Getting in an accident with a large commercial truck in Southeast Missouri is commonly a terrifying experience that leaves most people suffering from severe physical injuries, emotional anguish, and mounting financial burdens.
Survivors and their loved ones commonly feel overwhelmed and distressed after the accident.
Few people know what to do next after their accident and who they can turn to for help.
Working with a reliable and skilled truck accident attorney after your accident will help make navigating the painful aftermath of your traumatic large commercial truck accident easier for you and your loved ones to manage.
Our attorneys Cook, Barkett, Ponder & Wolz understand how challenging and frustrating this time is for injured parties, their survivors and their loved ones. Call us today at (573) 335-6651 for your free consultation with our trusted team. Let us help you get the justice you deserve.
What Is My Truck Accident in Southeast Missouri Worth?
Suffering a devastating accident with a large commercial truck commonly leaves people struggling through severe physical pain, immense mental anguish, and increasing financial burdens.
You can recover compensation for all your damages after a large commercial truck accident in Southeast Missouri.
Recoverable damages for a truck accident include
- Physical pain and suffering
- Emotional distress
- Property damage
- Inability to use a body part
- Partial or permanent disability
- Medical expenses, both present and future
- Lost wages and lost future earning capacity
- Lost consortium or companionship
- Lost quality of life
- Wrongful death
- Punitive damages
- Any additional associated expenses
Our dedicated and well-respected attorneys at Cook, Barkett, Ponder & Wolz can help you and your loved ones maximize your chances of recovering just compensation for all the damages suffered from your large commercial truck accident in Southeast Missouri.
Call our attorneys today for your free case evaluation with one of our reliable team members.
Where Do Truck Accident Injuries Occur in Southeast Missouri?
According to the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA), interstate highways are a primary high-risk roadway for vehicle-related fatalities.
The FMCSA calculates that an estimated 500,000 large truck accidents occurred in the United States in one recent year. An estimated 5,000 truck accidents resulted in fatalities, accounting for one percent of all truck accidents that year. Over 22 percent, or 110,000 of all truck accidents, resulted in at least one injury. A total of 379,000 truck accidents, or 77 percent of all truck accidents, resulted in property damage.
The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) reports most fatal vehicle crashes in Missouri occur in rural areas.
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) reports that 1,057 vehicle fatalities occurred in Missouri in one recent year, with large truck accidents resulting in 146 deaths in the state that same year.
Common Injuries Caused by Truck Accidents
Being in a large commercial truck accident frequently causes survivors to suffer from devastating physical injuries and mental anguish.
Common injuries caused by collisions with large commercial trucks include:
- Whiplash of the neck
- Burns, either from a vehicle catching fire or from chemical burns when airbags deploy
- Cuts, scrapes, and lacerations
- Bruises and contusions
- Dislocated joints, commonly shoulder or patella
- Soft tissue damage, frequently in the form of strains or sprains to muscles, tendons, and ligaments
- Crushed limbs, which often lead to amputation
- Broken or shattered bones
- Ruptured or herniated discs in the back
- Spinal cord injuries that could lead to partial or complete paralyzation, which can result in premature mortality
- Traumatic brain injuries, ranging from mild concussions to more severe and long-term cognitive impairment
- Internal bleeding and internal organ damage, which often leads to more extreme adverse health impacts
- Post-traumatic stress
- Wrongful death
If you or your loved ones have suffered a life-changing injury from a large commercial truck accident, call us today to get the help you deserve from one of our trusted team members.
Common Causes of Truck Accidents in Southeast Missouri
Getting in a collision with a large commercial truck is commonly a devastatingly traumatic and terrifying experience for all parties involved.
Large commercial truck accidents are often caused by:
- A driver driving while sick or fatigued
- A driver driving under the influence of alcohol, illegal drugs, or prescription medications
- A distracted driver
- Poor driver training and route preparations
- Improperly loaded cargo or maintained vehicles
- Inclement weather
- Low visibility on the road, often as the result of heavy rainfall, dense fog, or driving after dark
- Unsafe and aggressive driving maneuvers
- Failure to obey traffic signs and laws
- Sudden or unexpected changes in traffic patterns
- Roadway issues or construction zones
Why Should I Work With an Attorney?
Suffering from a collision with a large commercial truck is commonly a distressing, painful, and disheartening experience for most people and their loved ones.
Survivors commonly battle through a long road of recovery as they heal from their severe physical injuries and emotional strains. Meanwhile, mounds of financial bills from the accident begin to accumulate.
Most people feel overwhelmed, distressed, and confused when trying to file an insurance claim alone without professional help for their truck accident in Southeast Missouri.
The extensive and complicated insurance claim process commonly takes up to a year to complete when people try to do it alone. It requires an intimidating amount of documentation to be filed and correspondence with the insurance company.
Insurance companies often try to reduce the compensation they pay in claims and will use strategic tactics that work against the claimant. Other times, the insurance company may try to deny a claim altogether.
Working with a reliable and assertive attorney after your truck accident will help prevent you and your loved ones from falling prey to any insurance company’s methods.
Your dedicated legal team will:
- Maintain clear and regular communication – A dedicated truck accident attorney will regularly and clearly communicate with you and your loved ones throughout your claim process. They will keep you up-to-date on the progress of your claim and promptly address any questions or concerns you and your loved ones have.
