Kansas City Truck Accident Attorney
Truck accident Lawyer in Kansas City Fighting for Truck Injury Victims Injured by Negligent Truck Drivers.
Truck accidents happen every week in the Kansas City metro area in both Kansas and Missouri. Tractor-trailers and large trucks are heavy massive vehicles and the force of the impact with a car, pickup, or smaller motor vehicle can be disastrous for the people in the smaller vehicle.
Kansas
The 2021 Kansas Traffic Crash Facts indicates that Kansas City KS had 2908 total motor vehicle crashes in 2021 resulting in 1145 injuries and 24 deaths. Wyandotte County had 3217 motor vehicle crashes resulting in 1233 injuries and 25 fatalities.
In 2021, Overland Park, also part of the Kansas City metro area, had 3083 motor vehicle crashes resulting in 1206 injuries and 6 deaths. Olathe had 2148 motor vehicle crashes resulting in 543 injuries and 4 deaths. Johnson County had an overwhelming 9608 motor vehicle crashes resulting in 3082 injuries and 23 deaths.
Kansas had 3316 Heavy/Large truck crashes in 2021 resulting in 86 deaths, which is one large truck crash every 2.64 hours.
Missouri
The 2020 Missouri Traffic Crashes found that Jackson County had 123 fatalities from motor vehicle crashes. Clay County had 16 fatalities. Cass County had 14 fatalities. Platte County had 9 fatalities. Large Truck Tractors with or without trailers resulted in 66 deaths. Missouri had approximately 1007.
Our Kansas City Truck Accident Lawyers associated with the Truck Accident Lawyers Group of Bull Attorneys has helped more than ten thousand accident victims since 1983. Our experienced Kansas City Trucking injury attorneys are knowledgeable in federal regulations over truck drivers and motor carriers known as the FMCSR. We have a track record of remarkable results on trucking claims.
Our Kansas City tractor-trailer accident attorneys are uniquely trained in developing semi-truck accidents through a proprietary case development method that was created to maximize your financial compensation. We always bring legal claims not only against the truck driver, but against the trucking company for negligent hiring, training and supervision.
In most cases we can prove the trucking company failed to follow a safety plan under the CSA BASICs.
We help get compensation for pain and suffering, mental anguish, medical bills, lost wages, future medical care, future economic loss and in the event of a wrongful death, we can help the family recover to be able to live following the death of a loved one.
Call our Kansas City trucking injury lawyers today for a free consultation at 816-981-0100 or write to us on our website contact page.
What is the Statute of Limitations for a Car Accident with a Large Truck?
Are Personal Injury Protection Benefits (PIP) available in both Kansas and Missouri?
What are Common Causes of Car Accidents with Large Trucks and Semis in Kansas City?
Distracted driving.
Distracted driving causes approximately 71% of large semi-truck crashes according to the FMCSA. Most are from engaging in non-driving related tasks. FMCSA Driver Distraction Study
Nighttime driving.
36% of fatal large truck crashes happen at nighttime according to the FMCSA. FMCSA Large Truck and Bus Crash Facts 2019
Speeding.
Large trucks speeding is a critical factor evaluated by the FMCSA and is one of the Unsafe Driving criteria in the CSA BASICs. Speeding of any kind was the most frequent driver-related factor causing vehicle crashes according to the FMCSA.
Poorly maintained commercial motor vehicle.
The FMCSA found that poorly maintained semi-trucks have a 65 percent higher crash rate than the national average. FMCSA Truck and Bus Maintenance Requirements and Their Impact on Safety
Drunk driving.
Drunk driving of truck drivers is such an important factor that the FMCSA requires trucking companies to test truck drivers before employment and to conduct random alcohol and substance testing while employed.
Rural areas.
The Large Truck and Bus Crash 2019 study found that 57% of all fatal crashes involving a large truck occurred in rural areas.
Construction zones on roads and highways.
The FMCSA reported that 33% of fatal crashes involving work zones and construction zones had at least one large truck in the accident. FMCSA Large Truck and Bus Crash Facts 2019
Fatigued driving related to exceeding maximum hours limits.
Truck driver fatigue is associated with 13 percent of semi and tractor-trailer crashes according to the FMCSA. FMCSA Study on Fatigued Driving
Improper training and supervision.
Truck driver training is so critical that the DOT issued a bulletin to motor carriers called “On Guard” in January of 1997 advising them that a truck driver commercial driver’s license (CDL) alone does not indicate that the driver is a trained or experienced truck driver.
What are the 5 Most Common Types of Truck Accidents?
The FMCSA found that 13.2 percent of fatal crashes in the U.S. have at least one large truck/bus involved. FMCSA Large Trucks and Buses in Numbers 72% of people killed in large truck crashes are occupants of the non-truck vehicles like cars, vans, and pickups.
Given these startling facts, drivers of smaller motor vehicles must be aware of the five most common types of truck crashes.
- Jackknife Truck Crash.
Jackknife accidents from semi-trucks and other vehicles are particularly dangerous. The FMCSA safety data found that jackknife accidents causing injury occur 51.6% of the time while they cause a fatality 38.4% of the time. - Rearend Truck Accident.
