As a southern Illinois tractor-trailer accident attorney, I was disappointed to read that two officers and a police dog were injured in a crash with a large truck. The incident took place on Interstate 57 in Pulaski County, south of St. Louis. According to KFVS, one officer was clearing debris from the road on foot and another was in a parked squad car when a large truck struck the back of the rearmost parked police car. It then hit the deputy who was on foot while he was trying to run away from the crash, ran into the median and caught fire. Fortunately, no one was seriously injured, although the officer on foot did suffer several broken bones in his foot. The driver of the truck was cited for failure to yield to police vehicles and failure to reduce speed.
Last week, Pulaski County Sheriff’s Deputy Kent Ray was clearing debris from the northbound lanes of Interstate 57. His car was parked on the road. Behind it was a Mounds Police Department car with a K-9 unit, parked with its lights flashing. Officer Lyle Womack and a police dog named Bravo were inside when a semi truck driven by Yusef Mohammed, 27, of St. Louis, struck one side of the back of the K-9 unit car. Ray, the deputy who was on foot, attempted to flee, but the truck ran into him before it veered left and hit the median, causing a fire. Mohammed was not injured, fortunately. However, Ray suffered several broken bones in his foot, and Womack and Bravo also suffered unspecified minor injuries. The officers were treated and released at hospitals, and Bravo was treated for bruised lungs.
The articles don’t specify how exactly Mohammed ended up rear-ending a parked police vehicle with its lights flashing. But the tickets he got for failure to reduce speed and failure to yield to a police car suggest that he was not paying close attention to the road. This is a common scenario in the accidents I handle in my job as a St. Louis big rig accident lawyer. Sometimes, truckers who fail to pay attention to the road are operating on very little sleep, and even breaking federal regulations about when they must rest. In other cases, truck drivers may miss important details about the road ahead of them because they’re distracted by cell phones or other devices. In either case, drivers who aren’t paying close attention can inflict devastating injuries on the people around them—including death and permanent disabilities. That’s why it’s vital for drivers to pay attention to the road.
At Carey, Danis & Lowe, we focus our practice on accidents involving large trucks. Our Missouri semi truck accident attorneys represent people who were seriously injured or lost a loved one because of a trucker’s or trucking company’s carelessness. That includes failure to do things as basic as watch the road, as well as any underlying violation of laws or trucking regulations. Because these cases often involve very serious injuries, it’s vital to have an attorney who understands the complex personal and financial needs that permanent injuries and wrongful deaths create. In a lawsuit, we can help clients recover all of the financial compensation they need, including compensation for all past and future medical bills; pain and suffering; emotional trauma; and any loss of a loved one or an ability.
If you’ve been injured by a trucking company’s or truck driver’s negligence, don’t wait to call Carey, Danis & Lowe today. You can reach us through our website or call toll-free at 1-877-678-3400.
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