Experienced Kansas City Attorneys Manage Trucking Accident Litigation
Skilled and determined representation for serious injuries and wrongful death
The number of commercial trucking accidents and fatalities has been rising steadily in recent years. According to statistics from the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA), more than 4,000 people are killed every year in large truck and bus crashes. Although this is down from the early 2000s, when more than 5,000 people were killed annually, commercial truck crashes are still a significant safety concern, especially on high-speed arteries. If you have been seriously injured or a loved one has been killed in a Missouri trucking accident, the Barnes Law Firm LLC is ready to fight for the fair compensation you deserve.
Experienced in common types of truck accidents
Tractor trailers and other large commercial trucks can do a lot more damage to passenger cars and their occupants than the cars can do to them. According to 2016 FMCSA statistics, 22 percent of commercial truck crashes caused personal injury and less than one percent caused a fatality. But in more than 80 percent of those fatal crashes, the person killed was not the truck driver.
The FMCSA heavily regulates the trucking industry, establishing qualifications for drivers, setting limits on the number of hours a driver can spend behind the wheel and requiring frequent inspections of equipment. Unfortunately, FMCSA does not have a sufficient number of inspectors to enforce compliance with regulations, so companies often flout the law. In the worst cases, trucking companies put equipment back on the road after it has failed inspection and pressure drivers to continue working after they’ve exceeded the legal number of hours.
Driver fatigue is one of the major causes for a truck accident. Other common causes are:
- Driver error
- Driving under the influence of alcohol or drugs
- Mechanical failure, especially brakes and tires
- Improperly loaded cargo
- Road and weather conditions
- Passenger car interference
If you are involved in a truck accident, our personal injury lawyers will thoroughly investigate the facts to determine the exact cause, so that we can hold the appropriate parties accountable.
Who might be responsible for a commercial truck accident?
Truck crash cases are often more complex than passenger car accidents, due not only to the size and severity of the damage but also to the multiple parties that may be involved. We can identify any and all potential defendants in a trucking accident, which generally are one or more of the following:
- The truck driver
- The trucking company
- The truck’s owner
- Another driver
- The equipment manufacturer
- The maintenance company
- The cargo-loading company
- The government entity responsible for the roadway
In cases where drivers are at fault, trucking companies are liable for the drivers’ errors under the legal theory of respondeat superior. But no matter who might be at fault for your injuries in a truck accident, you can trust our determined trial lawyers to fight aggressively for your full compensation.
Contact our accomplished Kansas City law firm for a free truck accident consultation
The Barnes Law Firm LLC represents victims of commercial truck crashes in the greater Kansas City area. Please call 816-221-4321 or contact us online to schedule a free initial consultation. Our office is conveniently located at 919 W 47th Street in Kansas City, Missouri.
