Just after 11am on Monday, June 23rd in Linn County, Missouri, a major collision ensued that ended in one seriously injured. As a 2018 International semi-truck was traveling eastbound on US 36 in Meadville, they were struck by a 1999 Ford. The Ford was reportedly failing to yield onto the highway as they were traveling northbound and then eastbound at the time of the collision. The driver, a 62-year-old man, was life flighted to the hospital with serious and life-threatening injuries. The driver of the semi did not report any injuries.
This collision should be an important reminder to commercial drivers that just because they did not crash into another vehicle does not mean they aren’t at least partially liable. Truck drivers have a responsibility to be mindful of their role on the road, and to be aware of their size and weight. In the context of this situation, we can assume that the driver of the semi did not have time to stop for the Ford. However, they may have had time to safely switch lanes or make themselves more known to the Ford driver, which may have saved him from serious injury.
The laws recognize that semi-trucks are bigger, heavier, and far less agile than most vehicles, and therefore holds them to a different standard. Commercial vehicle operators have to maintain a higher level of qualification, as well as abide regulations that prevent fatigue and restlessness. Drivers receive some level of protection, but they also hold much responsibility in the eyes of the law—we trust them to operate the largest and most dangerous trucks, and we incentivize them to well. But we also hold them responsible when they are even slightly negligent, as this slight negligence has a much higher cost in a large vehicle. Every good personal injury lawyer knows that there is opportunity in a situation like this one, where we could potentially assess Comparative Fault. This would entail proving the semi-truck driver was negligent in some way—any way—and that negligence played a part in the occurrence of the accident.