A semi-truck crashed early Monday morning along I-44 in Springfield, MO. One of the occupants of the vehicle was trapped underneath the steering wheel for nearly an hour while crews worked to free him. The accident caused eastbound lanes to be closed for several hours.

If you or someone you love have been injured in a semi-truck accident, please contact the experienced semi-truck attorneys of Strong-Garner-Bauer, P.C. at 417-887-4300.

A tractor-trailer ran into three sedans on northbound U.S. 63 south of Deer Park Wednesday, said Gary Gundy, a Missouri State Highway Patrol trooper.

Gale Blomenkamp, division chief of Boone County Fire Protection District, said seven people were involved in the accident “with varying degrees of injuries, some being minor and precautionary and major to some being a little more severe.”

He said all seven were being taken to University Hospital, including two children who had “nothing visible but … we want to get them to a hospital and get them checked out by a doctor.”

“But nothing appears to be life-threatening at this point,” Blomenkamp said around 4:55 p.m. Wednesday.

Northbound U.S. 63 was closed after the accident, but the right lane of the northbound lanes opened up around 5:35 p.m.

Blomenkamp said that people were trapped in some of the vehicles and that it took around 15 to 20 minutes to extricate a woman from the vehicle with the worst damage.

Gundy said the tractor-trailer was driving northbound in the left lane, and traffic had slowed because of an accident closer to Deer Park. He said cars were trying to merge into the right lane when the tractor-trailer driver noticed traffic had slowed. She swerved, striking three cars.

Gundy said the tractor-trailer driver told him she did not notice everyone stopping. He said this is under investigation.

The initial accident, in which Gundy said he thought a car hit a deer and no people were injured, occurred about a half-mile north of this accident.

The four-vehicle accident occurred in the jurisdiction of Southern Boone County Fire Protection District, but its proximity to Boone County Fire Protection District’s jurisdiction made it a dual-response area, Blomenkamp said. Each district sent three units to the scene, and a total of four ambulances came from University and Boone hospitals.

If you or a loved one have been in an accident involving a semi-truck, please contact the experienced Springfield, MO tractor trailer lawyers of Strong-Garner-Bauer, P.C. at 417-887-4300.

A tractor-trailer slammed into the back of a packed minivan in northern Indiana late Thursday, killing at least seven people and sending four others to hospitals, authorities said.

The minivan was carrying 10 people when it was hit along the Indiana Toll Road near Bristol, just south of the Michigan border, according to Indiana State Police. Witness accounts suggest that the minivan may have hit a deer, then slowed or stopped in the eastbound lanes before it was hit from behind by the tractor-trailer, police said.

Seven of the minivan’s occupants died at the scene and the other three were taken to hospitals, including two who were airlifted. The driver of the tractor-trailer also was hospitalized.

None of the victims’ names has been released. The conditions of those who survived also haven’t been released.

State Police spokesman Sgt. Trent Smith said early Friday that the minivan had an Illinois license plate, and the truck had a Wisconsin tag. Both vehicles ended up in the center median, blocking traffic in both directions.

“That’s not to say that the driver of the truck was from Wisconsin or the driver of minivan was from Illinois, but that’s where the vehicles were registered,” Smith said.

No other vehicles were involved in the accident, which was reported shortly before 8 p.m. Thursday. The crash shut down the toll road, though it was reopened just before midnight.

Other details weren’t immediately available, Smith said.

If you or a loved one have been in an accident involving a semi-truck, please contact the experienced Springfield, MO truck accident lawyers of Strong-Garner-Bauer, P.C. at 417-887-4300.

A tractor-trailer slammed into the back of a packed minivan in northern Indiana late Thursday, killing at least seven people and sending four others to hospitals, authorities said.

The minivan was carrying 10 people when it was hit along the Indiana Toll Road near Bristol, just south of the Michigan border, according to Indiana State Police. Witness accounts suggest that the minivan may have hit a deer, then slowed or stopped in the eastbound lanes before it was hit from behind by the tractor-trailer, police said.

Seven of the minivan’s occupants died at the scene and the other three were taken to hospitals, including two who were airlifted. The driver of the tractor-trailer also was hospitalized.

