Prevention of Missouri 18-Wheeler Commercial Truck Accidents

Will you be injured in an 18-wheeler accident in Missouri this year? Will a family member be one of the over 5,000 people who die this year on United States highways in 18-wheeler crashes?

The Hershewe Law Firm of Joplin sincerely hopes not. As 18-wheeler accident lawyers in Missouri, all too often, we represent people in injury and wrongful death cases involving these large commercial trucks.

We would prefer that everyone–ordinary drivers, professional truck drivers, trucking companies, the highway patrol and our legislators—work together to prevent 18-wheeler accidents, injuries and lawsuits in Missouri and across our great nation.

The Hershew accident attorneys know that 18-wheelers are indispensable to our economy and our quality of life. Think of the items you use in a single day that were delivered to a store near your home in Missouri by truck. Commercial trucks transport essential goods. You can help them do it safely.

Here are some facts you can use to keep yourself and your loved ones safe as you share the road with 18-wheelers:

• Remember that 18-wheelers are often involved in accidents, and often those accidents involve fatalities or catastrophic injuries, simply because these trucks are big.
• The legal weight for an eighteen wheeler is 80,000 pounds or 40 tons. In comparison, the average automobile weighs over somewhere around 5,000 lbs.
• The average length of an 18-wheeler varies greatly depending on the type of cab, but the overall length is 70 to 80 feet.
• The standard height of eighteen wheelers is: 13' 6".

Size matters. This means:

• 18-wheeler accidents often occur because they are harder to stop than an average car. In fact, it takes an additional 40 percent longer to stop an 18 wheeler than it takes to stop your family car.
• It takes not only time, but space to maneuver a big 18-wheel rig. 18-wheelers have blind spots; areas behind and to either side where the truck driver has limited or zero visibility.
• An 18-wheeler creates wind turbulence or cross winds that can cause the driver of a car to lose control.
• The length and height of an 18-wheeler can cause it to sway or even jack-knife.

If you remember these facts, you’ll avoid 18-wheeler accidents just by driving with good Missouri common sense. The Hershewe Law Firm 18-wheeler accident attorneys urge all drivers and truckers to follow good traffic etiquette as well as the letter of traffic law.

• Keep your distance. Don’t crowd. Leave room for braking and maneuvering.
• Don’t linger in a driver’s blind spots.
• Speed kills. Don’t drive over posted speed limits.
• Carelessness causes accidents. Don’t cut other drivers off. Don’t pass if you can’t see sufficient headway.
• Give yourself time to judge the speed of approaching vehicles as well as sufficient time to accelerate before pulling into traffic.
• Don’t abandon a vehicle in a travel lane or fail to move a disabled vehicle completely off the road to the shoulder.

The 18-wheeler accident lawyers who work with Ed Hershewe know that the operators of 18-wheelers are usually highly skilled and patient drivers. However, some characteristics of the trucking business can contribute to 18-wheeler accidents. Keep in mind that the 18-wheeler just ahead of you on that Missouri highway may be inadequately trained to handle his truck. He may be working for a company that encourages safety risks – like speeding and excessive consecutive hours on the road -¬ by giving better compensation for drivers who beat unrealistic schedules. The trucker may even be drowsy.

Recent 18-wheeler accident statistics reveal that one out of eight fatal accidents in the United States are caused by collisions with commercial trucks, reason enough for Missouri drivers to be on constant alert while in the presence of 18-wheelers.

You can take action to avoid an 18-wheeler accident, but you cannot control all the variables that can contribute to an accident. If you are injured in an 18-wheeler crash in Missouri, please find a good 18-wheeler accident attorney.

The Hershewe Law Firm is ready to help you.
Call toll-free 877-382-9734, or complete our web form.