All motorists on highways across Missouri, Illinois and the rest of the United States have a duty to exercise reasonable care when operating their motor vehicles. This duty is especially critical for commercial truck drivers; who not only drive far more than the average individual, but also receive more extensive training in road and vehicle safety. Additionally, commercial truck drivers are also governed by specific federal regulations which do not apply to other motorists. Unfortunately, no matter how much training they have or what laws apply, truck accidents still occur, often injuring innocent victims who were simply on the road at the same time.
This appears to have been the case in a truck accident in another state which involved a Missouri truck driver. At the time of the collision, the man was operating a tractor-trailer along U.S. Route 35 behind another semi. That truck was behind a school bus carrying 19 children. The commercial truck driver claims that he simply took his attention off the road for a single instant, at which point he rammed into the rear of the other truck. The force of that collision sent the second semi smashing into the school bus, and all three vehicles suffered extreme damage as a result.
The truck vs. bus accident sent nine children to the hospital to have their injuries treated. Emergency workers also transported the two commercial truck drivers to the hospital as a precautionary measure. The driver of the first truck believed to have caused the chain-reaction collision has since been cited by authorities for speeding and failing to control his vehicle. This factor could help any injured victims who wish to pursue financial recovery of the damages they may have sustained.
Personal injury laws in Missouri, Illinois and other states allow such victims the right to seek restitution in a civil court of law. This can help return innocent parties to as whole a state as possible, with the intent of restoring them to the same financial state they were in prior to an accident. In some cases, if another party’s negligence is severe enough, further amounts such as punitive damages could be awarded.
Punitive damages are intended to punish a party who acted in a sufficiently negligent fashion, to deter both them and others from engaging in the same type of behavior again. In the case of a commercial truck driver, this could make sure that they follow the federal safety regulations which govern their actions. It could also apply to any trucking company which employs the driver. These types of parties are held to a high standard, and the failure to comply with safety regulations can result in them paying financial fines commensurate with any violations.
Of course, for injured victims of truck accidents to succeed in pursuing civil restitution, they need to successfully navigate the legal process. It can help to have an experienced St. Louis personal injury attorney on your side. Please consider calling my law firm at no cost, at 1-888-586-7041, in order to find out more about your legal rights. It can help to remember that commercial truck drivers and their trucking companies usually have attorneys working to protect them from having to pay out money; which can make it imperative for victims to have an experienced attorney working for them as well.
Disclaimer: The choice of a lawyer is an important decision and should not be based solely upon advertisements.
Source Article: http://wvmetronews.com/2014/08/26/accident-involving-school-bus-in-mason-county/