- Handle the claims process – Your reliable attorney will manage the extensive and cumbersome claims process for you and your loved ones, including filing the initial claim with the insurance company, handling all correspondence with the insurance adjuster and other agents, receiving and negotiating your settlement offer, and filing a lawsuit when necessary.
- Prove fault – Insurance companies often claim the fault of the accident lies with the victim. A competent and assertive truck accident attorney will diligently work to prove the fault lies with the parties who are truly responsible for your accident and not with you, the victim.
- Recover maximum compensation for your damages – An unyielding truck accident lawyer will ensure you recover for all your damages in your compensation settlement, including physical pain and suffering, emotional distress, property damage, any inability to use a body part, partial or permanent disability, medical expenses, both present and future, lost wages and lost future earning capacity, lost consortium or companionship, lost quality of life, wrongful death, punitive damages, and any additional associated expenses.
Call our team of attorneys at Cook, Barkett, Ponder & Wolz today to get the help you deserve after your large commercial truck accident in Southeast Missouri.
Our team of experienced attorneys will handle the complexities of your insurance claim so that you and your loved ones can better focus on your health and getting your life back on track.
Why Should I Hire Cook, Barkett, Ponder & Wolz for My Truck Accident Case in Southeast Missouri?
People frequently feel distressed, frustrated, and overwhelmed after suffering a collision with a large commercial truck. Many survivors struggle to overcome severe physical pain and emotional distress, all while mounds of financial bills begin to build.
A reliable and compassionate truck accident attorney will help ease the heavy burden of this complicated and painful situation.
Our dedicated team of attorneys at Cook, Barkett, Ponder & Wolz is skillfully knowledgeable about the complex regulations and unique legal landscape that oversee the trucking industry. We have years of experience managing truck accident injury claims for our community across Southeast Missouri.
At Cook, Barkett, Ponder & Wolz, our team relentlessly reviews all of our clients’ cases, diligently works to hold all responsible parties accountable, maximizes compensation recovery for our clients, and delivers justice for their traumatic experiences.
We begin all client relationships with a free case evaluation, which helps our team learn more about you and your unique situation so that we can best guide you on the proper path forward for your case.
Our attorneys at Cook, Barkett, Ponder & Wolz understand how challenging it is for our clients to navigate the insurance claims process while battling the physical and mental recovery required after being in a large commercial truck accident.
We are dedicated to easing the taxing burden of handling your insurance claim and legal processes so that you and your loved ones can focus on your healing and road to recovery.
While past results are no guarantee of the same result in your case, experience is important and our firm has successfully recovered millions of dollars in compensation for our clients, including:
- $20,000,000 for a wrongful death caused by a train collision
- $4,000,000 for an industry explosion
- $3,550,000 for a brain injury caused in an industrial accident
- $1,800,000 for an automobile accident that resulted in a wrongful death
- $1,250,000 for an automobile accident that resulted in an injury
Our clients often share their appreciation for the assistance we have provided to them and their loved ones during the challenging times following their accident.
- Michael expressed his relief that our firm never made him feel like he was just another case passing through our office. He appreciated how often our team would call to check in on his family’s well-being, even if we did not have any case updates to provide them. He appreciated our confidence in taking his case to trial and our determination to get them the results and justice they deserve.
- Laura was scared and apprehensive at first when she approached our firm since she had no prior experience working with any lawyers. She shared with us that she could immediately breathe a sigh of relief after meeting our team. We were able to help her find the confidence to speak out in search of justice for her case, and she was grateful for our ability to handle all matters regarding her case.
If you or your loved ones have suffered a traumatic collision with a large commercial truck in Southeast Missouri, call our dedicated team of attorneys today at Cook, Barkett, Ponder & Wolz for your free case evaluation.
How Can My Lawyer Preserve Evidence for a Truck Accident Claim?
Your dedicated legal team will thoroughly investigate all aspects of your case while diligently gathering and retaining all evidence they can acquire, including the trucking company’s logbooks, policies and procedures manuals, vehicle maintenance records, and the truck driver’s personnel records.
Evidence provided by you after your accident will also help your legal team build your case and advocate on your behalf.
Maintain a thorough file of documentation associated with your accident to provide to your legal team as soon as possible, including:
- A copy of the police report
- A detailed journal documenting what you remember from the accident
- Note from all communications with other parties, including the truck driver, any other occupants in your vehicle, witnesses, medical professionals and law enforcement at the scene, and insurance agencies
- Photographs and videos from the scene, if available
- Photographs and videos of any injuries that resulted from the accident
- Photographs and videos of any property damage that resulted from the crash
- Doctors’ notes and treatment plans
- Proof of all lost wages or future earnings that resulted from your injuries
- Receipts from all expenses associated with your accident
Work With a Reliable Truck Accident Attorney in Southeast Missouri
Survivors and their loved ones commonly feel overwhelmed, distraught, and frustrated after a large commercial truck accident in Southeast Missouri. Most people are often unsure where to turn for help in seeking justice for their damages.
Working with a reliable and diligent truck accident lawyer in Southeast Missouri will make your complicated and stressful situation more straightforward to manage. This will allow you and your loved ones to focus on getting your health and life back on track.
Our office is conveniently located across from the Osage Center and northwest of Southeast Missouri State University.
Call our dedicated team of personal injury lawyer at Cook, Barkett, Ponder & Wolz today at (573) 335-6651 for your free initial consultation with one of our trusted team members. Let us help you get the justice you deserve.