Were you involved in a St. Louis truck accident caused by a speeding truck driver? You may be suffering from painful injuries, struggling to pay your bills, and wondering how you’ll ever get back on your feet. If you were injured due to the negligence of the truck driver, the company that employed them, or another entity, you could seek compensation from them to recoup the money you need to move on from the accident.
At Sumner Law Group, LLC, our dedicated St. Louis attorneys have more than 50 years of combined experience helping accident victims like you demand the money they deserve. With several multi-million-dollar verdicts and settlements under our belt, we know what it takes to get real results for our clients.
Contact us today for your free initial consultation to learn more about how we can help you recover after a St. Louis speeding truck accident.
What Is Speeding?
In most cases, “speeding” means driving faster than the designated speed limit for a particular road. However, speeding can also occur at speeds below posted speed limits. For example, if someone drives dangerously fast on dark, wet, or icy roads, they may be charged with a speeding offense even if they were technically below the speed limit. This type of offense is sometimes called “driving too fast for conditions.”
Why Speeding Is a Major Cause of Fatalities in Truck Accidents
When truck drivers exceed posted speed limits or drive too fast for conditions, they are significantly more likely to be involved in fatal accidents. According to the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA), “speeding of any kind” is the most common driver-related factor in fatal truck accidents.
Speeding increases the risk of fatalities in truck accidents because the force of impact in a crash is greater when higher speeds are involved. When a speeding truck collides with another vehicle, the vehicle absorbs the energy from the truck’s motion. This massive energy transfer can result in catastrophic injuries.
What Are the Dangers When Truckers Speed in St. Louis?
When truck drivers choose to speed while driving in the St. Louis area, they run the risk of devastating accidents caused by:
- Excess momentum – As a truck’s speed increases, so does its momentum, which is the amount of force the truck has when in motion. When a truck with a lot of momentum collides with another vehicle, the force of the truck’s movement is violently transferred to the other car, resulting in catastrophic collisions.
- Rollovers – If a speeding truck driver slows down abruptly or takes a sharp turn too fast, the sudden change in speed or direction can lead to a rollover accident. A rollover accident occurs when a truck’s trailer tips over too far and rolls onto one side, which can crush nearby vehicles and cause dangerous cargo spillage.
- Jackknifing – Speeding around curves or sharp braking can also lead to jackknifing, which occurs when the back end of a truck’s trailer swings too far to one side and starts to fold inward toward the cab. A jackknifed truck can easily stretch across multiple lanes of traffic and cause devastating multi-car pile-ups.
- Loss of control – Large commercial vehicles become increasingly difficult to control at higher speeds. When a driver loses control, the truck could cross into oncoming traffic, leave the roadway, cross lanes, fail to stop in time, or otherwise trigger a crash with other vehicles.
- Crossing into oncoming traffic – If a speeding truck driver is not paying attention, they may fail to leave themselves enough time or distance to stop when traffic slows down. That can lead to dangerous scenarios in which speeding trucks swerve into lanes of oncoming traffic, running the risk of debilitating head-on truck accidents.
How Speeding Causes Truck Accidents
According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), speeding has been a factor in roughly one-third of all motor vehicle accident fatalities for more than 20 years. Speed can even increase the risk of accidents when drivers are traveling below the speed limit in poor road conditions.
Speeding puts everyone on the road at risk and increases the likelihood of truck accidents because it increases a truck driver’s risk for loss of control. Speeding also increases the distance it takes for a truck driver to slow down or stop after they recognize a potential hazard.
How Speeding Makes Truck Accidents Worse
Not only does speeding cause truck accidents, but it can also make the consequences of truck accidents a lot worse. According to NHTSA, this is because:
- Speeding reduces the effectiveness of occupant safety equipment, such as airbags and seatbelts, in a crash.
- Speeding increases the overall severity of a collision, which tends to result in more severe injuries.
- Because speeding truck accidents tend to cause serious injuries, they often result in higher medical, personal, and societal costs.
Types of Compensation in a Speeding Truck Crash Claim
If you were injured in a speeding truck crash in St. Louis, you have the right to hold negligent parties accountable for your losses in a truck accident claim. With a successful claim, you could recover compensation for:
- Medical bills from the treatment of your accident-related injuries
- Lost wages from missed time at work
- Losses in your future earning potential
- Intangible costs of the pain and suffering you endure
- Costs associated with repairing or replacing your vehicle
- Incidental costs, such as costs of travel to and from medical appointments
Steps to Take After a Speeding Truck Accident in St. Louis
Here are some steps you can take to protect your legal rights and get a head start on your injury claim after a St. Louis speeding truck accident:
- Seek medical attention as soon as possible.
- Follow your doctor’s prescribed care plan.
- Attend all follow-up medical appointments.
- Record how your injuries affect you in a journal.
- Collect the truck driver’s vehicle, employment, contact, and insurance details.
- Take photos of the truck accident scene.
- Ask eyewitnesses for statements and contact details.
- Keep track of medical bills and other accident-related documentation.
- Watch what you say to others about the accident.
- Never agree to provide the insurance company with a recorded statement.
- Avoid posting comments or photos on social media while your case is pending.
- Contact a knowledgeable truck accident lawyer for assistance.
Talk to Our St. Louis Speeding Truck Accident Lawyers Today
Contact us online or call Sumner Law Group, LLC when you’re ready to discuss your case with one of our St. Louis truck accident attorneys. Ignoring the posted speed limit or going too fast for conditions is negligent driving. We’re ready to seek justice and compensation from the parties responsible for your injuries and other losses.
