St. Louis Tractor-Trailer Accident Kills One, Closes Bridge for Hours
A man who was pushing his disabled car on the Chain of Rocks Bridge in St. Louis was struck by a tractor-trailer, which shut down the bridge for hours, according to STLtoday.com. The police received two phone calls early that morning at 4:47 a.m. reporting that a disabled vehicle was on the bridge. However, the dispatcher accidentally sent police vehicles to another location that was about 6 miles away. A few minutes later, at about 4:52, the police received more calls about the disabled vehicle, and realized the mistake, and then headed to the correct location at 4:53. The crash occurred at approximately 5 a.m.
Authorities do not believe that the accident could have been prevented if the police had gone to the correct location originally, because police would have needed to execute a turnaround maneuver once arriving at the bridge to reach the disabled vehicle. Also, the early calls were reporting a stalled vehicle, which is typically not a high priority situation that police officers would rush to quickly.
Another factor in the truck crash is that the bridge has no shoulder. The truck driver swerved to avoid the man, but instead struck him. After swerving, the truck hit the median and caught on fire, but the truck driver was not injured.
If your vehicle breaks down, exit the dangerous area that is nearest the road as quickly as possible, even if you have to leave your vehicle behind. Wide vehicles, such as tractor-trailers, may be unable to avoid a collision, even if you have pulled over onto the shoulder. If you have been injured in an accident with a tractor-trailer in Missouri, you have legal rights. Contact the St. Louis truck accident lawyers at Page Law, LLC today for a free consultation on your case. Call us today at 1-314-488-2433. We will be happy to speak with you and answer any questions you have.