None of the victims’ names has been released. The conditions of those who survived also haven’t been released.

State Police spokesman Sgt. Trent Smith said early Friday that the minivan had an Illinois license plate, and the truck had a Wisconsin tag. Both vehicles ended up in the center median, blocking traffic in both directions.

“That’s not to say that the driver of the truck was from Wisconsin or the driver of minivan was from Illinois, but that’s where the vehicles were registered,” Smith said.

No other vehicles were involved in the accident, which was reported shortly before 8 p.m. Thursday. The crash shut down the toll road, though it was reopened just before midnight.

Other details weren’t immediately available, Smith said.

If you or a loved one have been in an accident involving a tractor trailer, please contact the experienced Springfield, MO truck accident attorneys of Strong-Garner-Bauer, P.C. at 417-887-4300.

A tractor-trailer slammed into the back of a packed minivan in northern Indiana late Thursday, killing at least seven people and sending four others to hospitals, authorities said.

The minivan was carrying 10 people when it was hit along the Indiana Toll Road near Bristol, just south of the Michigan border, according to Indiana State Police. Witness accounts suggest that the minivan may have hit a deer, then slowed or stopped in the eastbound lanes before it was hit from behind by the tractor-trailer, police said.

Seven of the minivan’s occupants died at the scene and the other three were taken to hospitals, including two who were airlifted. The driver of the tractor-trailer also was hospitalized.

None of the victims’ names has been released. The conditions of those who survived also haven’t been released.

State Police spokesman Sgt. Trent Smith said early Friday that the minivan had an Illinois license plate, and the truck had a Wisconsin tag. Both vehicles ended up in the center median, blocking traffic in both directions.

“That’s not to say that the driver of the truck was from Wisconsin or the driver of minivan was from Illinois, but that’s where the vehicles were registered,” Smith said.

No other vehicles were involved in the accident, which was reported shortly before 8 p.m. Thursday. The crash shut down the toll road, though it was reopened just before midnight.

Other details weren’t immediately available, Smith said.

If you or a loved one have been in an accident involving a semi-truck, please contact the experienced Springfield, Missouri semi-truck accident attorneys of Strong-Garner-Bauer, P.C. at 417-887-4300.

A tractor-trailer slammed into the back of a packed minivan in northern Indiana late Thursday, killing at least seven people and sending four others to hospitals, authorities said.

The minivan was carrying 10 people when it was hit along the Indiana Toll Road near Bristol, just south of the Michigan border, according to Indiana State Police. Witness accounts suggest that the minivan may have hit a deer, then slowed or stopped in the eastbound lanes before it was hit from behind by the tractor-trailer, police said.

Seven of the minivan’s occupants died at the scene and the other three were taken to hospitals, including two who were airlifted. The driver of the tractor-trailer also was hospitalized.

None of the victims’ names has been released. The conditions of those who survived also haven’t been released.

State Police spokesman Sgt. Trent Smith said early Friday that the minivan had an Illinois license plate, and the truck had a Wisconsin tag. Both vehicles ended up in the center median, blocking traffic in both directions.

“That’s not to say that the driver of the truck was from Wisconsin or the driver of minivan was from Illinois, but that’s where the vehicles were registered,” Smith said.

No other vehicles were involved in the accident, which was reported shortly before 8 p.m. Thursday. The crash shut down the toll road, though it was reopened just before midnight.

Other details weren’t immediately available, Smith said.

If you or a loved one have been in an accident involving a tractor trailer, please contact the experienced Springfield, Missouri semi-truck accident attorneys of Strong-Garner-Bauer, P.C. at 417-887-4300.

A tractor-trailer slammed into the back of a packed minivan in northern Indiana late Thursday, killing at least seven people and sending four others to hospitals, authorities said.

The minivan was carrying 10 people when it was hit along the Indiana Toll Road near Bristol, just south of the Michigan border, according to Indiana State Police. Witness accounts suggest that the minivan may have hit a deer, then slowed or stopped in the eastbound lanes before it was hit from behind by the tractor-trailer, police said.

