truck accident attorney

As a Missouri 18-wheeler collision attorney, I have seen many families devastated by horrific accidents caused by careless semi truck drivers. The vast majority of these accidents could have been prevented if truckers had not been too exhausted or distracted to drive safely, or had not made poor judgments about their speed or following distance. Having seen so many of these cases, I was glad to see an article aimed at truck drivers that points out the benefits of driving safely and obeying the law for them and their careers. I hope that this article will be widely read and heeded.

Jim C. Klepper, the author of the article, says truck drivers need to take responsibility for educating themselves about all trucking laws and regulations, which may differ from state to state. They also must be aware of all of their company’s rules, policies, and procedures, and should keep copies of all of the laws, regulations, and company policies with them in their trucks so that they can keep on top of them. Obeying the law by avoiding speeding and tailgating helps truckers avoid accidents and hold onto their commercial driver’s licenses and their jobs. All trucking companies and their insurers want accident-free truck drivers, and under the new Comprehensive Safety Analysis 2010 program that I discussed recently, even the smallest infraction will show up on truck drivers’ records. Maintaining a scrupulously clean, law-abiding record, Klepper advises, is the surest way to move ahead as a truck driver.

Klepper is the president of a law firm that defends truckers, so he has truckers’ interests in mind. As a St. Louis semi trailer crash lawyer, my mind is always on the rights of victims of negligent truck drivers, so I’m pleased to see that Klepper and I agree that preventing accidents with safe driving and obeying the law benefits both groups. From the truckers’ perspective, complying with laws, regulations, and company policies helps them to be team players with their employer and helps them avoid getting in trouble with the Department of Transportation, Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration, or law enforcement. But it’s also vital that truckers drive safely and lawfully for the sake of drivers who share the roads with truckers, and who are vulnerable in crashes with trucks due to the sheer size and weight of large trucks.

As the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration’s Large Truck Crash Causation Study showed, many of the fatal crashes in which truck drivers were at fault resulted from exactly the kinds of illegal behaviors that Klepper cautions against. For example, 23% of truck drivers in the crashes under study were speeding, 9% were making illegal maneuvers, 7% were driving aggressively, 5% were following too closely, and 1% had used alcohol. Most of the other accidents in the study could be attributed to the drivers’ failures to obey trucking laws and regulations on things like the number of hours they could drive before taking a required rest period, or maintenance of their rigs.

Klepper doesn’t mention this in his advice to truck drivers, but as a southern Illinois semi truck accident attorney, I can tell them that there’s one more extremely important reason to know and obey trucking laws, regulations and policies: the law. If a truck driver is negligent and hurts someone, that driver may be required to pay large sums of money as compensation to that victim; will probably lose his or her job; and might even go to jail. Victims or their survivors can sue truckers and trucking companies for financial compensation, requiring those who caused the harm to pay for it. The compensation victims are entitled to may include medical costs, funeral costs, replacement of destroyed property such as the family car, lost past and future wages, and pain and suffering. This can, and often does, add up to six figures or more.

Precisely because that number can be so high, it’s important for anyone involved in a crash with a semi truck to contact a southern Illinois semi truck accident attorney right away. Truckers’ insurance companies sometimes try to persuade victims to sign away their rights to sue in exchange for a small sum of money. This has the effect of barring victims from being able to recover full compensation later — and the insurance companies know it, but most victims do not. Truckers’ insurance companies have their own interests in mind and their own professionals with expertise in protecting those interests. It’s only fair that victims also have their own professional, expert representation to help them put their lives back together after a truck driver’s negligence hurt them.

If you or a loved one have been hurt by a negligent semi truck driver, please contact Carey, Danis & Lowe for a free consultation. To set up an appointment, please contact us online or call toll-free at 1-877-678-3400.

A fiery crash involving several heavy trucks and an SUV on Interstate 64 in southern Illinois left two people injured, one critically. The crash took place near New Baden, at a scene police described as “absolute chaos.” According to Illinois State Trooper Mike Link, the accident happened as traffic slowed down for a construction zone. As a southern Illinois 18 wheeler collision attorney, I have seen many accidents involving semi trucks, like this one, and I am glad that no one was killed in this one. I hope that those who were injured recover quickly and fully.

