LIVINGSTON COUNTY, Mo. — Darrell Kraus, a 57-year-old Meadville resident, was seriously injured Nov. 30 after he crashed a dump truck on U.S. Highway 36 near Chillicothe.
Kraus was driving the Peterbilt dump truck on US Hwy 36, about 3 miles east of Chillicothe, when the vehicle traveled off the highway at about 1 p.m. for unknown reasons, according to a crash report from the Missouri State Highway Patrol. The vehicle hit a guardrail and rolled on its side before coming to rest facing south.
Emergency response personnel transported Kraus to Hedrick Medical Center with serious injuries.
An investigation into the crash is ongoing. Authorities have not released any additional information regarding Kraus’ condition or factors that may have contributed to the accident.
Thoughts on the dump truck accident that injured Darrell Kraus
Although I was concerned when I learned of Mr. Kraus’ dump truck crash, I was relieved to know that he survived the accident, and I hope he will recover quickly and be able to get back to work. It appears from the crash report that Mr. Kraus’s vehicle left the highway, hit a guardrail, and then rolled on its side.
Statistically speaking, Mr. Kraus is lucky to be alive. Single-vehicle rollovers produce one of the highest numbers of fatalities on our nation’s highways.
In my 30 years of experience with personal injury cases, I have handled many cases similar to this one. A comprehensive investigation will need to be conducted to determine factors that contributed to the crash or caused it. While authorities have not released enough information to draw any conclusions, I have found that certain factors are common in these types of terrible acidents.
In accidents like this one, the driver often swerves to avoid an obstruction in the roadway, or perhaps a large animal. Mechanical failure can also be a factor. Although fatigued, distracted, or drug/alcohol impairment are the most common causes of single vehicle accidents among passenger vehicles, these factors are usually not the cause when commercial vehicles are involved, especially at the time of day that this accident occurred.
When I consider the reported facts in this case, several questions come to my mind. Who owned and maintained this commercial vehicle? The injured? Or was Mr. Kraus an employee of a company? How old was the Peterbilt and what condition was it in? If the driver were the employee of a company, had he been properly trained to operate the commercial vehicle?
Answers to these questions will help prevent accidents like this one from happening in the future. I extend my best wishes to Mr. Kraus for a full and speedy recovery.
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