Personal Injury Law

Investigation into 2008 Missouri tractor trailer crash almost complete

By Ryan Bradley, Esq.

Photo from STLtoday.com

A six-month investigation into a gruesome tractor trailer crash on Highway 40 is nearly complete, but some details are already being released by the media.

The accident in question was one we reported on last July where a tractor trailer crashed into a line of cars stopped in traffic on Highway 40 near the I-270 interchange. A total of 10 cars were crushed or knocked aside by the powerful truck and the accident resulted in three deaths and 15 injuries.

An investigation is ongoing, but according to a St. Louis Post Dispatch story the Missouri Highway Patrol has already finished its 140 page report. In it, the Highway Patrol said the truck driver, Jeffrey Knight, was inattentive and distracted by a cell phone. Knight said he reached across the dashboard to grab his cell phone just before the accident. This goes with other media reports that were released at the time of the accident that said Knight was distracted before the tragic Missouri crash.

The Post Dispatch also said the Highway Patrol reviewed Knight?s log books and ordered a federal audit of Holmes Transport, the company that employed Knight. Several motor carrier violations were found, according to a Highway Patrol spokeswoman quoted in the Post Dispatch.

No charges have been filed and one more report from an investigating officer must be filed. If all these claims turn out to be true, Knight could be prosecuted for criminal negligence. He and his company are already the target of civil lawsuits as five victims of the crash have contacted tractor trailer accident attorneys.

Full post as published by Missouri Accident Lawyer Blog on January 11, 2009 (boomark / email).