Recently, truck driver Jeffrey R. Knight, caused an 11-car pile up on Highway 40 just west off Interstate 270 near Chesterfield, MO.  Our initial report is that 16 were injured, including several fatalities.  Ironically, the trucker was not injured.

Witness Frank Steinhoff was in the lane next to the trucker.  Steinhoff estimated the truck was traveling approximately 75mph - well over the speed limit.  He said the truck never slowed down, but rather "He kept going and hitting cars".  

Sgt. Al Nothum of the Missouri Highway Patrol said that Knight basically "ran over several vehicles".  Sgt. Nothum further stated that he had a pretty good idea of what caused Knight to leave this path of destruction, but declined to disclose the details.  However, he did indicate that he did not believe drugs or alcohol played any role.  

The destruction was so massive that authorities spray painted numbers on all of the cars involved for help in the investigation.  

At approximately 1 am on April 20, 2009, a 2005 Dodge Neon was involved in a serious accident with a semi-truck on I-270 in St. Louis, Mo.  The Neon was driven by Ramon Molina and the Tractor-Trailer was driven by Mark Lipand of Hollywood, Florida.  The details of how exactly the accident occurred are unknown, but we do know that the St. Louis Post-Dispatch is reporting the Neon became trapped underneath the semi-truck.  The extent of Mr. Molina's injuries are unknown, but it must have been very serious as he was airlifted from the scene.

As a Missouri Semi-Truck Accident Lawyer, there is much investigation that needs to occur.  Semi-truck accidents are very much unlike car accidents.  This is because truck drivers are goverened by numerous regulations promulgated by the Department of Transportation.  Additionally, while current reports do not detail how the accident happened, many times these details can be gathered by downloading the semi-truck's black box data.  Many people are unaware that a semi-truck has a "black box" much like an airplane.  It constantly records tons of information about how the truck was operating in the moments before the crash.  For instance, it could possibly tell us if the truck was speeding, how long it had been driving (useful because truck drivers can only drive for certain periods of time), or if the truck suddenly slammed on the brakes.

Unfortunately, semi-truck wrecks often lead to severe injuries.  When this happens, a St. Louis semi-truck attorney should be consulted.  Unless your lawyer has specific expertise in this area, things will be missed.  If you would like to speak with a St. Louis Truck Accident Lawyer, contact Josh Myers, owner of Myers Injury Law, LLC at 888.956.2487.  It's always free to discuss your case and there is never any fee until we recover. 

Just after noon on December 23, 2008, a multi-car wreck occurred on I-70 in Warren County, about 50 miles outside St. Louis, Missouri.  The wreck involved 10 cars and four semi-trucks (tractor-trailers).  Witness recount that there were several ambulances on these scene which were "taking people to the hospital left and right".  The total number of injuries was not immediately known, but tragically, at least one person was killed in the wreck.  The car wreck shut down I-70 for a number of hours.

A recent storm front moving through the area left the roads wet and icy.  Missouri State Highway Patrol Sgt. Al. Nothum said that accident reconstructionsists had been dispatched to the scene, but it was not clear whether the road conditions were the cause of the car wreck.

St. Louis Car Wreck Lawyers will often rely on the opinions of accident reconstructionists.  However, in this case, reconstruction will be much tougher because of the roads are so wet.  With these conditions, there are often little or no skid marks and/or yaw marks.  Thus, witness statements become imperative.  This is why it is so important to get a St. Louis Lawyer involved immediately.  We will have our investigator obtain detailed statements from all of the witnesses and we will often go out to meet the witnesses and stay in touch with them. 

Memories change over time, and unless the evidence of witnesses memories are preserved immediately, you never know what you are going to get.  In addition to witness statements, there are other reasons why an attorney should get involved immediately.  This is because there are a number of semi-trucks (tractor-trailer, 18-wheelers) involved.  Semi-truck drivers are goverened by a set of laws that do not apply to other drivers.  Additionally, tractor-trailer trucks are often equipped with a "black box", much like air planes, which can tell us exactly what the truck was doing in the seconds before the wreck.  However, this information is stored for only a short period of time.  The best St. Louis semi-truck crash lawyers will obtain the black-box data immediately after the crash.  This will tell us if the truckers were speeding and if they ever hit their breaks before the collision. 

