Truck Accident Lawyer in St. Louis
The top-rated attorneys at the Powell Law Firm St. Louis, MO know that truck accident are very much different from auto accidents in St. Louis. The number one difference is the weight of the vehicles. You can imagine that a fully-loaded truck that can legally weigh 80,000 pounds will cause overwhelming damage to a passenger vehicle that usually weighs around 4000 pounds. The odds are stacked against you.
Missouri Law
On top of the fact that you probably will have serious injuries, the driver of the commercial vehicle is required to abide by additional Missouri laws that regular motorists don’t have to worry about.
If a commercial driver is found to have broken one of these laws, it makes a totally different case for your trucking accident lawyer in St. Louis. It also makes your compensation different and makes the attorneys at the Powell Law Firm handle your case in a different way.
Driver Fatigue
Driving a huge tractor-trailer unit for hours on end is very tedious. Even regular motorists who drive long distances can attest to the fact that it becomes very difficult to keep your eyes open. Even when your eyes are open you sometimes are not focused on the road – your mind begins to wander and surprises on the road may become huge accidents.
The state of Missouri does its best to cut down on accidents in many ways. Your St. Louis truck accident attorney at the Powell Law Firm knows that drivers of commercial vehicles are required to keep log books showing how many hours they have been driving that day.
Duty Log Books
Drivers are required to keep a log book in their own handwriting showing exactly how long they have been on the road. The limit is 11 hours for 14 consecutive days, with a 10-hour rest between shifts. Also, drivers can't drive more than 8 hours without a 30-minute break.
Your truck accident lawyer in St. Louis at the Powell Law Firm knows that checking log books is an important part of winning you the best possible compensation. If there has been a violation, it will make a big difference in your case.
Substance Abuse
Even though every single driver is subject to laws about substance abuse, truck drivers have additional restrictions. Your St. Louis truck accident lawyer knows that the trucking company has to give every driver a copy of their written policy on controlled substances. If they don’t have that information, it could affect your case.
Powell Law Firm
7750 Clayton Rd Suite 102, St. Louis, MO 63117, USA
(314) 293-3777
http://www.plfirm.com/