Semi-Truck Crosses the I-44 Median Striking St. Louis Woman

In a truck crash on Sunday afternoon, a Maryland Heights woman was tragically killed when a westbound semi-truck crossed the median and struck her van head one on Interstate 44 in the eastbound lane. According to Missouri Highway Patrol, the semi-truck driver lost control, struck a second semi-truck, then traveled back off the left side of the road again before traveling onto the eastbound lane of I-44  colliding with the passenger van.

Differences in Weights of Vehicles

When a semi-truck collides with a passenger vehicle, the damage and injuries are almost always serious or fatal for the occupants of the passenger vehicle. Logically, it is due to the disproportionate size and weight.  Because over-the-road trucks can weigh up to 80,000 pounds vs. roughly 4,500 pounds of a passenger vehicle, commercial trucks can cause a lot of damage.  Because they can cause tremendous damage, commercial carriers and their drivers are held to a higher standard of safety.   Unfortunately, when a truck driver makes a driving error or a truck malfunctions, the results can be catastrophic or fatal.

Common Causes of Head-On Collisions

While we do not know the cause of Sunday's crash or how/why the semi-truck driver lost control of the truck, we do know the many common causes of head-on collisions include:

• Drunk Driving
• Drowsy Driving
• Distracted Driving
• Unsafe Passing
• Speeding

If You've Been Seriously Injured in Motor Vehicle Crash

If you've been seriously injured or if you have lost a loved one in a truck crash, you will want to consult an expert truck crash attorney.  Insurance claims involving commercial vehicles is very different than a simple passenger vehicle crash. Though, if you are seriously injure or a death is involve, then the claim in not simple.  Commercial carriers are subject to Federal Regulations, thus, when you involve an attorney, you want to be sure they have experience with the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration and the regulations.

What Can an Attorney Do For You?

An attorney will immediately secure evidence critical for investigations and may involve an accident reconstruction expert. As an injured person or the family of someone fatally injured, you have priorities that do not involve spending hours trying to negotiate with an insurance company or collecting boxes of medical bills and records. Hiring an attorney means that your case will be done correctly from the beginning. Attorneys evaluate steps now that will have an enormous impact on your case result and many of these steps are not laid out in Do-It-Yourself Steps. If you've been seriously injured or if you are coping with the death of a loved one, your tasks are overwhelming. Engaging in a complicated process of insurance negotiations requires a specialist if it is to be done correctly.  After you have been injured, you absolutely should not jeopardize your claim by trying to handle it alone.   It frustrates me to hear about someone who desperately needed fair compensation but failed to at least consult an expert injury attorney and get free advice.

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