Tractor Trailer Debris Causes Injurious Boone County Accident
Two St. Louis residents were injured in a Boone County Missouri truck accident that began when debris fell from a tractor trailer. The Missouri trucking accident occurred on May 19, 2011 on westbound I-70 at 2:35pm.
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| Photo from the Columbia Missourian |
Truck driver Andrew W. Moss from Fayetteville, Arkansas drove a 2007 Freightliner tractor trailer on westbound I-70 near Missouri Route O. Leonard J. Flowers of St. Louis, Missouri drove a 1995 Buick nearby. The Freightliner’s exhaust pipe detached and fell onto the interstate. Flowers swerved to avoid running over the tractor trailer exhaust pipe, but the pipe was unavoidable. Flowers hit the exhaust pipe and lost control of the Buick. The Buick overturned after it drove off the side of the roadway.
Flowers, 64, suffered minor injuries in the accident. Elizabeth M. Flowers, 63, suffered moderate injuries. She was an occupant in the Buick. There were no reported injuries for the truck driver. The injured parties were taken to the University Hospital by ambulance. All parties wore a safety device during the Missouri truck accident.
Tractor trailer debris is a serious danger to drivers, passengers, and pedestrians. Commercial tractor trailers are massive vehicles and their parts are similarly large. Motor carrier regulations in Missouri are designed to prevent accidents caused by falling tractor trailer debris.
The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) has created regulations to prevent truck accidents caused by falling tractor trailer debris. For example, truck drivers are legally required to inspect their tractor trailers before operating the road. The FMCSA regulations also require truck drivers to keep extensive records about the inspections they complete. Truck drivers perform these inspections before operating the massive commercial vehicles to decrease the risk of an accident.
If a truck driver failed to properly inspect a tractor trailer before driving, that truck driver has broken the law. If a truck driver fails to inspect the tractor trailer and the inspection would have revealed the defect that caused a Missouri truck accident, the truck driver may be legally liable to the accident victim. Injured accident victims should obtain an experienced Missouri accident plaintiff attorney who understands how to find evidence of failed safety inspections.
If you are injured in a Missouri trucking accident by falling debris, contact a Missouri truck accident lawyer today. Your accident may have been caused by the truck driver’s failure to properly inspect his commercial motor vehicle.
