The trucking industry plays a vital role in our daily lives. Every item we shop for online or at a store has spent some time on the back of a truck. It is rare that you can make any kind of trip in your car without encountering at least one commercial vehicle. Unfortunately, trucking accidents are a daily occurrence across the country.
According to the National Safety Council, there were 126,037 large trucks involved in crashes that either caused injuries or deaths in the United States in 2022. Many of those trucking collisions occurred right here in Missouri. Those incidents likely involved truck crash victims like yourself dealing with insurance companies, health care providers, and fleet companies. That is a lot for anyone to take on and work through on their own.
If you or a loved one have been harmed in a collision with an 18-wheeler or any other type of commercial vehicle, it is essential to talk to a qualified Kansas City truck accident lawyer to help you recover any financial losses and help you move on from the incident.
We offer complimentary consultations at Thomas Law Offices. This provides you with an opportunity to meet with a compassionate and experienced attorney to discuss your case and your rights. Consider reaching out to our law firm for assistance.
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Common Types of Tractor-Trailer Crashes in Western Missouri
The average semi-truck with a full cargo can weigh up to 80,000 pounds. That makes any truck a formidable presence on any road. Even the slightest of taps from a commercial truck can trigger a devastating accident like the following:
Jackknife Accident
Semi-trucks transport cargo in a trailer hooked to the towing vehicle or rig. When that rig folds at an irregular angle, it is called jackknifing. This often happens when the truck experiences braking issues or is driving on slippery roads.
Rollovers
A truck rollover accident will most likely occur when the truck is transporting a top-heavy load. When the weight of the cargo is poorly distributed, and the driver makes a sharp turn, it could cause a rollover. This can also happen on steep inclines or if the trucker is speeding.
Head-on Collisions
Collisions can take place on undivided two-lane highways when a semi-truck drifts out of its lane and collides with an oncoming vehicle. These accidents are often the result of impaired driving or speeding.
Lost Cargo Accidents
The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) has strict guidelines for loading and securing any type of cargo. Unfortunately, that cargo can sometimes shift during transportation. Not only can that cause an accident, but it could also lead to cargo spilling from a truck. This is also a concern for open flatbeds. That cargo can set off a chain reaction of collisions.
Runaway Truck Crash
Truckers need to keep their rigs well-maintained. That includes inspections before the truck leaves to make a delivery. If brakes fail on the road, it can lead to a runaway truck. It is up to the truck driver to downshift to stop. There are also runaway truck stops along certain stretches of highway that trucks can intentionally drive into in order to stop them. While all this is going on, there could be any number of collisions with other cars that can’t get out of the way quickly enough.
Rear-End Collision
While a car requires around 300 feet of braking distance to come to a stop, a truck needs twice as much. If the truck driver is too close to the vehicles in front of them and they come to a sudden stop, there could be a rear-end collision. Those can also happen if the truck driver is speeding and needs to stop in congested traffic.
Whether the type of trucking accident that injured you or a close family member in Kansas City is one of the types above or some other kind, know that Missouri law likely affords you the right to hold negligent parties accountable. When you retain the services of the Thomas Law Offices to investigate your accident, you can expect us to thoroughly investigate your crash to understand how it occurred and who may have been responsible for its occurrence.
The Long-Term Impact of Truck Collision Injuries
Any tractor-trailer crash that causes an injury can have a lasting impact on the victim. The following are some of the typical challenges you might encounter as the victim of a truck accident:
Chronic Pain
The impact from a truck can cause bone fractures or spinal damage. Some of those injuries could be mended with proper treatment and physical therapy. However, you could also experience chronic pain that creates the need for ongoing pain management. That type of pain can diminish your quality of life.
Disability and Reduced Mobility
With severe spinal cord injuries, there could be permanent disabilities. That could lead to the use of mobility aids such as walkers, wheelchairs, or crutches. You might also have to adapt your home and depend on daily assistance to accomplish regular routines. This can also directly impact your ability to enjoy life.
Psychological Trauma
Along with the physical trauma of recovering from a truck accident, many victims also experience some level of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). That can trigger bouts of anxiety and depression that require intervention from professional therapists.
Loss of Earnings
In addition to the lost wages that could accumulate as you recover from a Kansas City truck accident, you might be unable to return to that job. In that situation, your future earning potential could be included in your damages.
Diminished Relationships
All of the above conditions could have a cumulative impact on the victim’s family and other relationships. Those relationships can become strained if family members have to take on the role of primary caregivers. These are the kinds of challenges that impact the entire household.
