Our record-breaking $4.69 billion verdict against Johnson & Johnson sends a clear message to trucking companies and their insurers: we don’t back down. While other firms rush to settle, we’ve built our reputation taking on Fortune 500 companies and winning. This same aggressive approach means trucking companies offer our clients substantially more to avoid facing us at trial. Your case benefits from our proven ability to maximize verdicts against corporate defendants and get the compensation you deserve.
Trucking companies dispatch investigators within hours of serious accidents to protect their interests. Our 50+ person team includes former DOT investigators who know exactly what evidence disappears first. We immediately secure driver logs, black box data, drug test results, and maintenance records before they’re “lost.” Our rapid response team photographs skid marks, interviews witnesses, and preserves crucial evidence that determines fault and maximizes compensation.
Commercial trucking cases involve complex federal regulations, multiple insurance policies, and corporate legal teams. Our mass tort experience gives us unique advantages: we understand corporate discovery tactics, have relationships with the nation’s top accident reconstruction experts, and possess the financial resources to fight cases for years if necessary. We know how to pierce corporate veils, uncover hidden assets, and hold all responsible parties accountable – from drivers to dispatchers to equipment manufacturers.
Missouri’s central location makes it a major trucking hub, with I-70, I-44, and I-55 bringing thousands of 18-wheelers through St. Louis daily. Our investigation of common causes of truck accidents reveals a pattern of preventable crashes caused by companies prioritizing profits over safety. Understanding these causes helps us build stronger cases and secure maximum compensation for victims of commercial truck accidents in St. Louis.
Federal rules under the FMCSA strictly limit truckers to 11 hours of driving within a 14-hour on-duty window, following at least 10 consecutive hours off duty . Drivers must also take a 30-minute break after 8 hours of continuous driving . While Electronic Logging Devices (ELDs)—required since December 2017—are intended to enforce accurate logs, some companies still manipulate data or coerce drivers into falsifying entries .
Trucking companies pay by the mile, creating financial pressure to drive beyond safe limits. We uncover company emails pushing drivers to meet impossible deadlines, bonus structures rewarding speed over safety, and dispatchers who threaten drivers’ jobs for refusing unsafe loads. This evidence transforms individual accidents into pattern-of-negligence cases worth significantly more.
Night driving increases accident risk 300%, yet trucking companies schedule routes requiring overnight travel through St. Louis. Sleep science experts help us prove how irregular schedules impair judgment worse than alcohol. We’ve secured multi-million dollar verdicts by showing companies knowingly scheduled drivers during their body’s natural sleep cycles.
A fully loaded 80,000-pound large truck typically requires 40–65% more stopping distance than a passenger car traveling at the same speed—meaning what a car stops in under 300 feet, a truck needs 525 feet or more. The extra mass, air-brake lag, and mechanical limitations make overloaded or unsecured trucks especially dangerous. We investigate factors like loading-dock procedures, weigh-station bypasses, and cargo-shift evidence to establish negligence. When trucks are overweight or improperly loaded, control during braking can be compromised—making multiple parties liable, from the shipper and loader to the carrier and driver.
Missouri allows trucks up to 80,000 pounds, but companies routinely exceed limits to maximize profits. We subpoena weigh station records, analyze tire wear patterns, and calculate actual weights using physics. Overweight trucks cause longer stopping distances, tire blowouts, and catastrophic brake failures – evidence that dramatically increases case values.
Improperly loaded cargo can shift during transit—often due to a high center of gravity and sudden maneuvers—leading a truck to jackknife, rollover, or lose control entirely. Federal rules (49 CFR §§ 393.100–136) require that cargo be restrained using properly rated tiedowns, blocking, bracing, and other securement methods designed to withstand forces in all directions. We thoroughly scrutinize loading procedures and inspect securement devices to uncover violations like insufficient tiedowns, uneven weight distribution, or worn-out equipment. Liability often extends beyond the driver to include the shipper who loaded the cargo, the driver who failed to perform required inspections, and the carrier or loading company that rushed the process.
Federal Motor Carrier Safety Regulations require detailed maintenance schedules and daily inspections. Our investigations reveal systematic violations: worn brakes, bald tires, and deferred maintenance to save money. We access federal databases showing companies’ violation histories and use this pattern evidence to prove gross negligence.
Air brake systems require expert maintenance, yet companies use unqualified mechanics or skip inspections entirely. We hire mechanical engineers to examine failed components, proving maintenance negligence. Brake failures at highway speeds cause catastrophic accidents – juries award substantial punitive damages for this preventable negligence.
Retreaded tires, worn treads, and improper inflation cause deadly blowouts. We investigate tire purchase records, maintenance logs, and photograph evidence from accident scenes. When trucks shed tire treads on highways, multiple vehicles often crash – we pursue all liable parties including tire manufacturers and maintenance facilities.
Truck accidents cause catastrophic injuries requiring lifetime care. Insurance companies know this and try to settle before victims understand their injuries’ full extent. Our experience with billion-dollar verdicts gives us leverage to demand compensation for all future needs, not just current medical bills. We work with economists and life care planners to prove the true cost of large truck accident injuries.
