If you have a car accident in Saint Louis, the first thing to do is to gather your thoughts and stay calm. Keep anger and panic at bay. Try to do the following after your auto accident in Saint Louis:

• File a car accident report with the police
• Discuss the car accident only with the police 
• Gather information—names, address, and phone numbers of everyone involved in the accident, and also of witnesses
• Take pictures with your cell phone of the accident and damage
• Call your insurance company but only to file a claim

Most important is that you call an experienced auto accident lawyer in Saint Louis if you are injured or the damages are extensive. A skilled car accident lawyer in Saint Louis will put your mind at ease and give you the time to heal while pursuing your rights.

Joseph L. Walsh has years experience with car accidents in Saint Louis. He is highly regarded as one of the top Saint Louis auto accident attorneys. Before you make any statements to your insurance company, speak to Joseph L. Walsh to preserve your rights in the event you need to bring a Saint Louis automobile accident lawsuit.

If you are in an automobile accident in Saint Louis, avoid the following:

• Becoming emotional. Stay calm.
• Failing to contact the police. Your Saint Louis auto accident lawyer will need a copy of the report.
• Leaving the scene. Do not leave. The law requires that you stop.
• Moving your vehicle.
• Lying. Tell the truth to the police, but do not admit fault.
• Talking to the other party or the witnesses. This can be used against you.
• Cooperating with an insurance company before you have engaged the services of a Saint Louis automobile accident attorney.

Remember, do not agree to make a voice recording of what happened until you speak to an automobile accident lawyer in Saint Louis. You do not want to make damaging statements that may be used against you. Do not accept a settlement before you speak to an automobile accident attorney in Saint Louis, and do not sign anything.

So what should you do?

Get legal advice from Joseph L. Walsh P.C. for your auto accident injury in Saint Louis.  The firm will negotiate on your behalf and will bring an automobile accident lawsuit in Saint Louis if necessary. Our initial consultation for your car accident injury in Saint Louis is free and we take no fee unless we collect for your Saint Louis automobile accident.

Joseph L. Walsh III, P.C.

4399 Laclede St.
St. Louis, MO 63108
888-897-5065

Trucking Safety

Federal Hours of Service Regulations exist to protect the public   
Many tractor trailer accidents in saint louis can be prevented by common sense tactics such as avoiding driver fatigue. Drifting into oncoming traffic is one type of Saint Louis trucking accident that may be possible to avoid by taking a rest break. 

The federal hours-of-service regulations put limits in place for when and how long commercial motor vehicle (CMV) drivers may drive to ensure truck drivers get the necessary rest. Compliance is required for any driver of a CMV, which generally are vehicles that weigh 10,001 pounds or more. 
An experienced Saint Louis trucking accident attorney can help
If you are involved in an 18 wheeler accident in Saint Louis, you should seek the advice of an experienced 18 wheeler accident lawyer in Saint Louis. Joseph L. Walsh, Saint Louis truck accident lawyer, has years of experience with 18 wheeler accidents. He knows how to investigate a Saint Louis 18 wheeler accident, which is a different type of lawsuit from car accident lawsuit.

Joseph L. Walsh, 18 wheeler accident attorney in Saint Louis, will study logbooks to see if a lack of mandated rest breaks resulted in your Saint Louis semi truck accident. Mr. Walsh is highly regarded Saint Louis truck accident attorney who has a thorough understanding of all aspects of a Saint Louis truck accident lawsuit. He will seek a Saint Louis truck accident settlement, and will take your Saint Louis truck accident to trial if necessary.

Truck Accident Victims—Who’s Liable for Your Injuries?

You’ve been in a Saint Louis semi truck accident. Figuring out who should pay for injuries and losses in semi truck accidents in Saint Louis can be very complex. An experienced Saint Louis truck accident law firm will look to many different parties to recover the fair compensation you deserve for you semi truck accident in Saint Louis. 

If you are involved in a tractor trailer accident in Saint Louis, a Saint Louis trucking accident law firm can try to recover from:
 
 The driver. Your Saint Louis trucking accident lawyers may bring a Saint Louis trucking accident lawsuit against the driver if he operated the vehicle in a reckless or negligent manner

 The truck’s owner. Your semi truck accident attorney in Saint Louis may sue the owner of the truck for failing to meet his legal responsibility to ensure that the truck is safe for highway travel

 A maintenance company. Your Saint Louis trucking accident attorneys can sue an outside maintenance company that is found to be negligent in its duties to repair or maintain the truck.

