Missouri Personal Injury Lawyer Blog

A tractor trailer overturned on three cars in a recent Arkansas semi-truck crash. Two injured drivers were airlifted to the hospital for serious injuries; another driver and the tractor trailer driver walked away from the accident without injuries. The accident allegedly occurred because the tractor trailer driver lost control of his commercial vehicle while going downhill on U.S. 412. The tractor trailer driver swerved after going around a curve, ultimately colliding into three other vehicles.

The tractor trailer driver attempted to regain control of his weighty vehicle but was unable to manage the big rig and swerved into a Missouri truck driver; the trailer next struck another vehicle and pushed it into an engineering firm located off the road. Finally, the tractor trailer collided into one more automobile before coming to a stop. The Arkansas tractor trailer driver was cited for careless driving.

Arkansas averages around 2,000 large truck accidents per year, including tractor trailer crashes. Of these accidents, roughly 100 are fatal truck crashes and 800 result in injury. Most of these accidents are blamed on truck drivers for negligent actions, like the tractor trailer crash discussed above.

When a truck driver loses control of his/her vehicle and injures another driver, passenger or even pedestrian, a negligence claim will almost always be asserted. It is important to contact an experienced truck accident lawyer immediately. Truck drivers, like all drivers on the road, are required to practice reasonably safe driving practices to avoid injurious truck accidents. When a truck driver breaches this duty of safe driving and causes an automobile accident resulting in injury or death, he/she will likely be found at fault and will be liable to those injured as a result of such negligence.

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A Missouri barge worker was recently killed near Cape Girardeau, Missouri. The 67-year old worker was cleaning an empty barge when he fell 20-25 feet into the uncovered rake barge. The man, who had been working with the barge company for three years, died on impact.

Currently, the barge company is investigating the Missouri barge accident. It is believed that an autopsy will uncover additional details relating to the man’s death. No Missouri barge accident lawsuits have been filed at this point.

Depending on the type of information discovered through the Missouri barge accident investigation, this accident may result in a Jones Act claim or wrongful death claim. The Jones Act, is a federal statute that details seamen’s rights, regulates water transport, and more specifically, restricts maritime commerce.

The Jones Act provides remedy for seamen injured through employment when employer negligence can be shown. In the case at hand, it would need to be proven that the decedent’s employer was negligent, which directly caused the injury suffered. The statute states, under 46 U.S.C. 688, et seq.: any sailor/seaman who shall suffer personal injury in the course of his employment may, at his election, maintain an action for damages at law, with the right to trial by jury, and in such action all statutes of the United States modifying or extending the common law right or remedy in cases of personal injury to railway employees shall apply.

Continue reading " Missouri Barge Accident Kills Man On-the-Job " »

Can you imagine giving a loved one a pill you thought was approved for dementia, when it wasn’t? Well many people felt this betrayal by Eli Lilly & Co., makers of the drug Zyprexa. The drug company marketed the anti-psychotic drug for unapproved use in high doses, for pediatric care and for dementia.

The company recently pleaded guilty to illegally marketing and is settling civil suits in hopes of ending further criminal investigation for $1.42 billion.

Zyprexa is approved to treat bipolar disorder and schizophrenia. However, the drug carries with it a warning label, informing patients that death is a possible side effect of using the drug, especially in patients with dementia. More disturbing is the fact that Ely Lilly & Co. made efforts to market Zyprexa for treatment of dementia, including dementia related to Alzheimer’s, despite the fact that the drug was never approved for such use.

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Cipro is an antibiotic commonly used to treat infections caused by bacteria. Commonly, the drug is prescribed to treat the bladder, kidney, prostate, cervix, stomach, intestine, lung, sinus, bone, and skin. Cipro has been shown to be an effective medication for the treatment of bacterial infections. However, Cipro is part of a class of antibiotics known as Fluoroquinolones, which are associated with an increased risk of tendinitis and tendon rupture in all ages. If you have suffered a tendinitis or a tendon rupture after using Cipro, it is crucial that you speak with an experienced personal injury lawyer immediately.

