Truck Accident Lawyer in West Plains
According to the United States Department of Transportation, there are more than 500,000 truck accidents every year. Approximately 5,000 people die each year in accidents with a simi-truck or tractor / trailer. Sixty-eight percent of the truck accidents that occur in this country are in rural areas - making our area particularly susceptible.
While there are many different causes of truck accidents, there is almost always one significant effect: serious bodily injury or death. A person who has been involved in an accident with a truck weighing possibly up to 40 times more than the vehicle that they are in is very likely to suffer serious or even fatal injuries. According to statistics provided by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration in 2009, there were approximately 296,000 large trucks weighing over 10,000 pounds involved in traffic accidents. Truck accidents accounted for 12 percent of all traffic accident deaths.
What Sets Our Personal Injury Firm Apart
- You don’t pay us a penny unless we win
- Free consultations provided
- Committed to delivering high-quality representation
- More than six decades of combined legal experience
- Members of the Million Dollar Advocates Forum ®
- Members of the Multi-Million Dollar Advocates Forum®
- Highest possible rating in both legal ability and ethical standards from Martindale-Hubbell®
- Top Trial Lawyers in America ®
Get the representation you need if you have been injured - call (800) 526-1949 for your free consultation!
Investigating Fault
The catastrophe caused by a truck accident will require a lot of police investigations and legal interference. Only in this way can the cause of the accident be determined and fault be applied accordingly. This is a much more difficult task than it might first appear, as the truck driver is not always the one to blame, or at least not entirely. Therefore, thorough investigations will need to be conducted in order to determine where the true fault lies. This can be done through recreation of the accident itself, assessment of truck driving records, reviewing logbooks, collecting evidence from the scene and downloading data from EOBRS (electronic on-board recorders).
The At Fault Party Is Like One of The Following:
Truck Driver
Truckers are tasked with a lot of responsibilities, many more than just attentively adhering to the rules of the road. In addition, they are expected to adhere to the hours of operation that have been set forth for them, avoiding exceeding these hours and risking fatigue, conducting thorough inspections of the vehicle prior to driving, accommodating for severe weather conditions and so much more. Any truck driver who fails to properly abide by these conditions could be at fault in an accident that results from such negligent or reckless behaviors.
Truck Company
Sometimes, the fault of an accident lies more with the trucking company that the truck driver. It is a company's responsibility to adopt all new safety plans and laws that pertain to their drivers and trucks. In addition, these companies are expected to conduct thorough background checks during the interview process and ensure that their drivers are never operating a vehicle under the influence of any intoxicating substances. Along with their drivers, companies should also be involved in the inspections of their vehicles before they are driven on the road with other motorists and motorcyclists.
Truck Manufacturer
Trucking accidents can be unavoidable when faulty manufacturing is at play. Even when the truck driver and the company for which they work have taken every safety precaution necessary, a truck with fault brakes or defective parts can cause an accident. Under these circumstances, the fault may lie not with the driver, and not with the trucking company, but with the original manufacturer of the vehicle.
What Are the Trucking Regulations?
Both federal and state governments have issued regulations that are meant to guide truckers and the companies that employ them. These are known as the Motor Carrier Safety (MCS) regulations. These regulations require trucking companies and their drivers to meet a series of basic standards that apply to a vehicle's maintenance, a driver's time on the road and all other conditions that could adversely affect a trucker's ability maintain safety while driving on highways across the country. Accidents are most often caused when these conditions are not appropriately accommodated for, making it all the more necessary for truckers and trucking companies to follow the rules of the road as well as the specific mandates that have been set forth for them by local and federal governances.
Specifically, commercial trucking regulations include a set number of hours that will be allotted to each driver operating the vehicles; this breakdown includes time limits per day and per week. Trucking companies are required to keep thorough records and logbooks that record their drivers' hours of operation and frequency on the road. Truckers and the companies they work for are also mandated to conduct inspections of the vehicles before traveling on the road and sometimes at intervals of long drive times as well. When these regulations are not followed or properly met, accidents are much more likely to occur.
80+ Years of Collective Legal Experience
Let our West Plains MO injury attorneys investigate the situation and determine whether or not the regulations were followed and what legal action should be taken if they were not properly adhered. Having recovered millions of dollars in compensation, we are Life Members of the Million Dollar and Multi-Million Dollar Advocates Forums®, denoting our commitment and history of success.
Contact Henry, Williams & Kinder, P.C. for your free consultation! No fees unless we recover.
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“Henry, Williams & Kinder, P.C. are courteous and eager to help.”- Sunni L.
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“I could not have asked for better representation than I received from Henry, Williams & Kinder, P.C.”- David Z.
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“Henry, Williams & Kinder, P.C. did a fantastic job on my case not only getting my bills paid, but getting me substantial compensation for my injuries.”- Kathy B.
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“Even though we live 115 miles from Mr. Henry’s office, we wouldn’t hesitate to use him again. Just hope we don’t have to.- Dennis D.
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“I’m so thankful for all of attorney Roy Williams' help!”- Michael T.
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“From our very first meeting until they were finished with my case, I knew that I had made the right choice in retaining Henry, Williams & Kinder, P.C.”- Heath J.
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“Attorney Nikki Kinder cares about her clients and works for fair and just compensation.”- Billy R.
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“I have worked with attorney Nikki Kinder twice.”- Dovie M.
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“Attorney Nikki Kinder was always quick to reply and easy to talk to.”- Kim Y.
Our Settlements & Verdicts
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$8 Million Rear-End Truck Accident
Rear-end truck accident resulting in paraplegia settled with insurance carriers for a confidential amount after trial court entered an $8,000,000 judgment.
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$6.7 Million Construction Zone Death
No offer wrongful death case brought by the family of a 32-year-old West Plains man killed in an unsafe MoDOT construction zone resulting in a Howell County record $6,700,000 jury verdict.
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$6 Million Tow Truck Wrongful Death
Tow truck wrongful death case where the driver left the scene of the accident settled for $6,000,000.
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$6 Million Unsafe Highway
A double fatality unsafe highway case against MoDOT for the deaths of two Willow Springs teenagers resulted in an award of $3,000,000 each for a total award of $6,000,000.
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$6 Million Wrongful Death
$6,000,000 Arbitration Award against MoDOT for the deaths of two teenage boys killed as a result of a dangerous highway that had no shoulders.
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$4.9 Million Product Liability
Dangerous product which resulted in a traumatic brain injury resulted in a $4,980,000 settlement.