Other parties your truck accident attorney in Saint Louis can seek recovery from include any company that may have leased the truck or improperly loaded it. In addition, a product liability suit may be brought by your semi truck accident lawyer in Saint Louis if there is a defective part involved in your accident.

Joseph L. Walsh III, P.C. - truck accident attorney in saint louis
4399 Laclede St.
St. Louis, MO 63108
888-897-5065

It seems the worst accidents on our highways and roads involve large 18 wheel tractor trailers. Nowhere was this proven more true than in a recent truck and car collision.

When the truck struck the car, it was traveling 79 mph killing 3 passengers and critically injuring the driver and another passenger. The truck was trying to pass cars but when the tractor trailer driver saw oncoming traffic coming, he attempted to duck back into his previous lane, but didn’t make it. Upon impact, the car flipped over twice.

“Judging from the wreckage, it was a miracle anyone survived”, said Sgt. Dan Crain of the Missouri State Highway Patrol, who was one of the accident responders.

Crain, the Public Affairs and Information Officer for Troop 1 in Rolla, said by the sheer magnitude of the tragedy, it ranks among the worst accidents he has seen in his 28 years as a member of the Missouri State Highway Patrol.

These are the type of accidents involving large trucks that exemplify the magnitude of loss that can occur. Unfortunately, they happen far too often particularly given the expansive blind spots that exist to the driver of a tractor trailer and the need for the driver to press on through fatigue and weariness from long hours on the road.

If you were a victim in a trucking accident, contact us today. We are well known personal injury attorneys in Saint Louis.

Joseph L. Walsh III, P.C. - semi truck accident lawyer in saint louis
4399 Laclede St.
St. Louis, MO 63108
888-897-5065

JosephLWalsh.Com

18 Wheeler trucking accidents are some of the very worst kinds of tragedies on our roads and highways. The sheer size of these trucks and the weight they have behind them can cause major injuries and, many times, fatalities. When car and truck come together at high speeds, the results can be tragic. A recent head-on collision between a tractor-trailer and a Chevy Malibu proves this to be true when the entire passenger side of the car was torn open.

The driver of the car was taken to a Saint Louis hospital with serious injuries, although not believed to be life threatening. The driver of the tractor-trailer was not injured. The accident happened in the middle of the day on Illinois Route 159. For reasons unknown, the car crossed the center line and collided head-on with a southbound tractor-trailer.

Prairietown Fire Department responded to the scene with two trucks and nine firefighters. They were able to get to the driver of the car without using extrication. The driver, however,  was cited for improper lane usage. Officials did not believe impairment on the part of either driver was a factor in the crash.

If you have been hurt in an accident that involved a large truck, you have rights. Be sure to contact a qualified truck accident attorney in Saint Louis to understand your options.  Joseph L. Walsh , III is a member of the Association of Interstate Trucking Lawyers of America.  Let him evaluate your case with the benefit of his knowledge and experience.

Joseph L. Walsh III, P.C. - 18 wheeler accident lawyer in saint louis
4399 Laclede St.
St. Louis, MO 63108
888-897-5065

JosephLWalsh.Com

Personal injury cases can be very complex. Sometimes what appears to be a simple accident with no visible injury can turn into tragedy. Sadly, this is what happened to Natasha Richardson, the Tony Award-winning actress, after a simple fall during a ski trip in Canada. She was given emergency treatment at a New York hospital for her head injury, but to no avail. She died the next day.

Ironic as it is, she felt no ill effects at first, and didn’t feel she needed to see a doctor, Instead, she returned to her hotel room but then developed a severe headache about one hour later and at that point agreed to an ambulance being called. Blows to the head, if followed by internal bleeding, can cause patients to enter a comatose state from which they may not emerge.

Dr Mike Langran, an expert on winter sports injuries, said: "Most snow sports injuries occur as a result of an isolated fall. Secondary factors are important – for example, impact with solid snow or ice." This is probably what happened with Richardson.

If you have experienced an injury through no fault of your own, heed this warning: you may not know how serious it is and what your rights are when it comes to the law. Be sure to contact our firm today. We are personal injury attorney experts in the Saint Louis area.

