Commercial truck accidents are often the result of negligence on part of the driver or the trucking company. Many truck accidents are commonly caused by inadequate training for drivers, faulty maintenance, overloaded trucks and unbalanced loads, faulty brakes, driver fatigue, speeding and reckless driving, substance abuse and inadequate lighting. One recent story out of Hannibal, Missouri, highlights another of the causes of truck accidents by blaming one particularly dangerous intersection notable for the high volume of truck accidents that occur on site every year.

Recently, a semi truck smashed into a small vehicle in the perilous intersection. Officials of the local fire department report that the poor design of the crossing is responsible for the intersection’s notoriety. Traffic merges from a busy highway into the intersection that emerges only after a steep hill. Visibility is critical, and if the driver looks away for a second, they are too late to stop.

The recent accident, which resulted in minor injuries, was caused by the driver’s inability to stop in time as the car involved changed lanes near the intersection. He reported that it happened too quickly and he barely had time to react. Residents and city officials hope to see the construction of a bypass to reduce the amount of semi truck traffic at the intersection.

An investigation is underway to determine any additional causes of the most recent accident. In truck accidents, there are several potentially liable parties and causes of truck accidents are scrutinized to find the responsible parties. Those who suffer serious injuries or families that lost a loved one due to a truck accident in Missouri can bring the responsible parties to justice to obtain maximum compensation for losses.

Source: WGEM.com, Hannibal residents speak out on US 61/168 intersection, Jenny Dreasler, Sept. 27, 2013