By Zane T. Cagle | October 10, 2017 | Car Accidents, Featured, Inattentiveness, Personal Injury, Truck Accidents
Around 6:50 a.m. on Interstate 270, a dump truck “plowed” into the back of congested rush-hour traffic this morning according to authorities. This then sparked a five-vehicle crash that injured three people on Interstate 270 near Dougherty Ferry Road on Monday morning October 2, 2017.
Traffic had slowed on northbound I-270 due to congestion when the dump truck hit a vehicle. The person with the most serious injuries was in a car that was crushed and the first to be hit from behind by the dump truck. According to witnesses, the traffic on northbound I-270, traffic had slowed but yet the driver of the dump truck did not. The dump truck was pulling a flatbed trailer with construction equipment. Investigators are trying to determine why the 59 year-old Festus dump truck driver didn’t slow. In the brief MSHP narrative, the patrol said the driver was “inattentive”
Inattentiveness is the number one cause of motor vehicle collisions. Inattentive driving is not exclusive to distracted driving, but includes all behaviors that take the attention away from the driver paying 100 percent attention to driving. Such behaviors as operating the navigational system, daydreaming, eating and simply spacing off and not paying attention. This inattentiveness causes more crashes that result in serious injuries and death than any other driver error.
Commercial drivers are held to a higher standard of driving performance. The number one reason a higher standard is set for them is because of the sheer size of the commercial vehicle and the damage that can be inflicted in a truck collision. Driving mistakes in a commercial vehicle are usually quite a bit more serious because they are driving a vehicle that is many times larger than any passenger motor vehicle. Commercial drivers require special training and licensing. Employers of commercial drivers too must follow Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration Regulations regarding hours a driver may drive and enforcing good driving behaviors through training and performance checks.
If you’ve been injured a crash with a commercial vehicle, you are more than likely very injured. The simple physics of a crash between a dump truck or semi-truck with a passenger car is overwhelming for the passenger vehicle. If you are injured or if you have lost a family member in a commercial collision, you will need an expert vehicle collision attorney.
Call an attorney for a FREE consultation BEFORE you speak with any insurance company.
If you are not hurt, great! However, if you are, then you will need legal assistance. Don’t go through the process alone.
The Cagle Law Firm serves accident and injury clients throughout St. Louis and the greater St. Louis metropolitan area, including the eastern Missouri and southern Illinois communities. If you or a loved one needs legal assistance with your personal injury case, call The Cagle Law Firm at (314) 276-1681 or use our online contact form to schedule a free consultation.
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