If you have been involved in a car wreck and would like to speak with a St. Louis Personal Injury Lawyer, contact Joshua P. Myers.  You can contact me through my website or call 314-720-2706.  It's always free to discuss your case and our fees are based on a percentage of what we recover. 

In a tragic situation, Shirley Riffe, 47, of Barnhart, MO, was recently killed in a collision with a tractor-trailer.  Riffe was a passenger in a SUV which was stopped on the shoulder of highway 50 in Franklin County.  At approximately 1:40 pm, Shirley stopped the SUV to change a flat tire.  The tractor-trailer, driven by Faron L. Billeck, of Centerville, TX, drove off the road and struck the SUV, as well as the boat it was towing.  The collision caused the boat to become airborne.  The boat then struck Shirley, who was pronounced dead at the scene. 

 

This situation again shows how deadly semi-truck collisions can be on the road.  They are essentially moving missiles.  Had the driver just stayed on the road, none of this would have happened.  It needs to be immediately investigated why the driver of the tractor-trailer drove off the road.  A common issue in trucking cases is that drivers drive more than the allotted DOT hours, and they become tired and fall asleep at the wheel.  A good Missouri trucking accident attorney can discover these facts by analyzing their logs and comparing that to the GPS positioning systems that most major truck carriers use.  Additionally, the trucking company itself should be investigated as to whether it should have even hired Faron Billeck in the first place, or whether they improperly trained him. 

 

Josh Myers is an experienced trucking accident attorney, exclusively handling serious injury cases throughout Missouri and Illinois.  If you would like to discuss a potential case, feel free to contact him.  It is always free to discuss a potential case.

In mid-September, a trucker was given a written citation for following too close after he caused a four vehicle pile-up.  He was following a Ford truck on highway 17 when the Ford slowed to make a turn.  The semi-truck then hit the rear of the Ford and swerved into an oncoming lane, where it hit a mail truck head on.  The tractor trailer then overturned in the highway. 

 

At that point, a Ford Expedition following the semi-truck swerved to avoid the wreck and ended up in a ditch. 

 

In addition to proving that the truck was following too closely, it should also be investigated whether the trucking company was negligent for hiring this truck driver in the first place, or negligent in properly training him.  Trucking accidents are much more complex than normal car accidents, and should not be left to an attorney who does not specialize in injury law. 

 

If you have been injured in a car accident or truck accident, feel free to contact St. Louis personal injury lawyer Josh Myers to discuss your case.  It is always free to talk about your case. 

At the end of September, a jury awarded a $1.5 million to Ronny Martinez and Kenneth O'Neal.  The two were injured in 2006 when they were riding in a car that was struck by a semi-truck. 

 

The men filed suit against both the truck driver and the trucking company, Celadon Trucking Services.  The truck driver was sued for his own negligence, while the trucking company was sued for the negligence of its driver, as well as being negligent in their decision to hire the driver in the first place.  Ultimately, the jury found against both the truck driver and the trucking company.  They also attributed some fault to Martinez, who was driving at the time.  In their verdict, they awarded $750,000.00 for medical bills, and an additional $750,000.00 for personal injuries. 

 

In semi-truck accident cases, it is necessary to investigate both whether the trucking company was negligent in their hiring practices as well as their training practices.  There is no doubt there are a lot of unsafe drivers on the road.  However, a lot of these collisions can be avoided by not putting them behind the wheel of a tractor trailer to begin with. 

 

When you are searching for a truck accident attorney, this is why it is so important to hire a lawyer who specializes in nothing but injury law.  They have to be familiar with pracices of trucking companies as well as the Department of Transportation's federal regulations. 

 

If you are searching for a truck accident lawyer, feel free to contact injury attorney Josh Myers.  We specialize in injury law and handle truck accident cases from all across the country.  It is always free to discuss your case. 

The U.S. Government Accountability Office recently reported that over a half-million drivers are rated as 100% disabled by other U.S. agencies.  The study was instigated as a result of a request by the House Transportation sub-committee because they wanted to know the scope of the problem of medically unfit truck drivers on the road.  Approximately 85% of the disabled drivers have active commercial driving licenses. 

