TRUCKING ACCIDENTS
St. Louis, Kansas City, and Jefferson City, Missouri
Truck accidents account for only 4% of all vehicle accidents in the United States, but truck accidents are three times more likely to result in a fatality than passenger vehicle accidents.
Truck accident victims may have a long road to recovery and will likely face great physical and financial challenges along the way. It is essential to contact a Missouri truck accident attorney as soon as possible after a truck accident. Failure to do so may compromise your claim.
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) collects crash statistics and compiles them annually. According to the NHTSA, in 2006, truck accidents accounted for over 11 percent of all fatal accidents. Further, 140,473 big rigs were involved in truck accidents and 4,879 of them were involved in fatal accidents. The number of injured people was 85,984 and the number of deaths was 4,995.
How Trucking Accidents Occur
Even though truckers are supposed to receive extensive training, some trucking companies fail to provide it. Driver error results in approximately one-fourth of all trucking accidents. Often, driver errors that cause truck accidents are due to companies imposing strict deadlines and attempting to skirt trucking regulations in order to maximize profits. Examples include:
- Not thoroughly checking each new driver’s background
- Inadequately maintaining big rigs
- Overloading trucks, which increases braking distance and complicates steering
- Imposing unrealistic deadlines, forcing drivers to speed or falsify logbooks
Truck Accident Injuries
Truck accident injuries tend to be more catastrophic than injuries sustained in standard automobile accidents. Types of serious injuries that may occur include:
What to do After a Truck Accident
The shock of being in a truck accident may affect your actions, but it is important take certain steps following a truck accident:
- Contact the police
- Accept medical treatment onsite
- Never give a written or verbal statement to insurance companies before consulting a truck accident attorney
Failure to take these steps could affect your ability to receive compensation for your injuries; compensation includes expenses such as the ones below:
- Medical costs, such as required surgeries, doctor visits, pain medication, hospitalization, and physical therapy (past and future)
- Pain and suffering
- Loss of companionship and funeral costs, if the truck accident caused the wrongful death of a loved one
- Repair or replacement of your vehicle
- Loss of earnings, present and future
- Diminished earning capacity
For more information, see Questions About Truck Accidents.
If you or a loved one has been involved in a trucking accident in St. Louis, Kansas City, or anywhere else in the entire state of Missouri, please contact the Missouri truck accident attorneys at The Bradley Law Firm today. We have represented clients in Jefferson City and rural parts of Missouri as well.