The accident involved an eighteen-wheeler, a pickup truck hauling a trailer, a U-Haul truck pulling a trailer, a flatbed semi truck and a Chevy SUV. According to WJBD radio, the U-Haul and the pickup truck had slowed or stopped because of the construction zone, and the eighteen wheeler crashed into the U-Haul, smashing it into the pickup. The SUV managed to stop, but the flatbed semi truck rear-ended it and pushed it into the crash. Fire spread through the U-Haul, pickup truck, and eighteen-wheeler. The eighteen-wheeler’s driver was extricated from the wreckage by ten people who pulled him out through the moon roof.

“We had to pull him out through the moon roof cause the semi was trapped on its side,” said James Sheppard, a driver who was able to stop before the crash and got out to help. “He was kind of a big guy, so he was hard to get out. He was a little beat up. I think he was conscious. We were able to walk him to the stretcher and he left. He was bleeding.”

The truck driver was taken to St. Elizabeth’s Hospital in Belleville in critical condition, and later moved to St. Louis University Hospital in fair condition. The driver of the flat-bed semi had less severe injuries and was treated and released the same day at St. Elizabeth’s. The westbound lanes of I-64, where the crash occurred, were closed for several hours.

As a St. Louis semi trailer crash lawyer, I’m struck by how often preventable accidents like this happen. We don’t know why the eighteen-wheeler and flatbed semi drivers crashed into the traffic ahead of them, but as I discussed last week, studies show that crashes like this are often caused by the same few mistakes, such as driving too fast, following too closely, and failing to pay attention. It’s also worth noting that large trucks need longer distances to stop from highway speeds, which may be why the flatbed semi couldn’t stop when the SUV could. It’s distressing to think of how many people have been injured and killed because of bad judgments that truckers have made on the road. Trucking industry voices often emphasize that drivers of smaller vehicles need to exercise caution around large trucks, but we don’t hear as much commentary from them about their own responsibility to obey the speed limit and avoid tailgating cars ahead of them in traffic.

Even though the people involved in this crash were lucky enough to escape the worst, they would be wise to consult a Missouri 18-wheeler collision attorney right away to ensure that all their rights are preserved. In addition to injuring at least two people, this crash destroyed people’s vehicles, and perhaps the belongings being carried in the U-Haul. It’s going to be expensive to replace all of these things, and people involved in the accident may find later on that they were injured and didn’t realize it. Truckers’ insurance companies sometimes contact victims while they’re still reeling from the accident, trying to convince them to sign away their rights to sue in exchange for a small sum of money, but this is not in the victims’ interest. An experienced attorney can make sure that victims receive all the compensation they’re entitled to.

If you or a loved one have been hurt by a negligent semi truck driver, please contact Carey, Danis & Lowe for a free consultation. To set up an appointment, please contact us online or call toll-free at 1-877-678-3400.

Two men died in a fiery tractor-trailer crash on Interstate 70 near Highland, Ill., on August 9. As a southern Illinois tractor-trailer crash attorney, I am always distressed to hear about preventable accidents like this one. The St. Louis Post-Dispatch reported that the wreckage from the crash was so great that the highway’s westbound lanes were closed for more than nine hours. The crash killed truck driver Jerald D. Jaynes, 52, of Seymour, Ind., and his passenger William T. Burleson of Greensburg, Ind. Two other motorists, the drivers of a semi and a pickup truck, were taken to the hospital with injuries. In all, the crash involved three tractor-trailers and the pickup.

Jaynes was driving a tractor-trailer that slammed into a line of traffic stopped for an earlier accident. The crash caused a fire that trapped Jaynes and Burleson inside the rig, killing them at the scene. That crash started a chain-reaction crash involving two other tractor-trailers and a pickup truck. One of the semi truck drivers and the pickup driver were taken to St. Joseph’s Hospital in Highland for treatment of minor injuries. Jason Scott, the driver of the other big rig, was unhurt. He said that he saw the other trucks explode in a fireball and become engulfed in flames. In addition, he said, their tires were exploding, so he was unable to get out and help the other drivers as he had wanted to. Police said that they still weren’t sure why Jaynes wasn’t able to stop before hitting the traffic in front of him. An investigation is ongoing.

As a St. Louis semi truck wreck lawyer, I have worked on many cases involving semi truck crashes, and they frequently can be attributed to one of a few common causes. In fact, the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration’s Large Truck Crash Causation Study looked at the causes of large truck crashes and determined which causes are the most common. Drivers making poor judgments, like driving aggressively or too fast, following too closely, or making illegal maneuvers, accounted for a whopping 38% of large truck crashes. Another 29% of crashes were caused by drivers who were distracted or daydreaming. The many state and federal regulations of truck drivers and trucking companies are meant to minimize these issues by requiring drivers to get enough rest, get training, follow the rules of the road and take care of their vehicles. Failure to do any of these things not only violates regulations, it constitutes negligence, or carelessness that could hurt someone. Unfortunately, 23% of the crashes that the Large Truck Crash Causation Study considered were fatal, and another 29% involved incapacitating injuries.