 

The report also gives several egregious examples: 

 

A Virginia truck driver, disabled since 1995 for numerous medical issues, including an amputated leg.  The truck driver said that his doctor tested his ability to use the prosthesis by pushing the doctor around the office in a rolling desk chair.  Shockingly, that doctor has since had his medical license revoked.  Incidentally, the driver's truck rolled over in a 2006 truck crash. 

 

A Maryland truck driver, disabled since 2001 because of severe lung problems, last renewed his CDL in 2007.  The driver had a medical certificate from a doctor; however, that examiner later indicated that the report was forged. 

 

A Virginia school bus driver, disabled since 1998 for multiple sclerosis, had never even undergone a CDL medical examination.  However, Virginia renewed the driver's CDL in 2006.  Later that year, this driver was cited as the cause of a three car collision that injured sixteen people. 

 

A Florida bus driver, disabled since 1994 for lung problems, admitted to investigators that he occasionally blacks out.  That driver continues to serve as a substitute driver. 

 

This study only scratches the surface when it comes to the medically unfit truck drivers on the road.  Given the latest reform, it could not identify drivers who are just as medically unfit, but who had never applied for disability benefits. 

 

If you have been injured in a collision with a semi-truck, it is essential to consult with an injury attorney specializing in truck accident cases immediately.  While it may seem clear that the driver was negligent, often times the reason as to why they were negligent is not.  A good truck accident attorney will investigate these issues.  Often times, we sue not only the truck driver, but also the trucking company for hiring that driver in the first place. 

 

If you have been injured in an accident with a semi-truck, feel free to contact St. Louis trucking accident attorney Josh Myers.  It is always free to discuss your case and there is never any fee until we recover on your behalf. 

 

Police and ambulance were called to the scene of a very bad truck accident in Herculaneum at approximately 7:30 am on Monday, August 4, 2008.  The semi truck had collided with a least one other vehicle.  The wreck was bad enough that it caused all lanes on southbound I-55 to be shut down.  While there were injuries sustained, there is no word yet on how serious they are. 

Emergency crews were called to the scene of an overturned semi-truck the afternoon of August 13, 2008.  Apparently, the truck driver was making a left turn from eastbound Big Bend onto an entrance ramp of I-44.  While doing so, the truck flipped over.  Luckily, no one was injured in this accident.  However, this incident highlights a possible bigger problem.  As a Missouri truck accident lawyer, I often find that many times injuries are caused due to inexperienced drivers.  This is why we will often file suit not only against the defendant driver, but also the trucking company that hired the driver for negligent hiring and retention practices.  Many times, we find that the trucking companies will hire inexperienced drivers and do not adequately train them to drive a tractor trailer.  Even so, they still put them out on the road.  If you are searching for a St. Louis truck accident lawyer, make sure you find someone who is willing to go the distance, not only against the truck driver, but also the trucking company.  Luckily, no one was injured in this accident, unfortunately, that is not always the case.

As any trucking accident attorney can tell you, one of the biggest threats on the road is a weary truck driver.  The vast majority of the trucking accidents we see are caused by tired truckers.  There are actually laws which regulate how long truckers may drive during a given time period.  For approximately 60 years, the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) stated that truckers could not drive for more than 10 hours at a time.  However, approximately one year ago, they changed that regulation so that truckers could drive up to 11 hours at one time.  

We recently passed the one year anniversary of a ruling by the D.C. Circuit Court in which they threw out that rule.  In doing so, they indicated that the FMSCA had to adequately explain their decision to add the additional hour.  Not only were they unable to do so, they freely admitted that "studies show that performance begins to degrade after the 8th hour on duty, and the degradation increases geometrically during the 10th and 11th hours."  Essentially, the FMCSA candidly admitted that their new rule would lead to further performance degradation, which means more crashes.  

I am not sure what motivated the FMCSA to increase driving hours.  However, there is no question that the roads are going to be safer due to the overturning of this rule.  I have handled a number of semi-truck collision cases.  In every case, we get not only the driver's logs, but also the bills of lading, fuel receipts, and GPS tracking information.  Basically, we get every piece of paper that can help us document how long the trucker had been driving.  All too frequently, we find that the truckers have been forging their logs, and have been driving in excess of these regulations.  If you have been involved in a trucking accident and need to speak to a Missouri or Illinois trucking attorney, feel free to contact Josh Myers.