The massive force of truck accidents causes severe injuries: traumatic brain injuries, spinal cord damage, crush injuries, and multiple trauma requiring extensive treatment. We work with leading medical experts to project lifetime care costs, ensuring settlements cover decades of treatment, not just initial hospital bills.
Catastrophic injuries from truck accidents often end careers permanently. We document not just current lost wages but total economic impact including lost earning capacity, benefits, retirement contributions, and household services value. Economic experts calculate losses often exceeding millions over a lifetime.
Missouri law recognizes that truck accident injuries cause profound life changes beyond financial losses. We present compelling evidence of physical pain, emotional trauma, and permanent life alterations. Juries understand the difference between car accidents and truck crashes – awards reflect this severity.
When trucking companies flagrantly violate safety laws, Missouri law permits punitive—or exemplary—damages to punish and deter such conduct. However, these damages are limited to the greater of $500,000 or five times the compensatory award, and are awarded only when a court finds, by clear and convincing evidence plus a formal motion, that the defendant intentionally harmed someone or acted with deliberate and flagrant disregard for safety .
A 48 year old woman was partially paralyzed when her vehicle was struck by a tractor trailer. A tractor trailer ran a red light, struck another vehicle, and then jackknifed into the woman’s vehicle, causing partial paralysis of her right arm and right leg, blurred version, cognitive deficits, and a broken arm, leaving her unable to work in her chosen profession as a nurse. This was the largest reported injury settlement in the history of Perry County, Missouri.
The intoxicated driver of a vehicle drove into the rear of a tractor trailer. The truck’s under ride bar failed owing to a design defect, allowing the car to travel under the truck, tearing off the roof of the car. The driver was killed instantly and the passenger sustained serious injuries which ultimately resulted in her death.
A Family was parked in their car on the side of the highway when their car was struck by a tractor trailer that was attempting to pass another vehicle. The family members sustained various soft tissue back and neck injuries and several broken bones in the collision.
OnderLaw isn’t just another personal injury firm – we’re the lawyers who secured a record-breaking $4.69 billion verdict against Johnson & Johnson and have recovered over $5 billion total for our clients. This mass tort experience directly benefits truck accident victims in several crucial ways:
Discovery Expertise: In mass tort litigation, we’ve reviewed millions of corporate documents and know exactly where companies hide damaging evidence. We apply these same techniques to trucking companies, uncovering internal emails about safety violations, profit-pressure memos, and previous incidents they’ve concealed.
Corporate Accountability: We’ve spent decades holding Fortune 500 companies accountable for putting profits over people. Trucking companies use the same playbook: deny responsibility, blame victims, and hide behind complex corporate structures. We know how to pierce corporate veils and reach all available insurance coverage.
Resource Advantage: Mass tort cases require massive resources – expert witnesses, investigators, and the ability to fight for years. We’ve invested millions in technology and staff that smaller firms can’t match. Your truck accident case gets the same world-class resources we use against pharmaceutical giants.
Reputation Power: When trucking companies see OnderLaw on a case, they know we’re prepared for trial. Our reputation from billion-dollar verdicts creates leverage that translates directly into higher settlement offers. Insurance companies would rather pay fair compensation than face us before a jury.
Pattern Recognition: Years of mass tort work taught us to recognize corporate patterns of misconduct. When we see one safety violation, we know how to uncover systematic problems that transform individual accidents into corporate negligence cases worth exponentially more.
I was in a bad car accident where I was hit and my car flipped and almost crushed and calling Jim Onder was the BEST DECISION I made to help me get what I deserved (it was the other cars fault and witnesses will say it also) for everything that I went through. Beside all my physical pain I was having a hard time dealing with things after the accident and the insurance company and I missed lots of work. I don’t know how I would have dealt with it.
Karly
Car Acciden t
I contacted OnderLaw for my husband’s car accident and work comp case. Everyone was very helpful always answered my phone calls. I appreciate all the help they gave me and my husband. I would recommend everyone to contact onder law if they need help.
Nancy C
Car Accident
Jim helped me in my work comp trucking accident. I didn’t know how to even start the process. He was very helpful from the moment we met, to giving me his personal cell phone number to call.him when i needed help. Great service, i will give them a call if i ever find my self in another situation. Thank you!
Rick Cole
Truck Accident
I have used their service and so far they are the absolute BEST in the medical litigation field. In the unfortunate event someone experienced what I have and they need assistance…I will definitely recommend Onder! Thanks guys!
Andre Nero
Medical Litigation
Experienced St. Louis accident attorneys dedicated to fighting for your rights
Founder And Attorney
James G. Onder is founder of OnderLaw, a preeminent personal injury and mass tort litigation firm with offices in St. Louis, Missouri; Nashville, Tennessee; and Newport Beach, California. Mr. Onder...
Meet James
Personal Injury Attorney
Stephen P. Niemira was born and raised in the City of St. Louis. He is a third-generation lawyer, with the same commitment to service in the pursuit of justice held...