Assigning Liability After a Wreck With an 18-Wheeler in Jackson County, MO
A large portion of the blame in a trucking accident can be attributed to the trucker. One primary reason for this is a failure to adhere to the federal and state regulations that govern the trucking industry. One of the most common issues is a lack of proper rest, which can lead to drowsy driving.
The FMCSA is very clear about an 11-hour driving limit for truck hours. That driving time also includes 30-minute breaks. A truck driver must log their driving and rest hours. Those logs can become an important piece of evidence in your claim.
Often, a tractor-trailer operator will blame the trucking company, which exerts pressure on the driver to make deliveries in a shorter amount of time. That type of influence could also mean the fleet company could be held partially responsible for the trucking collision.
The trucking company can also be responsible for not enforcing the health requirements for drivers. Truck drivers must undergo regular medical exams by professionals registered with the National Registry of Certified Medical Examiners. The goal is to ensure that drivers are not suffering from any underlying health issues that could impede their driving abilities.
Why You Need a Kansas City Truck Accident Lawyer
Filing a claim following a collision with a large truck here in Missouri isn’t overly challenging. However, dealing with the complexities that arise in the aftermath can be difficult.
There are a lot of factors that could have led to your involvement in a Kansas City truck crash. All of those have to be taken into account.
When a trucking company is named in a lawsuit, it will have a team of attorneys at its disposal dedicated to finding ways that they can deny liability for the crash. Their insurers will as well. This is why you need to have a skilled Kansas City truck accident lawyer on your side.
Thomas Law Offices can help, beginning with a free consultation. You should bring any of the following that you may have to that meeting:
- Medical records of your injuries
- The police report for your truck crash
- Photos or videos from the accident scene
Those are preliminary pieces of evidence that we can analyze to determine if the case has merit. Once you’ve gathered everything you have, contact us by phone or email for that meeting.
Guidance You Receive When Working With Thomas Law Offices
There are multiple components to the truck accident claims process. Steps you can expect us to help with include:
Preparing the Demand Letter
Once you hire us, we notify insurers and other interested parties that we’re representing your interests. You don’t necessarily have to be done treating for your injuries for us to take on your case and notify defendants and their insurers that we’re representing you.
Whether you’re continuing or are done receiving treatment, you can expect your truck accident lawyer in Kansas City to keep an up-to-date accounting of any damages you’ve incurred because of the crash. We’ll continue to add any future losses in our calculations until you reach maximum medical improvement (MMI). Once you’re done treating or the defendants’ insurance coverage is exhausted, we’ll send a demand letter requesting compensation.
Sending a demand letter in a Kansas City truck accident case is generally what initiates the negotiation process between you and the defendants. That will either ultimately result in a settlement offer that we agree to or necessitate you taking further legal action.
Filing Suit and Getting Your Truck Accident Case Ready for the Trial Phase
That further action that some tractor-trailer crash victims must take involves filing a lawsuit against a truck driver, trucking company, and other defendants. As far as that’s concerned, all our Kansas City truck accident lawyers are very familiar with the Missouri court system. We’ve successfully argued dozens of civil cases like these in courtrooms in Jackson County and elsewhere throughout our state.
Preparing for a trial will mean gathering all the evidence and building on your testimony. We will further support your semi-truck crash case in Kansas City with evidence collected by our investigators, who will collect the supporting documents from the fleet company, interview potential witnesses, and delve into the trucker’s driving history. That could establish a pattern of neglect that would be crucial for your trial.
At the trial, we can utilize the services of accident reconstruction experts to provide a clear picture to the jury of what you experienced as your truck accident unfolded. We might also call on medical professionals to detail the extent of your injuries and the need for ongoing therapy. Those experts can also support the fact that you can’t return to your previous job because of the harm your Kansas City 18-wheeler wreck caused.
Your truck accident attorney in our office will also prepare you to testify for the jury if we agree that will support the facts of your case.
A Kansas City Truck Accident Attorney With You From Start to Finish
When you work with us at Thomas Law Offices, you can rest assured knowing that we will remain focused on securing maximum compensation for you until the bitter end.
Filing a lawsuit often provokes those parties into action. Even though they have legal teams at their disposal, they would much rather settle the matter to avoid a costly award and negative publicity. However, there are some defendants responsible for truck accidents that will pull out all the stops to deny liability and not have to pay – no matter the financial or reputational cost. This is why you need a Kansas City Truck accident lawyer to fight for you and ensure you receive the compensation you deserve.
If you retain the services of the Thomas Law Offices, you will benefit from support and guidance from our entire legal team. Call to set up an initial consultation with one of our truck accident attorneys if a tractor-trailer operator hurt you, or an 18-wheeler crash took the life of a loved one in Jackson County or surrounding parts of Missouri today.
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