
• Driving under the influence of alcohol or drugs, which is illegal
• Speeding and reckless driving
• Overloading a trailer with cargo, which can lead the driver to lose control of the vehicle
• Negligent hiring, such as hiring drivers with traffic violations
• Improper or inadequate training of drivers
• Failure to regularly maintain and inspect the vehicle and operating equipment in compliance with federal regulations
• Failing to observe or enforce federally mandated break periods or pressuring drivers to forgo them, which can cause fatigue-related accidents

Handling the evidence in your case is just one of the many things your Burger Law truck crash lawyer will do for your Missouri truck accident claim. Identifying the cause of the accident is critical in determining who is at fault and who is responsible for compensating you. If you have been injured in a truck accident, hire a lawyer right away. Our truck wreck attorneys thoroughly investigate the circumstances of your accident and build an impregnable case on your behalf. Your recovery depends on it.

What Kinds of Evidence Will My Missouri Truck Crash Lawyer Use?

When it comes to truck accident cases, evidence is crucial. We use it to build your case, ensure that you have a legitimate claim, prove the truck driver's liability and the negligence of any other liable parties, demonstrate the degree to which the accident has impacted your life and demand the total compensation you deserve. As a top St. Louis, Missouri truck accident law firm, we have extensive experience in gathering and presenting evidence to build a strong case for each of our clients. We leverage our expertise and connections to obtain all necessary and available evidence in your truck crash case, which could include the following:

• Black box: The truck's event data recorder, or "black box," which can provide valuable information about the accident. It records behavior such as the truck's speed and movements and is triggered to capture unusual behaviors like when the driver abruptly applies the brakes or aggressively accelerates. The timing and other data surrounding this information can help your truck crash lawyer construct the events leading up to the crash and what the truck driver did wrong.
• Dash cameras: It is common practice now to utilize cameras on the vehicle's dashboard to record either the road ahead of the truck (front-facing) or both the road and the driver in the cab (dual-facing), yet federal law does not mandate that commercial vehicles must have dash cams. Many trucking companies believe that dash cams help improve safety and visibility of the driver's blind spots. If the truck driver in your accident was in a vehicle with dash cams, your truck crash lawyer will obtain footage. We may find evidence of distracted or dangerous behavior by the driver or other displays of negligence.
• Log book: Carriers must maintain a logbook containing important details regarding the operation of commercial vehicles. We will obtain a copy of the trucker's logbook to look for evidence of negligence committed by the driver or the employer. We have won many Missouri truck accident claims by using the logbook to show that, in violation of federal regulations, the driver exceeded FMCSA limits for the number of consecutive hours traveled, insufficient rest time between hauls and other violations that lead to drowsy, unsafe driving.
• Maintenance records: Commercial trucking companies must meet a federal equipment maintenance schedule, and the driver is required to perform an inspection of the vehicle before each time they drive. Our Missouri truck crash lawyers scour maintenance and inspection records to determine if the condition of the truck contributed to the accident and who is at fault as a result.
• Personnel file: A truck driver's personnel file may contain information about their qualifications, medical history and alcohol use that could be relevant to the crash. If the driver who hit you had a history of traffic violations or failed to complete a required course for correcting dangerous driving habits, we will assert that the employer was negligent in hiring that individual or failing to provide or mandate legally required education. Likewise, if this driver has a history of past wrecks or does not hold the proper commercial driver's license, the employer or contractor should not allow that individual to continue driving.
• Cell phone records: Cell phones collect a lot of data, and when it may be relevant to your case, our truck crash attorneys obtain the driver's cell phone records to show any problematic behavior. Text and driving is dangerous as we all well know (responsible for injuring hundreds of thousands of crash victims) and illegal in most states. Unfortunately, texting and driving is only illegal for Missouri drivers under the age of 21, but it is still negligent behavior that makes the texter liable for your recovery.
• Alcohol and drug testing: If the driver at fault was noticeably impaired when police and medical responders arrive at the scene, they might submit to a chemical test, like a breathalyzer, which measures their blood alcohol content (BAC), or field tests that are meant to evaluate how intoxicated they are. As your lawyer, we use sobriety test records, results from other drug screenings and recorded statements pertaining to the driver's condition during the wreck. The evidence will reveal if the driver was under the influence at the time of the accident and illustrate the degree of negligence the driver committed.

