As a Missouri big rig accident attorney, I know that truck drivers are statistically unlikely to be seriously hurt when they crash into smaller cars and trucks. This undoubtedly has a lot to do with the fact that trucks far outweigh passenger cars, giving them an “advantage” in a crash. But when trucks get into single-vehicle accidents, the truckers can be and are hurt — especially when they’re traveling at high speeds. That seemed to be the case with a crash in Indianapolis involving a St. Louis truck driver last week. According to RTV6 in Indianapolis, a semi truck got into a fiery crash at 3 a.m. March 16, closing the eastbound lanes of Interstate 70 until early afternoon. Driver Marcus Moore suffered severe burns and was airlifted to the hospital in fair condition.
Moore was traveling east through the city at about 3 a.m., hauling 3,500 pounds of “a highly combustible resin solution.” He says a tire blew out on his tractor-trailer near Post Road, causing him to swerve, hit the guard rail and then strike a post supporting one of the overhead signs. That, in turn, triggered the explosion and fire. Moore had to cut himself out of his seat belt before crawling out of the fiery wreckage. Luckily for Moore, he happened to be followed by an off-duty ambulance, whose two medics helped a neighbor pull Moore from the flames. He was later airlifted to a hospital. Nearby residents said they were woken by the sound of an explosion that shook the entire neighborhood. The Indianapolis fire department dispatched 25 units, which had the fire under control in 40 minutes. However, crews kept the eastbound lanes closed for half the day to clear debris and ensure the remaining structures were safe.
As a southern Illinois tractor-trailer accident lawyer, I’m interested in whether the medics traveling behind Moore noticed the tire blowout. Given the hour, it would not be surprising if the real reason Moore swerved turned out to be excessive sleepiness from too many hours on the job. This is such a common occupational hazard for truck drivers that the federal government has actually made rules requiring drives to take a certain amount of rest per day and per week. Nonetheless, drivers will routinely ignore those rules, falsifying their travel logs in order to make deliveries faster. In fact, because money is at stake, sometimes trucking companies implicitly or explicitly pressure their drivers to ignore safety regulations. Of course, for the same cost-cutting reasons, Moore’s truck may have had a genuinely unsafe tire, which could also be a violation of safety rules, as well as endangering Moore and everyone around him.
At Carey, Danis & Lowe, we frequently take on issues like this, because we represent families across Missouri and southern Illinois who suffered serious injuries in a crash with a negligent truck driver. Our St. Louis semi truck accident attorneys focus their practice on large trucks because we know how damaging those accidents can be. Not only can commercial trucks do far more damage than passenger vehicles, but their trucking companies frequently have far more legal firepower than the average accident victim. As a result, victims who don’t know their rights can be tricked into giving up those rights in exchange for no money or very little. Before you accept a payment or sign or record anything, please call us for a free, confidential consultation about your options and your legal rights
Based in St. Louis and Belleville, Ill., Carey, Danis & Lowe represents trucking accident victims across Missouri and southern Illinois. To tell us your story and learn more, call us today at 1-877-67-3400 or send us a message through our website.
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