St. Charles Truck Accident Lawyer

St. Charles is the county seat of St. Charles County in Missouri.

It is one of the oldest cities in the state and one of the backbones to the St. Louis region. St. Charles has a population of more than 66,000. Given the large number of highways and other fast roads, truck accidents are common in the area. If you or someone you know is struggling after a crash, you can benefit from calling a St Charles truck accident lawyer.

Attorneys work to earn you the money you deserve after an accident. Since the insurance companies are often limited with what they can compensate, you have to team up with a St Charles truck accident lawyer who has the tools to reach a settlement or verdict for full compensation.

Continue reading to learn how a St Charles truck accident lawsuit can award you money for your losses.

In data, trucks may be categorized as “large trucks” or organized into even more specific categories.

The NHTSA published these statistics on large truck accidents in the US:

• There were 4,317 people killed in large truck accidents in 2016. 72% were occupants of other vehicles, 17% were occupants of large trucks, and 11% were pedestrians or cyclists.
• The most common result of a truck accident was for a pedestrian or cyclist to be injured, which happened in 73% of recorded accidents.
• As of 2016, there were 11.5 million large trucks registered in the US.
• In 2016, large trucks were more likely to be involved in fatal multiple-vehicle crashes as opposed to fatal single-vehicle crashes than were passenger vehicles (80% of fatal crashes involving large trucks are multiple-vehicle crashes compared with 61% for fatal crashes involving passenger vehicles).
• 66% of vehicles fatally hit by a truck are hit on the front as opposed to the side or rear.
• A majority of fatal large truck accidents happen in rural areas, whereas fatal car accidents are more equal in terms of urban and rural locations. You can also call a St Charles truck accident lawyer for car accidents.

Highways are generally the most dangerous roads for driving due to their liberal speed limits and multilane design. An accident can happen anywhere, though.

These are the roads to watch out for in St. Charles:

• Highway 370 - runs east to west in the northern part of the city
• Highway 94 - runs through the middle of St. Charles
• Highway 94 / N 2nd Street - runs north to south on the far eastern side of the city
• Highway 364 - runs along the southern border of the city, crossing over the Missouri River
• Clark Street - goes through the eastern downtown area of St. Charles
• S River Road - runs adjacent to the Missouri River and is susceptible to flooding

Trucks are quite different than cars when it comes to safety. Trucks small and large create hazards for driving that can increase the chances of an accident. Here are some common truck accident causes:

Distracted driving

Cell phones, road signs, and stalled vehicles are just a few distractions. Drivers failing to pay attention is one of the leading causes of crashes.

Unfit drivers (alcohol, new drivers, etc.)

It makes a big difference who is driving. Small amounts of alcohol are enough to impair some drivers. These new drives are the least safe to be driving near.

Reckless driving

If you look at crash reports, you will see that speeding is cited unbelievably often as the cause of the accident. Despite speed limits and constant police monitoring of fast drivers, excessive speed is an enduring issue.

The truck itself

The causes mentioned so far are pretty general, but trucks themselves are a huge risk. They often weigh several times as much as a car which makes them harder to stop. Their size also limits visibility for both the truck driver and surrounding drivers. They require a lot of maintenance which can result in malfunction or even explosions when ignored. Finally, truck drivers tend to cruise for hours at a time for their job, causing fatigue and inhibiting their ability to drive safely.   If you or someone you know was injured in any of these ways, contact a St Charles truck accident lawyer for a review of your options.  

Truck accident victims will benefit from calling a lawyer for legal assistance.

A St Charles truck accident lawyer’s main job is to help you receive compensation by settling out of court or by filing a lawsuit and going to trial. A lawyer can help guide you in the right direction even if a lawsuit is not the right plan of action.

When you call a truck accident attorney, they will first evaluate your claim. If your case is viable, then the civil lawsuit process begins. Your St Charles truck accident lawyer will gather evidence, compile damages, and build an injury case. The goal of the case is to prove that someone else is liable for your damages.

Most truck accident lawsuits settle out of court which means you never have to enter the courthouse. If your personal injury lawyer does not manage to do this, your case may continue to trial. You do not have to worry about legal fees if your law firm uses a contingency fee system, which our firm does. So, we never get paid unless our clients do first.

To find out if you qualify for a lawsuit, you can try an instant online case evaluation or call a St Charles truck accident lawyer directly. To help ensure that you are eligible, make sure to take action within the statute of limitations (this is usually 2 years in Missouri and Illinois). It will also benefit your case to continually mitigate damages.

Most St Charles truck accident lawsuits take one to two years to complete. The process may be faster with a stronger case and via an out-of-court settlement. For assessments of the strength or the timeline of your lawsuit, you can always ask your attorney.

The lawyers at TorHoerman Law have years of experience with truck accident cases and other areas of personal injury litigation. We know the struggles of recovering after an accident, and we have the tools to help. Truck accident compensation can only happen with the help of an expert lawyer.

Call TorHoerman Law at 1-888-508-6752 to schedule a free consultation, and we’ll take a look at your case free of charge.