As a southern Illinois tractor-trailer crash attorney, a recent story about a semi-truck crash caught my attention. According to KFVS, Two semi trucks and a John Deere tractor collided near Anna, Ill. on the morning of Friday, Oct. 29. The tractor’s driver was essentially caught in the middle as the two Mack trucks collided and suffered head injuries. The truckers were not seriously harmed. One of them was ticketed for failing to slow down for the other, suggesting that driver was at fault.
The accident occurred as the tractor and both 18-wheelers were traveling east on Lick Creek Road. Lloyd D. Newman, 61, of Anna, was driving a green 1977 John Deere tractor. Joshua R. James, 33, of Mount Vernon, tried to pass Newman’s tractor in his red 2003 Peterbilt tractor-trailer. While James was in the passing lane, Dann Kraatz, 43, of Anna, rear-ended the tractor in his blue 1995 Mack semi-truck. Kraatz’s truck knocked the John Deere into the path of James’s semi-truck in the passing lane. Newman had to be airlifted to St. Francis Medical Center in Cape Girardeau for treatment of head injuries resulting from this collision. The article did not go into detail about his injuries or his condition. The truck drivers were both treated at the scene for their injuries, and Lick Creek Road was closed for three hours following the crash.
In my experience as a St. Louis semi truck accident lawyer, failure to reduce speed to avoid an accident is usually the result of a driver who isn’t paying attention to traffic or road conditions. This can result in horrific crashes like the one that took place in Oklahoma last summer, killing ten people. Unfortunately, failure to pay attention to the road is implicated in a large percentage of accidents caused by large trucks, according to
the federal government’s Large Truck Crash Causation Study. That study found that twenty-nine percent of crashes were caused by drivers who were distracted or daydreaming. State and federal regulations for truck drivers and trucking companies are meant to minimize dangers like this 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 constitutes negligence or carelessness that could hurt someone.
If an innocent victim, such as the driver of the John Deere tractor, is hurt by the negligence of a trucker or trucking company, they or their family would do well to talk to an experienced Missouri 18-wheeler accident attorney to learn about their rights. Negligent truck drivers and their employers should be held accountable, and under the law, they can be even if the crash doesn’t result in criminal charges. The law allows victims to sue those wrongdoers, and the truck manufacturers in cases where the truck itself was at fault, to recover financial compensation for the harm the crash caused. That includes compensation for medical costs, pain and suffering, lost quality of life, lost past and future wages, damage or loss of personal property such as a vehicle and damage to close relationships.
If you or a loved one were hurt by a negligent semi-truck driver, please contact Carey, Danis & Lowe for a free consultation about your situation. Speaking with an attorney right away after an accident can help ensure that all relevant evidence from the crash is preserved, and protects your rights to full compensation. To set up a free consultation, please contact us online or call toll-free at 1-877-678-3400.
