Leading Causes of St. Louis Truck Accidents
Truckers, trucking companies, and other liable parties cause semi-truck collisions for various reasons. Understanding these causes is essential because you must prove how their negligence caused your crash to be entitled to compensation for your injuries. Here are the top ways your truck accident may have been caused:
- Speeding. When truck drivers exceed speed limits, they require longer distances to stop, increasing the risk of accidents. Unfortunately, your injuries could be more severe even if the trucker only drove a few miles over the posted speed limit.
- Distracted driving. Distractions, such as using a cellphone unless it is hands-free, eating or drinking, or engaging in-cab distractions, take a truck driver's eyes and mind off the road and can lead to a catastrophic accident. Our attorneys can examine cellphone records, dashcam footage, emails, and other evidence that could prove the trucker's distracted driving caused your wreck.
- Intoxication. A trucker's reaction time, vision, and judgment are severely impaired if they are driving under the influence of alcohol or drugs. Although it is extremely dangerous to drink and drive, we find that this continues to be a major cause of truck accidents.
- Drowsy driving. Truckers who drive when they are too tired to do so safely are as dangerous as drunk drivers. If the truck driver who caused your wreck was fatigued, they may have also violated FMCSA hours of service regulations, which limit the hours they can drive without taking a rest break.
- Lack of maintenance. Trucking companies must maintain their trucks and frequently contract with a truck maintenance facility to inspect and repair their commercial fleet. If the truck is not properly maintained, the brakes may not work, a tire could blow out, or another maintenance issue could be the cause of a tragic truck accident,
- Improper loading. Incorrectly loaded cargo can shift during transit or fall off the truck. This can make the truck unstable and increase the risk of a crash.
Compensation You Can Recover After a Missouri or Illinois Truck Accident
If you were injured in a truck accident and can prove it was caused by the truck driver's and other parties' negligence, you can seek compensation for your medical bills, wage losses, property damages, and pain and suffering. At Bollwerk & Associates, our goal is to ensure that you receive a fair settlement that covers all your losses so that you recover from your injuries and you and your family can move on in your lives.