As a Missouri semi truck accident attorney, I see firsthand that semi truck crash victims and their families spend a long time picking up the pieces of their lives. They incur expenses for funeral costs, medical treatments, lost wages, and auto repair or replacement. When a negligent truck driver or trucking company causes injuries or deaths, victims and their families can sue those responsible for these costs as well as lost quality of life and pain and suffering. Receiving compensation for the harm done to them cannot restore their lives to the way they were before the accident, but it can at least make it easier for the victims to move forward. The attorneys at Carey, Danis & Lowe have substantial experience representing victims of serious accidents with commercial trucks. We work hard to level the playing field for our clients, starting with explaining their rights and protecting them from illegal behaviors, pressure or harassment by insurers. We will work our hardest for every client to ensure that they receive the fullest possible financial compensation.

If you were seriously injured or lost a loved one in a serious trucking accident, please call on Carey, Danis & Lowe for help. We offer free, confidential case evaluations, so there’s no risk in speaking to us about your rights and your options. To set up a consultation, please contact us online or call toll-free at 1-877-678-3400.

As a Missouri tractor-trailer crash attorney, I’ve kept up with the news about a horrifying crash that happened last summer in Oklahoma. According to an Aug. 3 article from the Associated Press, the criminal case against the trucker who was allegedly at fault in the accident has been resolved. Donald L. Creed, 77, of Willard, Missouri, was sentenced to 10 years of probation and will serve 30 days in the Ottawa County, Oklahoma, jail for his guilty plea to 10 counts of misdemeanor negligent homicide. Those ten counts represent ten people who were killed in the June 2009 crash near Miami, Oklahoma, not far from the Oklahoma-Missouri border.

In the crash, Creed’s tractor trailer slammed into vehicles that had stopped for another accident on Interstate 44. The investigation into the crash did not turn up any evidence that Creed tried to brake or avoid hitting the other vehicles, nor that he was under the influence of alcohol or any other chemical interference with his ability to drive. At the scene, Creed said he thought the other vehicles had driven under his truck, suggesting he was confused or simply not paying attention. For the first year of his probation, Creed will undergo electronic monitoring. He will not be allowed to possess a commercial driver’s license either, although he has already retired from his job as a driver for a Kansas City grocery company. At least three families of victims of the crash have filed a lawsuit in Oklahoma court, which was scheduled to be heard in September.

In my experience as a southern Illinois semi trailer accident lawyer, victims sometimes get the sense of closure they need when criminal proceedings end against an at-fault truck driver. No doubt some families also feel that nothing is enough penalty for taking away their loved ones. But, as the news reports about this case suggest, there is more than one avenue that families can take to demand justice for someone injured or killed in a semi truck crash. In civil lawsuits, victims and their families can seek financial compensation from the insurance companies of drivers and their employers. A financial settlement or judgment can’t make their lives go back to the way they were before the crash, but it can at least pay for the costs imposed on victims because of the crash — costs like funeral expenses, medical bills, replacement of destroyed property like the family car, and lost past and future wages. It can also compensate victims for the less tangible costs like diminished quality of life, pain and suffering, and damage to their closest relationships.

The St. Louis semi truck collision attorneys at Carey, Danis & Lowe help victims of serious big rig accidents recover all the financial compensation they are entitled to. Anyone who has been involved in a serious accident with a semi trailer should contact us right away. Even if a truck driver pleads guilty to criminal charges, his or her employer and their insurance companies will most likely fight hard to avoid paying much compensation to victims. That’s why you need an experienced attorney on your side — to help preserve evidence and ensure that you aren’t tricked into signing away your rights to receive full compensation from the insurance companies. It’s important to avoid accepting a settlement offered by an insurance company without having consulted an attorney, since accepting it forecloses your ability to get more money if you discover later that your injuries are more serious and long-lasting than you had realized at the time.

If you were seriously injured or lost a loved one because of the carelessness of a semi truck driver or trucking company, please let Carey, Danis & Lowe help you. We offer free, confidential consultations. To set one up, please contact us online or call toll-free at 1-877-678-3400.

