Poor Truck Maintenance Accidents in St. Louis
The term “failure to maintain” can refer to a couple of different infractions in Missouri. One involves a lack of insurance and the other is a matter of sloppy driving. Violating either provision could get a driver in trouble with the law, but they will probably have different impacts on a civil lawsuit. If you are injured in an accident in which the other driver is guilty of a “failure to maintain,” The Dixon Injury Firm is here to help. Our dedicated St. Louis failure to maintain accident lawyers have everything you need to seek out fair compensation on your behalf.
To learn more, give our St. Louis truck accident lawyers a call at (314) 208-2808 or CONTACT us online to schedule a free initial consultation.
Failure to Maintain Financial Responsibility
Every driver in Missouri is required to have insurance. Missouri Statutes Section 303.025 says that any owner of a motor vehicle required to be registered in the state must “maintain the financial responsibility which conforms to the requirements of the laws of this state.” In Statutes Section 303.020(10), Missouri defines financial responsibility as the ability to pay up to $25,000 per person for bodily injury, $50,000 per accident for bodily injury, and $10,000 per accident for property damage.
Most people maintain this financial responsibility by purchasing insurance, but there are some other options including the driver just certifying that he or she has enough money to pay the required amounts out of pocket if necessary. Out-of-state drivers that pass through the state must meet their own state’s requirements, and those are usually very similar to Missouri’s. Drivers must usually show proof of financial responsibility to a law enforcement officer if asked.
Failure to Maintain a Single Lane
Another law in Missouri, Statutes Section 304.015(5), requires that a vehicle “be driven as nearly as practicable entirely within a single lane and shall not be moved from such lane until the driver has first ascertained that such movement can be made with safety.” In other words, a driver needs to stay in their lane and needs to be careful when shifting lanes. Breaking this rule is sometimes called a failure to maintain a single lane.
This seemingly obvious rule has actually been the source of a good bit of consternation in Missouri. As explained in the Missouri Law Review, there is some debate over whether a driver can be pulled over for crossing the “fog line,” which is the white line on the side of the road. The courts in Missouri seem concerned that officers are too often using a fog line violation to initiate an unnecessary traffic stop. Regardless of the criminal implications, a driver that causes an injury while swerving in and out of a lane should be held liable for damages that driver causes.
Chris Dixon Maintains Strong Advocacy Skills
The Dixon Injury Firm has recovered over $50 million for wrongfully injured people in the St. Louis, Missouri area. This includes on occasion having to recover damages from motorists that have hit the road and caused damage without the proper insurance. Sometimes winning the judgment is only half the battle, and the other half is collecting from the person that wrongfully caused an injury to our client. That could mean using the power of the courts to garnish property from the responsible party, which requires taking a part of their paycheck or even money directly from their bank account.
How Can The Dixon Injury Firm Help Me with My Accident Claim?
The Dixon Injury Law Firm is the industry leader when it comes to protecting the interests of accident victims. During a failure to maintain truck accident case, the responsible party, their lawyers, and the insurance agencies are going to try to get you to settle for as little as possible and attempt to place as much blame as possible on you for the failure to maintain truck accident. This will allow them to settle quickly and against your best interests. This is why it is so important to bring in our St. Louis personal injury accident attorneys to help support what is right for you.
The Dixon Injury Firm
9666 Olive Blvd #202,
St. Louis, MO 63132
Phone:(314) 208-2808