Common Causes of Truck Accidents in the St. Louis Area
The St. Louis area experiences its fair share of dangerous traffic accidents, and some of the deadliest are truck accidents. Because the big rigs we share our roads with are many times larger than the cars we drive, truck accidents put the occupants of other vehicles at far greater risk of being seriously harmed. If a truck driver’s negligence leaves you or someone you care about injured, an experienced St. Louis truck accident attorney is standing by to help.
Understanding the Risk Factors
The sheer size of tractor-trailers and the way they’re constructed have a lot to do with the immense risk they pose. Truck drivers, however, are professional drivers who must carry commercial driver’s licenses and drive in a way that does not put other drivers at an unreasonable risk of harm.
Some of the primary risk factors associated with 18-wheelers include:
- Truck drivers experience large blind spots along all four sides of their rigs, which require careful attention when changing lanes or taking an exit.
- Truck drivers require far more traveling distance to come to a safe stop on the road. Truckers who consistently fail to address this concern are more likely to cause life-threatening accidents.
- The relatively tall, narrow profile of semis makes them more susceptible to rolling when truck drivers fail to take the necessary precautions in relation to tight curves, swift exits, or bad weather.
- When a trailer is poorly loaded or poorly maintained, it can significantly affect performance and safety, and truck drivers and trucking companies that don’t pay adequate attention significantly increase the risk.
- Tractors and their trailers are connected by massive hitches that allow the parts to move in orchestrated union. Truckers who don’t adjust their speed downward in response to tight curves, lane changes, and exits greatly increase the odds that their rigs will jackknife, putting everyone on the road in significant danger.
Truck Driver Negligence
Truck driver negligence is often the underlying cause of the risks defined above, and this negligence can take an array of forms, including:
- Distraction – In order to operate an 80,000-pound vehicle safely, truck drivers need to train their complete attention on driving safely, and any kind of distraction can prove deadly.
- Exhaustion – Spending long hours on the road can be exhausting, and as a result, truckers face strict hours of service regulations. Those who fail to take them seriously put everyone on the road at increased risk.
- Impairment – Impairment behind the wheel is one of the most dangerous driving practices, and when the vehicle is a semi-truck, the matter becomes much more severe.
- Excess Speed – The higher the trucker’s speed, the more likely they are to cause an accident, and the more likely the accident is to be fatal.
Reach Out to an Experienced Truck Accident Attorney in the St. Louis Area Today
The dedicated truck accident attorneys at Hullverson Law Firm – serving the St. Louis area – have decades of experience successfully guiding challenging cases like yours toward advantageous outcomes, and we’re also here for you. Contact or call us at 314-588-7777 to discuss your claim and concerns today.