Missouri Truck Accident Lawyer Blog

A tractor trailer jack-knifed on the ramp from Interstate 435 to Highway 210, shutting down traffic in that area for some time.

According to the Missouri State Highway Patrol, the driver lost control and began to jack-knife around 3:30 a.m. The rig skidded down the ramp, struck a freeway sign and came to a rest blocking the ramp.

Fortunately, nobody was injured in this Missouri tractor trailer accident.

Jack-knife crashes can cause serious damage. A jack-knife occurs when the angle between the cab and the trailer of a large truck becomes too severe and the trailer begins pushing the cab out of control. Once a tractor trailer has entered a jack-knife position, it is impossible for the driver to regain control and the whole rig can enter a slide. Since commercial trucks can weigh up to 80,000 pounds, they can slide for hundreds of feet and, in the worst tractor trailer crash scenario, crush smaller passenger cars along the way.

Traffic was backed up for miles on Interstate 270 as only one lane was open in each direction due to a early morning St. Louis area tractor trailer crash.

According to local media reports, the accident occurred around 4:30 a.m. near Route 367. A tractor trailer jackknifed and overturned in the roadway. Part of the trailer came to rest across the concrete median.

Fortunately, no smaller cars were caught up in the wreck and the driver did not suffer life threatening injuries.

No word yet on what caused the driver to jackknife.

The westbound lanes of the highway were completely blocked, forcing drivers to pass on the shoulder. Several of the eastbound lanes were also blocked as debris from the Missouri truck accident was scattered on the roadway.

Driving while intoxicated is a major problem on our country's roadways. On almost any given day you can open the newspaper or look at daily crash reports and see at least one alcohol related accident that occurred in the area. In fact, Missouri had 364 alcohol related car accident deaths in 2008 which means the state very nearly averaged a death per day. Nationwide, there were almost 14,000 alcohol related traffic deaths that year. In a tragic bit of irony, many times these accidents will spare the drunken driver, but take the life of an innocent victim in another car.

So alcohol is a major problem in general, but what about the commercial trucking industry? Is it more or less of a problem there? Do regulations help reduce the problem of driving under the influence?

Looking at recent studies, alcohol is actually much less of an issue with commercial truck drivers. Alcohol plays a role in only 6 percent of fatal tractor trailer accidents while it is present in 32 percent of the fatal crashes among the average passenger car driver.

Less than one percent of truck drivers overall ever fail an alcohol screening regardless of whether it came after an accident or was a random test.

What seems to be a bigger problem among truck drivers is drug use, especially stimulants. 5 percent of tractor trailer drivers have failed a test for illegal drugs and 12 percent of drivers were found to have used over the counter stimulants.

The reason the numbers for alcohol use may be lower among truck drivers is that regulations require trucking companies to do an array of drug and alcohol screenings on their employees. These tests may be given pre-employment, after accidents and at random.

Still, we do occasionally see drivers breaking regulation and companies continuing to hire drivers with a history of substance abuse. Those practicing these negligent policies need to be held accountable. If you or someone you love has been involved in an accident with a tractor trailer driver that was under the influence of drugs or alcohol, contact a Missouri truck accident lawyer to make sure your rights as an accident victim are protected.

Marry Anderson, 29, was killed and five others were injured in a Missouri tractor trailer accident at a construction zone on Interstate 44.

According to a Missouri State Highway Patrol report, a tractor trailer driven by Boyd Shropshire, 61, came to a stop in the construction zone around 3:00 p.m. A minivan, driven by Dorlis Germain, 41, was following the big rig as it approached the construction zone. Germain was inattentive to the road ahead, according to the investigating officer, and the van slammed into the back of the tractor trailer.

All of the injuries in this fatal St. Louis area truck crash came from passengers in the minivan.

Anderson was pronounced dead at the scene. Germain and four others were all taken to St. John's Hospital in Creve Coeur for treatment.

Passenger car drivers and truck drivers need to be aware of each other at all times, but especially when approaching a work zone. Construction zones can be very dangerous and drivers must follow the posted instructions and speed limits. Despite numerous adjustments to safety regulations in work zones and many public service announcements about the problem, we still see numerous preventable accidents in these areas.

The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration has proposed making permanent the interim ban on texting while driving for tractor trailer drivers. The new rule would punish drivers or companies that don't observe the texting ban with civil penalties and possible loss of license.

In January, Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood announced an immediate ban on text messaging by commercial truck drivers while behind the wheel. The measure was only an interim rule, however, and more permanent legislation was not proposed until last month.

The importance of limiting distracted driving is emphasized when you look at the statistics provided by FMCSA research. Distracted driving is a major cause of tractor trailer accidents with texting being some of the more negligently distracting behaviors you can engage in. You are more than 20 times more likely to cause a serious accident if you are attempting to send or receive a text message. On average, a driver sending a text will take their eyes off the road for 4.6 out of every 6 seconds. This means that a driver traveling at 55 mph will take their eyes off the road long enough to travel the length of a football field every 6 seconds.

This measure is just one of many around the county to limit traffic injuries and fatalities caused by distracted driving. Here in Missouri, minors have been barred from texting and driving. Last year, President Obama signed an order saying all federal employees were restricted from texting while operated government vehicles or on government business.

Two serious Missouri tractor trailer accidents in the same day have left one dead and another hospitalized.

In the more serious incident, Maudie Ham, 73, was driving her 1997 Saturn northbound on Interstate 55. A 1997 International tractor trailer, driven by Jerry Pitts, 44, was following behind her. Pitts attempted to overtake Ham's car on the highway at the same time Ham tried to make a turn toward the crossover. Ham's car was struck on the driver's side and was overturned in the median. The big rig ran off the right side of the roadway and came to rest on the shoulder.