Saint Louis Injury Lawyers - Joseph L. Walsh III, P.C.
4399 Laclede St.
St. Louis, MO 63108
888-897-5065

JosephLWalsh.Com

18 Wheeler trucking accidents are some of the very worst kinds of tragedies on our roads and highways. The sheer size of these trucks and the weight they have behind them can cause major injuries and, many times, fatalities. When car and truck come together at high speeds, the results can be tragic. A recent head-on collision between a tractor-trailer and a Chevy Malibu proves this to be true when the entire passenger side of the car was torn open.

The driver of the car was taken to a Saint Louis hospital with serious injuries, although not believed to be life threatening. The driver of the tractor-trailer was not injured. The accident happened in the middle of the day on Illinois Route 159. For reasons unknown, the car crossed the center line and collided head-on with a southbound tractor-trailer.

Prairietown Fire Department responded to the scene with two trucks and nine firefighters. They were able to get to the driver of the car without using extrication. The driver, however,  was cited for improper lane usage. Officials did not believe impairment on the part of either driver was a factor in the crash.

If you have been hurt in an accident that involved a large truck, you have rights. Be sure to contact a qualified truck accident attorney in Saint Louis to understand your options.  Joseph L. Walsh , III is a member of the Association of Interstate Trucking Lawyers of America.  Let him evaluate your case with the benefit of his knowledge and experience.

Joseph L. Walsh III, P.C.
4399 Laclede St.
St. Louis, MO 63108
888-897-5065

JosephLWalsh.Com

            Most people think that they are obligated to give statements. You are not obligated to give statements, except to your own insurance company.  With your own insurance company, you are under a contractual duty to cooperate with your insurance company, or risk jeopardizing your coverage if you don’t cooperate.  But people are under no obligation to give a statement to the person that caused the accident or his or her insurance carrier.  Yet many times they do.  They think it’s fairly innocuous; that it’s not a big deal; they’re just going to tell the truth.

            And maybe they’re on medication, or maybe they’re in pain. And the adjusters are calling them during those periods immediately after the accident and they’re asking questions in a way that is designed to elicit potentially damaging information ultimately to their claim.  The insurance adjusters are trained at that; so the client may not realize that they’re being lead down a primrose path, but later on they find out that they were. And later on it makes it difficult for the client.

            So my recommendation would be that, unless it’s your insurance company, you shouldn’t give any statements to anybody unless you are represented by an attorney. They don’t need a statement—a recorded statement from you --in order to evaluate whether their insured is at fault, they can look at the police report and talk to their insured.  They can look at a number of sources to determine whether their insured was at fault. They don’t need the statement from the driver that was the victim of the negligent operation of the vehicle.

            At some point the lawyer may decide that it’s an appropriate time for you to give a statement and then offer their client for a statement.  But the attorney is going to make sure they’re not under the influence of medication; they’re not in such pain; that they’re not under such economic duress that they’re willing to say anything to try to get money in.  Of course, the lawyer will be with you when you give the statement so that he or she can object to any unfair or oppressive tactics and cut the statement off if need be.         

            And so it’s always better to be represented when you give those kinds of statements. Furthermore, you should be limiting the number of statements that you give because the statement that you give to the insurance company can virtually never be used to help you.  It can only be used against you. And if you file a lawsuit, you’re going to have to give a deposition under oath, and 90%, maybe 99% of the people that give two statements about an incident, two separate statements about the same incident, are going to have some discrepancies.

            Not because they’re untruthful; not because they’re trying to change things, but because that’s human nature. And that human nature will be used against them in a court of law because a shrewd defense lawyer will say “oh, you told us this when you gave the statement to the insurance adjuster but now you’re saying this.”

            They’re trying to create the impression that you are less than honest—which feeds into the perception that you are trying to get something for nothing, which all these jurors have in the front of their mind.

            And the defense lawyers are trying to push buttons to reinforce that. And so that’s the jeopardy of giving two statements about the same incident. Because nobody is ever going to give verbatim the same description of the incident two times, particularly when the statements are removed by, many times, years apart.

Joseph L. Walsh III, P.C. 4399 Laclede St.
Saint Louis, MO 63108
888-897-5065

www.josephlwalshlaw.com