How Common Are Truck Crashes in Missouri? | Trucking Accidents Lawyer in St. Louis, MO
Unfortunately, a Missouri trucking accidents lawyer is usually pretty busy. The Missouri State Highway Patrol found that that in 2020 there were 13,910 wrecks in Missouri involving commercial vehicles, with 80 percent of them involving trucks. Those collisions resulted in 131 fatalities and 2,704 personal injuries. Meaning, truck accidents made up 8.4 percent of all motor vehicle crashes in Missouri, and 14.3 percent of all deaths.
Many Missouri trucking accidents take place on smaller roads because a truck does not have a lot of space to react around passenger vehicles. Almost one-fourth of commercial vehicle crashes took place in St. Louis County and St. Louis City, and 11.94 percent happened in Kansas City and Jackson County, making Missouri's two largest cities the places where over a third of all Missouri trucking accidents transpire. If you have been hurt in a truck accident because of someone else's careless actions, get in touch with a Burger Law St. Louis, MO trucking accidents lawyer at Burger Law today to talk over your legal options.
Is It Worth Hiring a Trucking Accidents Lawyer in St. Louis, MO?
Almost always the answer is yes. If you were in a simple fender-bender with another passenger vehicle that only necessitated a quick visit in a Missouri emergency room, you might be able to get a fair settlement offer with the help of an attorney. However, truck accidents often lead to more serious injuries that require ongoing medical treatment. Moreover, in a truck collision, you are not making a claim against a driver, but rather against a large trucking corporation. St. Louis, MO insurance companies use a lot of ruses to minimize your recovery. The savvy and dedicated trucking accidents lawyer team of Burger Law knows how to stand up to bullies and get you the compensation you deserve.
Besides standing up to the insurance company, a Burger Law trucking accidents lawyer in St. Louis, MO will:
- Take the time to talk over and understand your case.
- Fully investigate your case, including obtaining vital evidence and taking official depositions.
- Establish liability and prove negligence.
- Keep you in the loop and answer any questions you may have through the process.
- Oversee all communication, litigation, documentation and negotiation.
- Work in concert with our network of Missouri accident and medical experts to evaluate the value of your injuries.
- Give you all the information you need to make the best decision for you and your family.
While we do everything we can to get you the recovery you deserve in mediation, frequently our St. Louis, MO trucking accidents lawyer team will file a lawsuit against trucking companies. Trucking companies and insurance companies have access to top-level lawyers that will try anything to lower your claim or persuade you that they do not have to pay you anything. At Burger Law, our trucking accidents lawyer team has committed their lives to giving the injured and vulnerable in St. Louis, MO legal advocacy that is greater than what large corporations have. We are more aggressive than most law firms because we want the insurance company to understand that we mean business and we accept only the best possible financial recovery. You do not owe us anything until we win your case.
Common Causes of Truck Crashes | St. Louis, MO Trucking Accidents Lawyer
The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration released its groundbreaking Large Crash Causation Study in 2009. The study evaluated the causes and associated factors of 18-wheeler accidents. After analyzing over 1,000 possible factors, they reached the following conclusions:
- Eighty-seven percent of wrecks involved "driver reasons," either by the truck driver or the driver of a passenger vehicle. The most common of those reasons are:
- Use of prescriptions, over-the-counter and illegal drugs and drunk driving
- Speeding or driving faster than appropriate for road conditions
- Fatigue or distracted driving
- Illegal maneuvers, inadequate evasive action or aggressive driving
- Unfamiliarity with the roadway or truck
- Almost a third of all collisions involved issues with the truck, including brake failure or defective tires.
- Environmental factors, such as:
- Other factors, such as:
- Overloaded trucks or improperly loaded cargo
- The driver being pressured to operate even though fatigued
- The driver being sick
Regardless of the reasons behind your wreck in Missouri, your Burger Law trucking accidents lawyer has investigated and won a case like yours before. We will get to the bottom of your crash and hold the liable parties responsible.
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Who Is Liable for My Truck Crash Injuries? | St. Louis, MO Trucking Accidents Lawyer
In typical auto accident cases, you would file a claim against another St. Louis, MO driver and their insurance company. In trucking accidents, truck drivers were responsible for 44 percent of crashes caused by driver error, with drivers of other vehicles being liable for the rest. When your Burger Law trucking accidents lawyer carries out an investigation into your crash, they will ascertain which driver is to blame. However, one of the things that makes truck accidents unique is that there are frequently various parties that can be found liable. That is why you need a committed, experienced and expert trucking accidents lawyer to fight on your behalf.
Below are some examples of other parties in St. Louis, MO your trucking accidents lawyer at Burger Law may be able to find liable:
The Trucking Company
Trucking companies have a duty to look out for our safety. They must:
We will request maintenance and driver logs when we get to work on your truck crash case. Your Burger Law trucking accidents lawyer in St. Louis, MO knows how to acquire all the evidence we need to prove your case.
A Shipping Company
Cargo must be properly loaded onto trucks in the interest of ensuring safety. Overloaded trucks or trucks with unequal weight distribution are vulnerable to rollover accidents. Incorrectly loaded cargo can also leak onto St. Louis or Missouri streets and result in multi-vehicle collision. Overweight trucks also take longer to stop, which restricts the driver's ability to respond to situations or hazards on the road.
Mechanics or Manufacturers
Manufacturers have a responsibility to safely design and test their products and recall any components when they find it to be faulty. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration states that a recall is required when a vehicle or vehicle equipment "does not comply with a Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard." Neglecting to do so is product liability. Burger Law's trucking accidents lawyer team has experience with every type of personal injury case and knows how to secure you maximum financial recovery whatever the circumstances of your truck accident injury.
A Government Entity
If your truck accident occurred because of infrastructure that was improperly designed or inadequately maintained, your truck accident injury lawyer may help you make a claim against a public entity such as the Missouri Department of Transportation. If a guardrail suddenly swings in front of a driver or a large crack in the concrete leads a vehicle to turn over, causing a domino-effect until you get in a wreck, your truck accident attorneys will help you hold the local organization responsible for that property accountable.
Normally, Missouri gives sovereign immunity to government employees which protects them from civil lawsuits. However, Missouri Revised Statute §537.600 lets you sue a public employee for damages sustained "out of the operation of motor vehicles" within the course of a driver's "employment."
Bringing a claim against a public entity in St. Louis, MO is an intricate process, but your trucking accidents lawyer at Burger Law knows how to apply the law to your case and receive full compensation in even the toughest cases. Call our trucking accidents lawyer team today at (314) 500-HURT.