Seven of the minivan’s occupants died at the scene and the other three were taken to hospitals, including two who were airlifted. The driver of the tractor-trailer also was hospitalized.

None of the victims’ names has been released. The conditions of those who survived also haven’t been released.

State Police spokesman Sgt. Trent Smith said early Friday that the minivan had an Illinois license plate, and the truck had a Wisconsin tag. Both vehicles ended up in the center median, blocking traffic in both directions.

“That’s not to say that the driver of the truck was from Wisconsin or the driver of minivan was from Illinois, but that’s where the vehicles were registered,” Smith said.

No other vehicles were involved in the accident, which was reported shortly before 8 p.m. Thursday. The crash shut down the toll road, though it was reopened just before midnight.

Other details weren’t immediately available, Smith said.

If you or a loved one have been in an accident involving a tractor trailer, please contact the experienced Springfield, Missouri semi-truck accident attorneys of Strong-Garner-Bauer, P.C. at 417-887-4300.

A tractor-trailer slammed into the back of a packed minivan in northern Indiana late Thursday, killing at least seven people and sending four others to hospitals, authorities said.

The minivan was carrying 10 people when it was hit along the Indiana Toll Road near Bristol, just south of the Michigan border, according to Indiana State Police. Witness accounts suggest that the minivan may have hit a deer, then slowed or stopped in the eastbound lanes before it was hit from behind by the tractor-trailer, police said.

Seven of the minivan’s occupants died at the scene and the other three were taken to hospitals, including two who were airlifted. The driver of the tractor-trailer also was hospitalized.

None of the victims’ names has been released. The conditions of those who survived also haven’t been released.

State Police spokesman Sgt. Trent Smith said early Friday that the minivan had an Illinois license plate, and the truck had a Wisconsin tag. Both vehicles ended up in the center median, blocking traffic in both directions.

“That’s not to say that the driver of the truck was from Wisconsin or the driver of minivan was from Illinois, but that’s where the vehicles were registered,” Smith said.

No other vehicles were involved in the accident, which was reported shortly before 8 p.m. Thursday. The crash shut down the toll road, though it was reopened just before midnight.

Other details weren’t immediately available, Smith said.

If you or a loved one have been in an accident involving a tractor trailer, please contact the experienced Springfield, Missouri tractor trailer accident attorneys of Strong-Garner-Bauer, P.C. at 417-887-4300.

In Florida, Rescuers said five people were hurt in a head-on crash of a tractor-trailer and a Duval County School District vehicle on State Road 9A at St. Johns Bluff Road on Wednesday morning that caused damage to the overpass.

One victim, 39-year-old Rafaell Harris, a maintenance man for the school district, was flown to Shands Jacksonville Medical Center with critical injuries. Three other victims were taken to Shands and one to the emergency room at Mayo Clinic, all with minor injuries.

According to the Florida Highway Patrol, it appears a tire blew on a semi hauling a trailer full of beer northbound about 8:30 a.m., causing the driver, 22-year-old Amnon Rattray Jr., to lose control and the big rig to hit a guardrail, enter the oncoming lane, hit the school truck and three other vehicles. The big rig then overturned and hit the side of the overpass, leaving a crack in the barrier wall.

Two cars struck the trailer and a fifth car swerved to avoid the crash and struck the guardrail. The drivers of those vehicles were 60-year-old Joann Largen, 27-year-old Christina Smith and 27-year-old Ryan Vanhouten, all of Jacksonville. Charles Smith, 46, was a passenger in Christina Smith’s car who suffered minor injuries. Vanhouten was not hurt.

Some crash debris landed on the road below.

“He called me around 8:30 this morning and said he’d been in an accident,” said Regina Maaske, whose son was involved in the crash.

Maaske said she raced down to the scene to check on her son, and when she got there, she saw the chaos.

“He said a truck went over the rail and he had to swerve to hit him,” Maaske said. “It was coming within like two feet of him. He had to swerve and ended up hitting the guardrail.”

If you or a loved one have been in an accident involving a tractor trailer, please contact the experienced Springfield tractor trailer accident attorneys of Strong-Garner-Bauer, P.C. at 417-887-4300.