Specifically, many Cipro patients have ruptured their Achilles tendon, rotator cuff in the shoulder, biceps, hands and thumbs. The risk of these severe tendon side effects is increased in patients over 60 years of age, those taking corticosteroid drugs, and those with kidney, heart or lung transplants. Tendon ruptures and tears caused by Cipro often require extensive surgical repair, in addition to being extremely painful and incapacitating.

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The Springfield News-Leader recently reported on a Missouri tractor trailer crash. This semi truck crash reportedly took police over 8 hours to clean up.

The accident occurred while a semi truck was traveling north on U.S. 65. The large tractor trailer crashed on a section of the highway, which crosses over Catalpa Street, and ran into a bridge. Diesel fuel leaked from the damaged big rig, although nothing caught fire. The bridge involved in the collision was damaged, and the Missouri Department of Transportation is investigating possible structural damage.

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A 66-year-old man was killed this week in a tractor trailer crash in Lima, Ohio. The man was driving his van when a tractor trailer driver failed to stop at a stop sign and collided into the decedent’s van. The man was killed on impact and the tractor trailer driver was arrested for vehicular homicide.

Failure to yield to traffic signals proves driver negligence, as the driver failed to use the highest degree of care when he ran the stop sign. In this case, the tractor trailer driver’s action, or inaction, was allegedly the sole cause of this collision, making him and/or his employer liable for the truck accident. Driver negligence is the leading cause of all traffic accidents. Unfortunately, many crashes are fatal, like this one.

Two weeks prior to this tractor trailer crash in Ohio, another similar tractor trailer accident occurred in Florida. In Moore Haven, Florida, a tractor trailer driver failed to stop at a stop sign and ran into a van. In this crash six people were thrown from their vehicle and instantly killed. Additionally, 50 gallons of diesel fuel were spilled on the two-lane highway. As in the Ohio case above, the tractor trailer driver was at fault. Both the driver and his employer will most likely be held liable for the damages incurred pursuant to the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Regulations.

Continue reading " Ohio and Florida Tractor Trailor Accidents Kill Innocent Victims " »

With floodwaters recently rising across the Midwest, barge accidents are occurring more frequently and are causing serious damage. Barge crashes often cause personal bodily injuries and property damage. When a barge accident occurs, it is most important to seek medical attention. After you seek medical attention, contact Page Cagle, an experienced reputable barge accident law firm to fight for your rights. An experienced personal injury lawyer will work with you side by side to get you the compensation you deserve.

Barge accidents create many potential hazardous conditions. Barges are dangerous by nature in the sense that tugboats carry them. Barges have no engines and thus have no directional control if they are accidentally freed from their tugboat. Barges can be extremely destructive, destroying anything in its path if released.

However, those most often harmed in barge accidents are barge employees. When a barge worker is injured in the course of employment, the Jones Act is the law that mandates resulting lawsuits. The Jones Act runs along the same lines as worker’s compensation claims; however the Jones Act requires that employer negligence be proven, and this law may also allow injured workers to receive more compensation.

Continue reading " Missouri Barge Accident Injures Man On-the-Job " »

A two-vehicle accident that happened recently on U.S. 60 at Greene County F has caused the death of a Sarcoxie woman. According to a report in the News-Leader, 64-year-old Phyllis Long died Monday from the serious injuries she suffered in the crash.

The accident occurred when Rebecca Sawyer, 61, of Brookline who was driving a 2003 Toyota sport utility vehicle was hit by a 1995 Buick driven by Carthage resident Florence Long, 69. Phyllis Long was a passenger in the Buick that had turned into the SUV’s path, Missouri Highway Patrol said. Florence Long and Sawyer, who were both said to be wearing their seat belts, were injured in this Missouri auto collision and taken to Springfield hospitals.

Continue reading " Greene County Auto Accident Turns Fatal " »