Loose Tire Causes Local Truck Accident in Missouri
Ryan Bradley | November 3, 2012 | Federal Motor Carrier Regulations \ Truck Accident
Clinton W. Elder, 37, of Wentzville, Missouri was injured in a Missouri truck accident that occurred when a tractor trailer’s tire came off. The accident occurred on the eastbound side of I-70, near Missouri Highway K. The truck tire came off a 2006 International, driven by Paula S. Hendricks of Wood River, Illinois. The tire crossed the centerline of the roadway, crashing into the driver side of Elder’s vehicle. Elder was driving a 2008 Mazda 5. Elder was the only person who suffered personal injury in the accident. St. Charles County ambulance transported Elder to St. Joseph West hospital.
Proper tire installation and maintenance is critical for tractor trailer safety. Tire issues are responsible for a substantial amount of trucking accidents each year. Defective truck tires, improperly installed tires, and negligently maintained tires are a threat to public highway safety. In response to this threat, the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) has created several tire-related rules and regulations.
Federal law requires that truck drivers inspect the truck’s tires on each day that the vehicle operates and write a driver vehicle inspection report. Specifically, the statute states that “every motor carrier shall require its drivers” to create the report. This language indicates that both the trucking company and its drivers may be responsible for tire-related truck crashes.
Drivers must inspect and report about more than just tires. The regulations require truck drivers to inspect and report the condition of the brakes, steering mechanisms, windshield wipers, wheels, emergency equipment, and lighting devices. When trucking companies and truck drivers fail to take these safety regulations seriously, they are negligently endangering others. If that negligence causes an injurious or fatal accident, the trucking companies and truck drivers should be held accountable.
If someone is injured or killed in a Missouri truck accident, the truck driver or trucking company may have violated federal safety regulations. An experienced Missouri truck accident lawyer understands how to investigate the safety records of both trucking companies and truck drivers.
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