Rear end truck accidents are called front-to-rear crashes and the FMCSA found that 30.6% of large truck crashes with another vehicle result in injuries while 22.8% of those accidents result in fatality. - Sideswipe Truck Crash.
Sideswipe accidents with large trucks traveling in the opposite direction make up 3.2% of fatal crashes per the FMCSA. FMCSA Sideswipe Truck Crash Statistics while sideswipes in the same direction make up 3.6 percent of fatal truck crashes. - Intersection, T-bone and Angle Truck Accidents.
The FMCSA safety data found that large truck accidents with another motor vehicle occurring at an angle, like an intersection or T-bone crash cause 26.7% of injuries and 27% of fatalities when cars and smaller vehicles collide with a semi-truck or heavy/large truck. - Head-on Truck Collision.
The FMCSA safety data found that front-to-front or head-on truck collisions with another motor vehicle cause 2.7% of the injuries but 15.1% of fatalities.
How does a Truck Accident Lawyer Determine Fault in a Semi-truck or Tractor-trailer Accident?
If you or a loved one has been involved in a serious car accident with a tractor-trailer it is important for you to understand how fault is determined. Your Kansas City truck accident attorney must prove that someone was negligent in order to establish liability on the truck driver or trucking company.
Liability is established by proving 4 legal elements:
- The driver or trucking company owed a duty of care to you.
- The other party breached the duty of care.
- The breach of the duty must cause an injury as a result of the accident.
- The breach of the duty must be the proximate cause of the injury.
Insurance companies defending truck drivers and their employers, the motor carrier, will typically argue that a person, especially an older adult, has a preexisting condition so it was not proximately caused by the accident. Our Kansas City truck accident lawyers use medical experts to provide written opinions that the truck crash is the proximate cause of your injury.
Multiple different parties can be liable for your injuries or the death of a loved one. There are many possible different parties to bring a legal claim against in a semi-truck collision.
Truck accidents for negligent driving allows potential legal claims against:
- Truck drivers.
- Trucking companies and motor carriers.
- Owners of tractors or trailers lease them to other drivers and motor carriers and may be liable.
- Loading companies that improperly load cargo into the trailers.
- Maintenance companies and mechanics improperly maintained the semi-truck.
- Brokers of cargo, freight and cattle transporters who negligently select unsafe truck drivers and motor carriers.
- Safety consultants who negligently set up inadequate safety programs for motor carriers that do not comply with the FMCSR and CSA BASICs.
Many of the tractor-trailer crashes involving cars allow our Kansas City big rig injury attorneys to bring additional negligence claims for negligent hiring, negligent training, and negligent supervision of truck drivers. Even without these additional claims the trucking company or employer is liable for the accidents of the truck driver under the legal doctrines of vicarious liability and Respondent Superior.
Should I Talk to an Insurance Adjuster to Give a Statement?
What Should I Do After a Car Accident with a Semi-truck in Kansas City?
If you have been involved with an accident involving a large truck and want fair compensation, you need to do the following:
- Call 911 to report the accident and wait for the police.
- Report all injuries to the police and911 and specifically describe all injuries for you and all passengers.
- If you are injured, regardless of the level of injury, take an ambulance to the nearest major emergency room.
- Do not go to minor or urgent care centers because they do not properly assess all injuries and will not help your case.
- Get witness names, phone numbers and other information from all drivers and witnesses at the scene.
- Talk to the truck driver and report and ask why they caused the accident.
- Ask your truck accident attorney for recommendations on medical doctors who can help your particular injury.
- Be very specific in describing all areas of your body that are injured, rather than concentrating only on the worst pain.
- Call the Truck Accident Lawyers Group at 816-981-0100.
- Refused to give any statement to an insurance adjuster until you have hired an experienced Kansas City truck accident lawyer for advice.
- If possible, photograph the accident scene and vehicle immediately at the time of the accident. Obtain photographs of yourself and all injuries. Remember that bruises can sometimes rapidly disappear.
- Photograph all names, numbers and logos on the tractor-trailer to identify the business name and the Motor Carrier number and/or DOT license number.
- Photograph the accident scene, vehicles and all injuries.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does a truck driver need to slow down or stop moving in bad weather conditions?
A truck driver operating with a DOT license is required under Part 392.14 of the FMCSR to reduce speed when in hazardous weather conditions such as snow, ice, sleet, fog, mist, rain, dust and smoke and when conditions become sufficiently dangerous the truck drive must discontinue operations until the commercial motor vehicle (CMV) can be safely operated.
How often does a truck driver need to inspect their tractor-trailer?
The truck driver must always do a pre-trip inspection to be satisfied that it is in safe operating condition.
When should I hire a lawyer after a car accident with a semi-truck?
You should hire a truck accident lawyer immediately following your car-truck crash because the trucking company will have insurance adjusters, investigators and defense attorneys arrive at the scene within a few hours of a serious accident to help create defenses for the truck driver and trucking company.
Contact Kansas City Office
Locations We Serve
With physical offices in Kansas and Texas, the Truck Accident Lawyers Group is ready to represent injured people who have had a motor vehicle and truck accident anywhere in the United States. Make sure you hire an experienced truck accident lawyer who understands the safety rules under the FMCSR.
