Kansas City Missouri truck accident lawyers -thumb-250x333-27472.1504141511550.jpg)
remind us that an accident can happen at any time and in any set of circumstances. That is why it is best to always be prepared and drive alert.
Monday afternoon, October 3, 2011, a woman stopped at a stop light got the ride of her life. Sitting at a red light on Front Street at Olive in an industrial section of Kansas City, Missouri, she became part of a five vehicle chain reaction accident that pushed her SUV about 100 feet onto the side of the road and into the end of a parked trailer. Another semi-tractor trailer was slowing down for the light when his foot slipped off of his brake pedal. Before he could hit the brake again his tractor trailer had slammed into the car in front of him, shoving it into the next car in line, creating the chain reaction five-car pile-up.
Four people were taken to area hospitals and will all survive. The woman in the SUV suffered the most serious injuries, the front half of her vehicle was wedged under the trailer and she had to be extricated.
Tractor Trailer Accidents Involve Heavy Damage and Serious Injury
This tractor trailer accident is still under investigation, but it serves as a vivid reminder of the mass and power of tractor trailers. And it serves as a powerful demonstration of how it only takes a split second for things to go horribly wrong. The driver of the SUV could have easily been killed as she slammed under the parked trailer. Most of the front half of her vehicle was crushed.
Common Missouri Tractor Trailer Accident Factors
An investigation will reveal what factors contributed to this truck driver rear-ending these cars. He was not impaired. However, tractor trailer accidents such as these generally have common contributing factors.
- Alcohol impairment
- Driver fatigue
- Prescription drug use or other medical factor
- Aggressive Driving
- Distracted driving, such as cell phone use
- Speeding or other careless or reckless driving
- Inadequately trained or inexperienced drivers
- Brake failure
- Defective or inadequately maintained parts fail
- Overloaded or poorly loaded trailers
Controlling Factors to Prevent Tractor Trailer Accidents
There are many federal and state regulations that have been enacted to reduce the danger of trucking accidents. From driving time limits and driver qualifications to log books and other tracking requirements, these regulations were enacted to protect truck drivers, passenger drivers, motorcyclists and pedestrians and bicyclists. The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration and the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration are two of the national agencies involved. The Missouri Department of Transportation and Missouri State Highway Patrol are two of the most important agencies for the state of Missouri. Visit any of these web sites for more information about regulations and safety initiatives.
Call 1-888-777-Auto (2886) for information or legal advice in the case of injury or death resulting from a tractor trailer accident in Kansas City, or anywhere in Missouri, contact the Kansas City Missouri truck accident lawyers.
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