As a Georgia trucking accident trial attorney based in Atlanta, one of the things I always look at after a catastrophic crash is whether a truck driver was dangerously fatigued due, in part, to violation of hours of service rules. It looks like the rules may change yet again.

Prior to 2003, interstate truckers could drive 10 hours out of a 15 hour work day.

Since 2003, truckers have been allowed to drive 11 consecutive hours a day and work up to 14 hours, followed by a 10-hour off-duty period.

Now the safety advocacy group Public Citizen is pushing for a rule limiting truckers to driving 8 hours in a 12 hour work day.

This week, Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration submitted its proposed truck driver hours of service rule to the Office of Management and Budget. Details were not released, but most expect some shortening of driving and work hours.

While fatigue from long hours on the road contributes to serious accidents, trucking industry representatives say that shortening the work day will drive up shipping costs and that increasing the number of trucks on the road will increase safety risks.

Two things we can count on are that the controversy will continue in some form far into the future and that those who want to cheat will find ways to cheat.

Ken Shigley, author of Georgia Law of Torts: Trial Preparation & Practice, is a Certified Civil Trial Advocate of the National Board of Trial Advocacy, he has been listed as a “Super Lawyer” (Atlanta Magazine), among the “Legal Elite” (Georgia Trend Magazine), and in the Bar Register of Preeminent Lawyers . He practices law at the Atlanta law firm of Chambers, Aholt & Rickard, and has broad experience in catastrophic personal injury, wrongful death, products liability, spinal cord injury, brain injury and burn injury cases. He is also president-elect of the State Bar of Georgia. This post is subject to our ethical disclaimer.

If you’re cruising downhill on a major freeway, and you see a huge big rig bearing down on you, what do you do? Well, if you’re California Highway Patrol officer Tony Christolear, you get right in front of it.

Earlier this month, officer Christolear was on duty on a section of Interstate 5 called “The Grapevine.” The grapevine is a long, steep grade outside of Bakersfield on which there have been a number of major trucking accidents over the years.

On this day, the I-5 was crowded with holiday traffic when officer Christolear spotted the big rig traveling at a higher rate of speed than other traffic. He got closer and noticed excessive smoke coming from the trailers’ wheels.

When the driver of the rig failed to slow down after the officer tried to pull him over, Christolear realized he was dealing with a runaway truck. He immediately turned on his flashing lights and siren, pulled his cruiser in front of the rig and put himself between the rig and the holiday traffic.

He cleared a lane so the rig wouldn’t crash into anyone. Well, he cleared a lane until one driver failed to move over. And that’s when things got ugly… or uglier. Christolear continued to try to get the driver to move over, but in so doing, he allowed the semi to catch up to him. It smashed into the back of his patrol car. His car then bounced into the car in front of him, and then bounced back into the big rig. He and his car were playing a very dangerous game of pinball.

Officer Christolear’s patrol car finally came to rest after it hit the center divider. The runaway semi continued a bit further before it ran off the road and overturned. Christolear, the driver of the semi, and the driver of the car that failed to pull over were all taken to the hospital and treated for mostly minor injuries.

The accident is being investigated, with questions about the condition of the truck’s brakes, why the truck driver didn’t use any of the runaway truck ramps; and why the other driver failed to get out of the way. But one thing is certain: If Tony Christolear hadn’t acted as bravely and as quickly as he did, the outcome of this runaway truck accident would have been much worse.

As a Missouri 18 wheeler collision attorney, I hear about more fatal accidents involving semi trucks than most people. Sadly, a St. Joseph man recently lost his life in such an accident. According to the Chillicothe Constitution-Tribune, Michael A. Hart, 44, died July 14 in an accident caused by a tractor-trailer that pulled in front of his van. The article does not assign blame, but if the police report says the trucker pulled in front of Hart, it’s very likely that that trucker will be assigned the fault for the accident. My sympathies go out to Hart’s loved ones, and I hope they are treated fairly and protected from the worst excesses that trucking insurance companies are capable of.

The article says Hart was driving eastbound on U.S. Highway 36, a mile east of Hamilton, a small town northeast of Kansas City. Dale O. Hazzard, 38, of Gallatin, was driving his 1995 Volvo tractor trailer southbound on Spring Hill Road. According to the police report, Hazzard pulled out in front of Hart’s 1989 Chevy van, and the van hit the rear right side of the semi truck. The vehicles became entangled. There was no mention of whether Hazzard was hurt in the crash, or why he pulled onto the highway without stopping for oncoming traffic. A map of the area shows that the roads come together in a T intersection, so Hazzard would have had to slow down to turn from the gravel Spring Hill Road onto Highway 36.