Burger Law's Missouri truck crash lawyers expertly gather and present compelling evidence in truck accident cases. We work tirelessly to obtain all relevant evidence and use it to build a strong case on your behalf. If you or a loved one has been injured in a truck accident, contact us today for a free consultation.

Look Out for the Dangers of Trucks on Missouri Roads

Truck accidents can be extremely dangerous and deadly. According to the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA), large trucks were involved in over 4,000 fatalities and 100,000 injuries in 2020. These truck accident injury and fatality victims are overwhelmingly the occupants of the other vehicle — not the truck driver. This is why it is so critical to understand the reasons behind the dangers of truck accidents and what you can do to avoid them.

Some of the main reasons why truck accidents are so dangerous include:

1. Size and weight: Large commercial trucks can weigh up to 80,000 pounds (the legal weight limit in Missouri), which makes them much heavier than passenger vehicles. When a truck collides with a car or other smaller vehicle, the impact is likely to be much more severe.
2. Speed and stopping distance: Commercial trucks take much longer to stop than passenger vehicles due to their size and weight. A truck traveling at high speed may not be able to stop in time to avoid a collision with a vehicle in front of it.
3. Driver fatigue: Truck drivers are often under pressure to meet tight delivery schedules, which can result in them driving for long hours without adequate rest — even in violation of the law limiting the number of consecutive hours a commercial driver can operate. Long hauls and inefficient rest can lead to driver fatigue, which can impair judgment and reaction time.
4. Distracted driving: Like all drivers, truck drivers can also become distracted while on the road. Activities like texting, talking on the phone, eating, adjusting the radio, trying to get dressed or groomed or even daydreaming can take a trucker's attention away from the road and increase the risk of an accident.
5. Poor maintenance: Commercial trucks are enormous vehicles that require regular maintenance to keep them in safe operating condition, which is why trucking companies are required by law to have their equipment regularly maintained. When trucking companies fail to properly maintain their vehicles, it can increase the risk of an accident due to mechanical issues.

Staying Safe Around Commercial Trucks in Missouri

To keep you and your loved ones safe and reduce the risk of a horrific crash involving a truck, remember to:

• Give trucks plenty of space: Remember that trucks have much larger blind spots than passenger vehicles, so be sure to give them plenty of space on the road in all directions. Avoid tailgating, and never try to pass a truck on the right.
• Stay alert: Always stay focused on the road and avoid distractions such as texting or eating while driving. The potential seconds you could save while grooming or doing other tasks on your way to work, school or somewhere else are not worth a lifetime of pain and disability or even death.
• Take breaks: If you are on a road trip driving for an extended period of time or simply feel yourself getting sleepy on a normal drive, pull over and take breaks to avoid fatigue. Driving fatigued is just as irresponsible and dangerous as driving drunk.
• Slow down and be patient: Speeding is a frequent contributor to traffic accidents. Speeding and other aggressive behavior can be even more dangerous in the presence of a truck or other large vehicle. Never tailgate or try to intimidate a truck driver, and avoid sudden lane changes or other aggressive maneuvers.

If you or a loved one has been involved in a truck accident, seek the help of an experienced truck accident attorney in St. Louis, Missouri right away. As a firm, Burger Law has 25 years of experience getting maximum compensation for our truck crash injury clients and winning tough cases at trial. Call us at (314) 500-HURT today for a free consultation to discuss your case.

Resources from Your Missouri Truck Crash Lawyers

Our truck crash attorneys and paralegals have a true and deep understanding of Missouri truck accident laws and statutes and we are available to answer your truck crash injury questions for free at (314) 500-HURT. However, when going through a truck accident claim in Chicago, it can put your mind at ease and help you prepare for the outcome of your case by taking the time to educate yourself and learn more about the civil court process. In addition to our extensive library of answers to frequently asked questions and videos addressing common questions and topics, we have hundreds of blog posts and other online resources to help you in your truck crash injury suit. Check out additional truck accident resources below.

• Personal Injury Settlement Calculator
• Legal Terms Glossary for Personal Injury Law
• How to Choose a Law Firm
• Other Missouri Resources

Missouri Truck Accident Lawyer Videos