St. Louis MO Truck Accident Attorneys

Truck Accident Causes

It's a sobering statistic: a good 12 percent of all annual motor vehicle fatalities are due to truck accidents. But what can lead to a truck or tractor-trailer accident? While every St. Louis truck accident is unique, there are certain factors that are more common than others. These fall into three general categories: driver error, external conditions, and defective equipment.

Defective Equipment and Design

All kinds of vehicles can suffer from design flaws and defective equipment. Unfortunately, in the case of truck accidents, these flaws can be fatal and cause injury or even death. Unfortunately, certain kinds of trucks, such as long tractor-trailers, are prone to rolling over, jacknifing, and loss of driver control. Components such as brakes can fail, and features such as lack of side and rear bumpers can cause increased damage to the vehicle hit by a truck.

External Conditions

Since trucks and tractor trailers are so gigantic, they are at special risk in dangerous external conditions. Snowstorms, ice on the road, narrow bridges or underpasses, and reduced visibility due to rain or fog can all cause truck accidents. However, an experienced and well-trained truck driver should be able to navigate these conditions, and often, driver error leads to poor judgment and bad decision-making in inclement conditions.

Driver Error

The most common cause of truck accidents is driver error. This can range from gross negligence to simple accidents. Lack of training or experience can lead to poor decision-making that causes sudden lane shifts, wide turns and dangerous interactions with bridges and roads. Alcohol or drug abuse can impair a trucker's ability to drive and significantly impact reaction time. In fact, nearly 35 percent of all fatally injured truck drivers test positive for some kind of alcohol or drug use.

Finally, fatigue and schedule pressure can take a real toll on truck drivers, causing accidents and fatalities. Though the number of hours a trucker is allowed to drive are limited by federal law, driver fatigue is still a very real problem for truck drivers who are given high-pressure delivery schedules and face long hours behind the wheel.

If You've Been Injured

If you've been injured or involved in a truck accident in Missouri, you probably have questions about your legal rights. The attorneys at PageCagle are experienced in handling personal injury cases and have an established track record getting compensation for victims of truck crash injuries. For a free consultation, call us today. We'll discuss your injury and the facts of your case and tell you whether we're a good match for your claim.

Because of the serious nature of truck accidents and the destruction of evidence that goes on, John Page can be reached toll free, 24 hours a day at 1-866-650-6363 or by email at john@pagecagle.com.