In my work as a St. Louis semi trailer crash lawyer, I have seen far too many crashes that may have been entirely preventable, like this one, because they are caused by careless, negligent behavior. That includes cases where semi truck drivers were distracted by maps or phones, illness, exhaustion from overwork or simply not paying attention. I’ve also seen cases where the driver did everything right, but his or her trucking company failed to maintain the truck and its equipment properly. All of these mistakes can lead to a terrible, sometimes fatal, accident — and all of them are completely preventable. Because trucks have the potential to cause this type of serious accident, purely based on their size and weight, there are numerous state and federal laws and regulations governing drivers of large trucks.

Truck drivers and their employers are subject to penalties from the state government and Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration for breaking those rules. But those penalties can’t do much for people who suffered devastating injuries or lost a loved one in a crash, which is why negligent truckers and trucking companies are also liable in any lawsuit filed by trucking accident victims. This means that victims or their survivors can sue truckers and trucking companies for financial compensation, requiring those who caused the harm to pay for it. Financial compensation cannot return the victims’ lives to the way they were before the accident, but it can help the victims begin to get their lives back on track by taking care of medical costs, funeral costs, replacement of destroyed property such as the family car and lost past and future wages. It can also compensate them financially for their pain and emotional suffering.

If you were injured in a trucking crash that you believe was the fault of a negligent truck driver or trucking company, you should call Carey, Danis & Lowe right away for help. It’s important for trucking accident victims to contact a southern Illinois semi truck accident attorney right away to ensure that all their rights are preserved. Often, truckers’ insurance companies take advantage of victims’ emotional trauma or grief to convince them sign away their rights to sue right after the accident, in exchange for a small sum of money. Doing this takes away the victims’ rights to request more money later, when better information and the help of an experienced attorney can help them recover much greater and more appropriate compensation. To learn more about your rights and your legal options, you can contact Carey, Danis & Lowe for a free consultation. To set up an appointment, please contact us online or call toll-free at 1-877-678-3400.

Time and time again, as a trucking accident trial attorney in Georgia, I have seen the dangers of overly tired truck drivers who violated Federal Motor Carrier Safety Regulations hours of service rules. The paper drivers’ logs are called “comic books” for a reason. Now we see that 2010 Roadcheck revealed that violations for false logs were up over 18% from 2009. Electronic on-board recorders (EOBR’s) are not perfect, they will be better than easily faked paper logs. There are other posts on this blog about driver fatigue, sleep apnea, and the dangers of tired truckers that lead to deaths and injuries of many people each year.

Ken Shigley, author of Georgia Law of Torts: Trial Preparation & Practice , is president-elect of the State Bar of Georgia. A Certified Civil Trial Advocate of the National Board of Trial Advocacy, he has been listed as a “Super Lawyer” (Atlanta Magazine), among the “Legal Elite” (Georgia Trend Magazine), and in the Bar Register of Preeminent Lawyers . He practices law at the Atlanta law firm of Chambers, Aholt & Rickard, and has broad experience in catastrophic personal injury, wrongful death, products liability, spinal cord injury, brain injury and burn injury cases. This post is subject to our ethical disclaimer.

Just more than a year ago, 10 people were killed in a horrific traffic accident on Oklahoma’s Will Rogers Turnpike. Seventy-six-year-old Donald Creed was in his tenth hour of driving his 18 wheeler when he apparently failed to brake and ran into a line of cars which had stopped on the freeway, running completely over five of them. His mistake caused the ten deaths and a freeway pileup that stopped traffic for hours. He was charged with 10 counts of negligent homicide. It was recently reported that he is now close to reaching a plea agreement in the case.

The severity of this accident has caused people to question the reasons behind it, and to see if anything can be done to prevent accidents like it in the future. There currently is a bill in the Oklahoma state senate proposing to reduce the legal speed limit for commercial trucks from 75 mph to 65 mph. Many question whether that will have any effect. Creed was reportedly traveling at 70 mph, and 5 mph less would not have reduced the severity of the accident. Additionally, there are concerns about having traffic traveling at different speeds on the same highway, and the fact that truckers are paid to travel a certain distance in a certain amount of time. Slowing them down would be a financial loss for the drivers and their employers.