Ham was pronounced dead at the scene. Pitts was uninjured.

The other tractor trailer crash, while not as serious, still sent a Missouri man to the hospital.

Scott Crosser, 23, was driving his 1997 Ford Taurus eastbound on I-44 at the time of the crash. He was passing a 1997 Kenworth tractor trailer, driven by Marc Sadler, 45, when the two vehicles clipped each other. Crosser's car came in contact with the left side of the trailer, slid out of control off the right side of the highway, and overturned.

Crosser was taken to St. John's Hospital for treatment. Sadler was uninjured.

Our thoughts are with the families of the victims and those involved in each case. Hopefully Crosser can make a full recovery.

The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) and Department of Transportation have amended safety regulations relating to the use of electronic on-board recorders (EOBRs) on tractor trailers. The new rules, which go into effect June 4, will update specifications for such devices and mandate that some trucking companies with multiple violations of the Hours of Service regulations install an EOBR.

EOBRs are devices or a series of recorders built into the truck's existing on-board electronics that track the patterns of the driver to make sure he or she is complying with Hours of Service regulations. Currently, the use of EOBRs is completely voluntary.

A company will need to have a 10 percent violation rate in order for the mandate to apply. Should a company reach this violation rate, all of their commercial trucks will need to be fitted with a regulation compliant EOBR for two years.

Many companies already use some type of electronic tracking to voluntarily enforce the Hours of Service regulations. These rules are important because they prohibit drivers from overworking themselves to the point of fatigue. Numerous studies show that driver fatigue is a significant contributor to serious tractor trailer crashes.

Many in the commercial trucking industry have speculated that we will eventually move to regulations that require all trucking companies, regardless of their violation history, to install EOBRs on their fleet of trucks. Some opponents feel that this will create an unfair financial burden on companies. Others point to the fact that many companies already use similar devices or have thousands of dollars of on-board electronics already.

The new ruling represents a nice compromise for the moment. Only the companies that have repeatedly demonstrated a negligent pattern of behavior will be mandated to install the devices at the moment. Hopefully targeting this high-risk group of trucking companies will successfully limit the number of tractor trailer accident fatalities caused by fatigued driving.

A tractor trailer crashed into a line of cars that was backed up because of traffic on Highway 71 on Wednesday afternoon. Five vehicles where involved in this serious Missouri truck injury crash, but thankfully no one was killed.

The accident began as traffic began to back up on the highway due to a previous accident. As the line of cars formed, a 1999 Freightliner, driven by Ronald Rotert, 55, approached. According to the Missouri State Highway Patrol, Rotert failed to slow down and the tractor trailer struck four different vehicles. Among them was a 2002 Volkswagon, driven by Victoria Cooper-Tobin, 60; and a 2009 Chevrolet, driven by Terry Wagner, 29. The truck then finally came to an uncontrolled stop in the southbound lanes.

Cooper-Tobin and Wagner were both rushed to local hospitals with serious injuries. Despite extensive damage to all the other vehicles involved, nobody else was listed as injured on the initial crash report.

Our thoughts are with the injured parties and their families. Hopefully they can make a full recovery. Their injuries notwithstanding, this tractor trailer accident could have been much worse, perhaps even fatal.

Investigators quoted in the Kansas City Star said they are trying to determine whether distracted driving was the cause in this incident. It has a lot of the signs of distracted driving accidents we've seen in the past with a line of cars stopping in an unusual place due to a previous accident and the tractor trailer failing to try to stop at all.

Whatever details the investigation turns up will not change fact that the injured parties are in for a long recovery. Many times, serious traffic accidents can cause injures that require months of treatments or therapy and astronomical medical bills. While the liability in some accidents may seem cut and dry, too often we see insurance companies try to talk their way out of paying damages and hurt individuals who did nothing wrong are stuck with the bill. Because of the complicated nature of investigating these incidents, it is strongly advised that anybody involved in a crash contact a Missouri personal injury attorney for a consultation. There, you can discuss your case, usually free of charge and with no obligations, and learn how to protect your rights as an accident victim.

Brandon Haskin, 24, was killed Monday morning when a loose tractor trailer tire crashed through his windshield.

According to local media reports, Haskin was driving a 2003 Dodge Durango eastbound on I-70 near McKelvey Road at the time of this fatal St. Louis area tractor trailer accident. At the same time in the westbound lanes of the highway, two wheels separated from a 2008 Volvo tractor-trailer, driven by Wayne Knickmeyer, 48. One of the two wheels was sent flying over the median wall and hit Haskin's SUV. Haskin's vehicle then collided with another vehicle driven by Jamie Duboise, 26.

Haskin was pronounced dead at the scene. Duboise was treated for moderate injuries and Knickmeyer was not injured.

Our thoughts are with the family of the victim and the others involved in this tragic incident.

It is important in cases like these to find the cause of the accident and hold those responsible accountable. This is the only way to try and prevent truck tire accidents like this from happening again.

According to investigators quoted in the St. Louis Post Dispatch, the truck had recently been serviced, but the lugnuts on the rear axle likely weren't tightened which allowed the wheels to break free. The question now is to find out who serviced the truck and determine how such a simple, yet important, maintenance issue could have been overlooked. Also, did Knickmeyer follow all federal safety regulations pertaining to vehicle maintenance before he took the truck back on the road?

Tractor trailer crashes can be very complicated and require the attention of an experienced professional. If you or a family member have been involved in an accident and you want to make sure your rights as an accident victim are protected, it would be wise to contact a personal injury attorney with tractor trailer crash experience. Most will offer a free consultation where you can discuss your case with no obligation to hire.