Meet Stephen
Personal Injury Attorney
Breanna L. Flowers joined OnderLaw in 2020 after representing clients as an associate attorney at a large St. Louis law firm. Her experience includes cases involving motor vehicle accidents, trucking...
Meet Breanna
Personal Injury Attorney
Mark is a personal injury attorney at OnderLaw, where he represents people injured in car crashes, falls, and other types of injury caused by the fault of others. With experience...
Meet Mark
Personal Injury Attorney
Amanda is a seasoned attorney with 22 years of experience as a civil litigator. She began her career defending doctors in medical malpractice cases for six years before dedicating the past...
Meet Amanda
Bad Faith Insurance Claims and Personal Injury Attorney
In practice since 1998, Matt now focuses primarily on disputes, claims, and litigation of bad faith insurance and personal injury litigation. Matt has also drawn upon many years of experience...
Meet MattThe moments after a truck accident are critical for your safety and your legal case. Large commercial trucking companies have rapid response teams that arrive quickly to protect their interests. Your actions in these first moments can determine whether you receive thousands or millions in compensation. Never admit fault or minimize your injuries – adrenaline masks serious trauma.
Trucking companies and their insurers work fast to minimize claims. They’ll send investigators, adjusters, and sometimes even lawyers to your hospital room. This critical period is when evidence disappears and costly mistakes happen. Having OnderLaw involved immediately levels the playing field and protects your rights.
Strong truck accident cases require immediate, aggressive investigation. Our team begins working while skid marks are fresh and witnesses remember details. We know trucking companies destroy evidence after minimum retention periods – early action captures critical proof that determines case value.
110 E Lockwood Ave, St. Louis, MO 63119
110 E Lockwood Ave, St. Louis, MO 63119
Phone: 📲 (314)-408-6136
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A: Truck accidents involve federal regulations, multiple liable parties, and catastrophic injuries requiring specialized legal expertise. Commercial trucks can weigh 80,000 pounds - 20 times more than cars - causing devastating damage. These cases involve complex insurance policies, corporate defendants, and federal trucking regulations. OnderLaw's experience with mass tort litigation gives us unique advantages in holding trucking companies accountable for the full extent of damages.
A: Trucking companies often claim drivers are independent contractors to avoid liability, but federal law sees through this tactic. We investigate the actual relationship: who controls routes, schedules, and equipment? Who pays for fuel and maintenance? Courts frequently find trucking companies liable regardless of contractor labels. Our corporate litigation experience helps us pierce these defensive strategies and reach all available insurance coverage.
Missouri law grants you five years from the date of injury to file a personal injury lawsuit—any later, and your case is almost always barred. Meanwhile, critical evidence is fleeting: truckers’ logbooks and ELD records are often destroyed after six months; drug and alcohol test results—particularly negative ones—may be purged after one year; and surveillance footage is typically only held for 30 days. Trucking companies count on these delays to let key evidence vanish. Contact OnderLaw right away so we can preserve vital proof and safeguard your claim.
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A: Missouri follows pure comparative fault rules - you can recover damages even if partially at fault, reduced by your percentage of responsibility. Trucking companies always try to shift blame, but commercial drivers are held to higher standards. We often prove that what seems like shared fault was actually caused by the truck driver's negligence. Don't accept blame without talking to OnderLaw first.
A: Truck accident values depend on injury severity, economic losses, and the trucking company's conduct. Cases range from hundreds of thousands to millions of dollars. Factors include medical expenses, lost income, pain and suffering, and potential punitive damages. OnderLaw's billion-dollar verdict experience maximizes case values - our average truck accident settlement is 5-10 times initial insurance offers.
A: Multi-vehicle truck accidents create complex liability scenarios but also multiple sources of recovery. We investigate all potentially liable parties: drivers, trucking companies, cargo loaders, maintenance providers, and equipment manufacturers. Each may carry separate insurance policies. Our mass tort experience managing complex litigation helps us maximize recovery from all responsible parties.
A: Missouri wrongful death law allows family members to seek justice for fatal truck accidents. Compensation includes lost financial support, funeral expenses, loss of companionship, and the conscious pain and suffering before death. When trucking company negligence causes death, punitive damages often apply. OnderLaw handles these sensitive cases with compassion while aggressively pursuing accountability.
A: Strong truck accident cases require extensive evidence: police reports, medical records, witness statements, photos, driver logs, maintenance records, and black box data. Don't worry about collecting everything yourself - OnderLaw's investigative team handles evidence preservation. The most important step is contacting us quickly before crucial evidence disappears or gets destroyed.
A: Never speak to insurance adjusters without legal representation. They're trained to minimize claims and will use anything you say against you. They may seem friendly but work for the trucking company, not you. Let OnderLaw handle all communication - we know their tactics and protect you from costly mistakes that could devalue your case.
A: Our $5 billion track record speaks volumes. We're not billboard lawyers who settle cheap and fast - we're trial attorneys who trucking companies fear. Our 180+ team members provide resources smaller firms can't match. From immediate investigation to world-class experts to jury trials, we invest in winning. Our mass tort experience taking on corporate giants translates directly into maximum recoveries for truck accident victims.