However, it was not the truck’s speed that killed the victims, but rather the driver’s inattentive driving. And this is where it gets tricky. There are already laws on the books regulating how long a driver can operate his truck without a break. Assuming these laws are followed and enforced — a BIG assumption — then another factor that can’t be ignored is the driver’s age.

Statistically, older drivers are responsible for more traffic fatalities as a percentage of the population. Some have said that age 65 is the mandatory retirement age for airline pilots (it was 60 prior to 2007), and maybe there should be a similar mandatory retirement age for truck drivers. They wonder why we allow truckers to continue driving at age 70, 75 even 80. Truck drivers must make split-second decisions every day at high speeds that require quick reaction times. Studies show that a driver over the age of 65 may not be physically and/or mentally equipped for the challenge. So should they be taken off the roads? It’s a question that needs to be asked.

A recent serious accident in southern Illinois involving several vehicles demonstrates how important it is for drivers of heavy trucks such as tractor trailers to use the utmost caution. Fox2 Now reported July 16 that two people were killed and three were hospitalized with injuries in a chain-reaction crash involving four semi trucks on I-57. As a southern Illinois semi truck accident lawyer, I am also troubled to note that this wreck was probably entirely preventable. Like several other recent tractor trailer accidents, this one allegedly started because several drivers failed to stop in time to avoid hitting traffic sitting on the highway.

The crash took place on I-57 between Benton and West Frankfort in southern Illinois, around 2 p.m. last Thursday. The cause of the accident has not yet been established, but we do know that traffic on the highway was stopped because of a construction zone. WJBD reported that a semi truck driven by Carl Jones, 52, of Florissant, Mo. rear-ended a vehicle stopped in the construction zone, which was pushed into three other vehicles ahead of it. Then Jones’s truck was rear-ended by another tractor-trailer, driven by Randy Reynolds, 54, of Herrin, Ill. A third semi truck, driven by Damon Stahlhut, 39, of Marion, Ill, rear-ended Reynolds’ truck. Both Stahlhut and Reynolds were hauling asphalt. Reynolds’ truck caught fire and the fire spread to Jones’ truck. Both Reynolds and Jones lost their lives, but fortunately, the occupants of the other involved vehicles were not seriously injured. I-57′s northbound and southbound lanes were closed for about five hours while emergency crews responded to the wreck.

Fox 2 in St. Louis had a video report:
 

In this case, we don’t know whether driver distraction, equipment failure, medical issues or something else caused the problems that led to this terrible accident. But we do know that there are now two families who have lost loved ones, and in my experience as a Missouri tractor trailer accident attorney, it’s important for these families to protect their rights as victims while the accident investigation takes place and responsibility is assigned. Sorting out crashes involving this many trucks and this many drivers can be very complex, especially because each trucker may be insured separately from his or her trucking company. In addition to being complicated, this can create many opportunities for insurance companies to minimize their liability by violating the victims’ rights. That’s why it’s essential for victims to get help from an experienced attorney as early as possible.

Trucking regulations require trucks to be maintained in good working condition and truckers to be rested, reasonably healthy and careful on the road. As the accident investigation progresses, the police may find that one or more of the truckers or trucking companies involved failed to live up to these obligations. That’s why it’s important for victims and their families hurt in accidents involving large trucks to talk with an experienced semi truck accident lawyer as soon as possible after the crash. The families of the men killed in this crash may have depended on them for financial support. If someone else’s negligence, or failure to be appropriately careful and obey the law, caused their deaths, then the families can sue the negligent parties for financial compensation. This could include compensation for lost income and funeral expenses as well as compensation for the loss of a loved one’s care and companionship. Money cannot restore their lives to the way they were before the accident, but it can at least make it easier for these to move forward.

At Carey, Danis & Lowe, we specialize in representing victims who were injured or families of victims killed in serious accidents with commercial trucks. Our St. Louis 18-wheeler crash attorneys know that trucking accidents involve complex and serious issues like traumatic injuries, and that insurance companies can sometimes engage in unfair, illegal behavior in order to avoid paying victims what they deserve. That’s why we work hard to level the playing field for our clients, starting with explaining their rights and protecting them from illegal behaviors, pressure or harassment by insurers. We work our hardest for every client to ensure that they receive the fullest possible financial compensation. If you were seriously injured or lost a loved one in a serious trucking accident, you can call on us for help. We offer free, confidential case evaluations, so there’s no risk in speaking to us about your rights and your options. To set up a consultation, please contact us online or call toll-free at 1-877-678-3400.