St. Louis Truck Accident Personal Injury Attorney

Types of Truck Accidents

There are numerous types of truck accidents that occur on our nation's highways, interstates, and streets. Some common tractor trailer accidents are: Head-on truck accidents, Rear-end truck accidents, Side collisions accidents, Single-truck accidents, Multi-vehicle truck accidents, and under ride truck accidents.

Head on truck accidents occur when the front end of one truck hits the front end of another car, truck, van, etc. These accidents are usually extremely violent in nature as both vehicles are moving towards each other just prior to impact.

Rear-end truck accidents occur when a truck crashes into a vehicle in front of it. These accidents often times happen when there is a sudden deceleration by the first car or truck and the following truck is not able to brake in time. It is also common to see this type of accident when the truck driver is tired, fatigued, or both. One way a driver becomes tired or fatigued is by driving over the hours allowed by the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Regulations. An experienced personal injury lawyer will be able to determine if the truck driver was likely driving in a tried or fatigued condition. This is done by retrieving driver logs, bills of lading, fuels receipts, and various other truck company documents. A truck accident attorney can piece together the truck driver's driving history for the hours, days, weeks, and months leading up to the accident. If you or a loved one find yourself in this situation please feel free to call Attorney John J. Page at 1-866-650-6363 or fill out the online truck accident form .

Side collision truck accidents occur when a tractor trailer crashes into the side of another vehicle. Vehicle damage and occupant injuries will most likely be severe in this type of crash. The speed of the truck is sometimes a factor in this regard. Severity of the injuries sometimes correlate with the area in which the vehicle was struck, safety features of the vehicle, the speeds of both vehicles, and the difference in vehicle weights. An experienced personal injury attorney will be able to gather the proper accident reconstruction experts to help determine these issues. This type of truck accident is frequently caused by a truck failing to yield the right of way.

When a vehicle is hit on the side by a truck, the crumple zone of the truck absorbs some of the energy of the collision. The crumple zone of the vehicle that was crashed into by the truck may absorb some of the energy as well. The truck and the vehicle it crashed into are often turned from their original directions of travel. If the crash is severe enough, the vehicles may actually roll over and cause other accidents in the roadway. It is common after a truck accident for the vehicles to be stuck together by their metal parts. An experienced accident reconstruction expert can determine many things by viewing the vehicles in their post accident condition and placement.

Single truck accidents involve only one vehicle. The normal inference in single truck accidents is truck driver error. The most likely cause of single truck accidents (occurring on streets, roads, and highways) is speed. Some roads have more than their fair share of crashes. They are often called "dangerous roads". These dangerous roads are even more dangerous when they are traveled by a truck driver who is tired, lacking in sleep, and fatigued.

Multi vehicle truck accidents (pileup) can occur in numerous different ways. A pileup traffic accident is one that involves many vehicles. These accidents typically occur on highways and interstates where drivers are traveling at highway speeds or more. Multi vehicle pileups are one of the deadliest forms of accidents. This is partly because drivers often get out of their vehicles to look for damage without realizing there may be more cars coming.

These accidents are particularly deadly since the crashed vehicles makes escape difficult. It is common for a fire to start and travel to all of the vehicles. If someone is stuck in their vehicle they could likely burn to death. These accidents have been known to close highways for days at a time. In addition to the injuries to people and the damage to vehicles, the destruction and heat of fires can also damage roadways by melting the asphalt.

Under ride truck accidents are of the biggest killers of all truck accident types. These truck accidents occur when a car crashes into the back of a tractor trailer whose base is close to being higher than the car or is actually higher than the car. Stated differently, the car fits under the base of the tractor trailer. It is common for the car to be able to fit over a foot under the base of a tractor trailer. Therefore, the tractor trailer base is about the same level as the car occupant's head. For this reason, this type of truck accident is often fatal.

If you are involved in a truck accident, you need an experienced Missouri truck crash attorney on your side. You and your family need protection from the truck company and their insurance company. Trucking companies often times destroy documents that are crucial to the accident in question. An experienced personal injury lawyer handling truck accident cases, can stop the truck company from destroying these documents.

Because of the serious nature of truck accidents and the destruction of evidence that goes on, I can be reached toll free, 24 hours a day at 1-866-650-6363. Call me, John Page , personally, and I will immediately alert our truck accident team and begin taking the same steps as the truck company and their insurance company. The call and consultation are free. There is no fee unless we recover for you.

You can also contact us for a free consultation by completing our online truck accident evaluation form .