If you were injured in a truck accident, you are not just dealing with a driver; you are up against a trucking company and its insurance team working immediately to protect their bottom line. From shifting blame to delaying claims and minimizing injuries, their goal is simple: pay as little as possible. Missouri law allows you to hold trucking companies accountable, but you need experienced lawyers who understand their tactics and won’t let them avoid responsibility
At Buchanan, Williams & O’Brien, our Missouri truck accident lawyers move quickly to secure critical evidence, uncover safety violations, and hold trucking companies accountable. We understand federal trucking regulations, insurance tactics, and how these cases are defended. We pursue the full and fair compensation our clients deserve.
The Tactics Trucking Companies Use to Shift Blame and Limit Compensation
Some of the most common ways trucking companies try to avoid liability in Missouri truck accidents include:
Blaming the Accident on Someone Else
One of the first strategies trucking companies use is shifting blame. Even when a serious crash occurs, they may argue that someone else is responsible in order to avoid paying full compensation.
They might claim the driver was an independent contractor, point the finger at a third-party motorist, blame a maintenance company, or even argue that poor road design caused the collision.
In many cases, they will attempt to blame you, the plaintiff, alleging you were distracted, speeding, or otherwise at fault, even when the evidence tells a different story.
Claiming Your Injuries are Pre-Existing
Another common defense tactic is to argue that your injuries existed before the truck accident and were not caused by the crash. Trucking companies and their insurers frequently scrutinize medical records looking for any prior complaints involving your back, neck, shoulders, or joints. No matter how minor these injuries are or how long ago you sustained them, it may use them in an attempt to deny or reduce your compensation.
Even if you had a prior condition, Missouri law allows injured victims to recover compensation when a truck accident aggravates or worsens a pre-existing injury. An experienced truck accident lawyer can work with medical professionals to clearly demonstrate how the collision caused new harm or significantly exacerbated existing conditions, and prevent insurers from using your medical history against you.
Minimizing the Impact on Your Life
Trucking companies often attempt to downplay the seriousness of your injuries and the disruption they cause to your daily life. This tactic is designed to reduce the value of your claim by ignoring the real consequences you face, such as chronic pain, physical limitations, lost income, and a diminished quality of life.
These losses are not minor, and they are fully compensable under Missouri law. An experienced lawyer knows how to document the true extent of your damages and present clear, compelling evidence of how the accident has changed your life, physically, financially, and personally.
Hiding or Destroying Evidence
In serious truck accident cases, critical evidence can disappear quickly. Trucking companies control key records such as driver logbooks, black box data, maintenance reports, inspection records, and internal communications. Without swift legal action, this evidence can be lost, altered, or “misplaced.”
Preserving this information is essential to proving violations of federal trucking regulations, driver fatigue, improper maintenance, or unsafe company practices. Acting quickly helps ensure the facts are protected before they can be buried.
When Is the Trucking Company Liable?
Trucking companies are not automatically responsible for every accident involving one of their drivers. However, under Missouri law, a company can be held liable when its own negligence, or the negligence of a driver acting within the scope of employment, contributes to a crash.
In these situations, the company may be legally responsible for:
- Failing to properly hire, train, or supervise truck drivers
- Encouraging or allowing drivers to violate hours-of-service regulations
- Improper vehicle maintenance or failure to address known safety issues
- Overloading or improperly loading cargo
- Violations of federal or Missouri trucking safety regulations
- Pressuring drivers to meet unrealistic delivery deadlines
Identifying all liable parties is critical to maximizing your recovery. Our attorneys thoroughly investigate every case to establish truck accident liability clearly and strategically, giving you the strongest possible position to pursue the full compensation you deserve.
Schedule a Free Consultation
If you were injured in a truck accident, don’t wait to protect your rights. Speak directly with an experienced Missouri truck accident attorney who understands how these cases are defended and how to hold trucking companies accountable.
Contact us today to schedule your free consultation. We represent injured clients in Joplin, St. Louis, Springfield, and throughout Missouri.