A Hit-And-Run Driver Is An Uninsured Motorist

In the State of Missouri, ALL automobile owners are required to carry proof of liability insurance coverage. This, however, isn't always the case.

The Uninsured Motorist Who Flees:

The reality is many people don't adhere to this law. They get behind the wheel and occupy the same roads as those who have purchased the legal minimum. The inevitable is bound to happen...they cause an accident. You're the victim. They flee the scene, usually because they have no insurance, do not have a license, or are driving under the influence. What recourse do you have against a driver when you can’t find out if he is insured or even identify him? What if your insurance company refuses to accept this type of uninsured motorist claim or compensate you for all damages, including your pain and suffering?

This is a quandary many face in the event of a hit-and-run. They see it as an instance of random bad luck and there is no way to recover for their injuries in this kind of crash.

This is NOT true. That's when a closer look at your very own insurance policy will shed some light. That is when a call to the Glassman Law Firm, can relieve your worry and stress.

A Few Hard Facts...

FACT: When you bring an uninsured claim against your own insurance company, it CAN'T legally cancel your policy or raise your premium.

FACT: A hit-and-run accident is NOT categorized as a “chargeable loss" to your policy. Simply put, it's not your fault. You cannot be punished by rate increases or cancellation.

FACT: A hit-and-run can be a (non-contact) accident.

For example, a negligent motorist causes you to swerve because they were checking their email while driving. He was heading straight at you in the wrong lane, causing you to run off the road into an embankment. The emailing driver flees. You've experienced a non-contact hit-and-run. This is also considered an uninsured motorist claim and you are entitled to recover all losses caused by your injuries, lost pay, medical costs, and pain and suffering from your own insurance company.

What Should You Do?

If you or someone you know has been hit by an uninsured motorist, it is critical that you seek the expertise of The Glassman Law Firm, P.C. Our understanding of the complex and often ambiguously written insurance policies is of infinite value to anyone who has been involved in an accident caused by an irresponsible, uninsured motorist. We will help you recover every benefit and cost that your company is obligated to pay you for uninsured motorist damages.

We will fight vigorously to seek full monetary compensation for all of your pain and suffering, loss of work, medical bills and permanent injuries. Again, if it wasn't your fault, why should you have to suffer these personal and financial losses?

Big Rig Safety

Semi-trucks, big rigs, tractor-trailers, and 18-wheelers are large trucks that can be roughly 13.5 feet tall, 8.5 feet wide, up to 70 feet long, and can weigh up to 80,000 pounds. Needless to say it takes a great amount of experience and agility to be able to operate a vehicle of this magnitude. However, drivers don't always possess these attributes, this is when trouble arises.

In 2010, which is the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration's most recent data regarding trucking accidents, 276,000 large trucks were involved in collisions in the United States. Of those accidents, 3,675 people were killed and 80,000 people were injured.
Fatalities have gone up 9 percent from 2009 to 2010. Of the deaths resulting from accidents with large trucks, 76 percent were occupants in passenger cars, 10 percent were pedestrians, motorcyclists, or bicyclists, and 14 percent were occupants in large trucks.

Just this morning a tractor-trailer truck was implicated in a 30-vehicle crash that killed three people on a snowy Iowa highway. We will hear in the days to come, whether the truck driver was in compliance with the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Regulations with respect to the speed and weather limitations placed upon drivers of these big rigs.

There is no doubt that if not operated properly a truck can be a deadly weapon. As drivers, we can all be more aware around large trucks. Here are a few tips that will hopefully save your life:

• Give truck drivers room to turn. They sometimes will need room to swing wide to the left to make a right turn. They won't be able to see you if you squeeze in between them and the curb. If they are properly using their blinkers, you should be able to prepare and move out of the way when they make this type of turn.
• Large trucks have even larger blind spots. Refrain from riding on either side of a large truck. A good rule of thumb is if you can't see the truck driver's face in the mirror, then they can't see you. 
• Never jump in front of a large truck too soon after passing. Large trucks need room to stop. In fact, their breaking distance varies greatly depending on the amount of cargo they are carrying. Never leave this distance to chance, give trucks plenty of space. 

Being involved in an accident with a large truck can result in catastrophic injuries that can require months, years, or a lifetime of rehabilitation. This type of accident can leave you in a great deal of pain as well as permanently disabled. You could even lose your life. If you or a loved one has been injured in a trucking accident, contact the Missouri Truck Accident Attorneys of The Glassman Law Firm.

New Transportation Rules Preventing Driver/Pilot Fatigue Don’t Go Far Enough

As discussed in an earlier blog post, driver fatigue plays a role in far too many truck and plane crashes and is one of the greatest threats to transportation safety. Every year both truck driver and pilot fatigue contribute to thousands of crashes and deaths in the trucking and aviation industries.

As I state on my website, despite federal “in service” regulations put in place to ensure drivers do not drive while sleep deprived,  “less principled companies do cut corners and ‘overlook’ the hours-of-service regulations that legally limit the number of hours that a trucker can drive per week. As a result, 40-ton commercial tractor-trailer rigs are being operated on our highways by sleep deprived drivers every day.”  The ramifications of this negligence are staggering: The Highway Traffic Safety Administration estimates that 30% of the deaths and 70% of highway injuries are the result of negligently operated trucks by fatigued drivers.

Just as serious, but less reported in the media is pilot fatigue. However, pilot fatigue is now in the news. As you may have heard reported, in December 2011 the Federal Aviation Administration announced new rules to reduce potentially dangerous pilot fatigue .

An editorial recently published by USA today is highly critical of the new transportation rules for both trucking and aviation. The editorial claims that while the new rules are more realistic, they fall short of what is truly needed.

As a personal injury lawyer, I agree the new rules don’t go far enough to protect the drivers, pilots, passengers and bystanders that have been seriously injured by driver and pilot fatigue. It is important to keep pushing this issue until rules are in place that truly protect the roads and airspace, and ensure that companies follow the regulations.

Take care and be well ~ Stephen Glassman, St. Louis personal injury attorney.

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