Media - Law Firm Dollar, Burns & Becker, L.C. Attorneys Kansas City, Missouri

Ferro Bronrott PATT CRASH Members May 2010

From left to right: Steve Izer (P.A.T.T), Jeff Burns (Counsel for Truck Safety Coalition), Daphne Izer (P.A.T.T.), Anne Ferro (Administrator FMCSA), Jane Mathis (FMCSA Advisory Board), Jennifer Tierney (C.R.A.S.H.), John Lannen (Truck Safety Coalition, Executive Director), Bill Bronrott (Deputy Administrator FMCSA).

Dollar, Burns & Becker attorney Jeff Burns recently attended the installation of a montage dedicated to truck crash victims at the FMCSA offices in the U.S. Department of Transportation Building located in Washington, D.C. The montage of photos was presented by the Truck Safety Coalition to the FMCSA in recognition of the importance of truck safety and victims’ rights. Mr. Burns said of the event, “It is our hope that this montage will serve as a constant reminder that, every day, more victims are dying in truck crashes. Hopefully, this symbolizes a renewed focus on the urgent need to take affirmative steps to save lives and on the constant need for vigilance in the promotion of truck safety by the FMCSA.” Mr. Burns serves as the National Transportation Counsel for the Truck Safety Coalition, and has fought for the rights of truck crash victims throughout his career.

Advocates for Highway and Auto Safety - 01

Advocates for Highway and Auto Safety - 02

Dollar, Burns & Becker attorney Jeff Burns presents an award to U.S. Senator Kit Bond at a recent event celebrating 20 years of safety advocacy by Advocates for Highway and Auto Safety. Senator Bond was honored for his consistent support of limitations on truck size and weight, and his support of the concept that “Too Big is Just Too Dangerous.” Several other key lawmakers were also honored at the event. Jeff Burns has championed the rights of victims and their families, and fought for more stringent safety standards in the trucking industry for nearly 20 years. Mr. Burns is a partner at Dollar, Burns & Becker, LC, where he continues to focus on providing legal representation to victims and families of individuals injured or killed in truck crashes.

SATC 2010 Osterberg Award
Sleep Apnea & Trucking Conference

Victim's family settles for $1 million

Trucking company must shut down as part of recovery

The family of a man who was killed after a traffic accident that involved a semitrailer settled their jackson Country case. The recovery included an agreement that the trucking company shut down its operation.

Fatal semitrailer collision case nets $3M recovery

Parties disputed venue, jurisdiction, whether Kan. damage cap applied

The family of a man killed in a head-on collision with a semitrailer has reached a $3 million recovery with the trucking company and its driver.

Man settles for $7 million in wrongful death case

His wife, son died in wreck on South Carolina interstate

Two Kanas City Lawyers came to a $7 million recovery in a man's case alleging the wrongful death of his wife and son, who died in an automobile accident in South Carolina.

Tanker driver's family settles wrongful death lawsuit for $2.6 million

Wheelbarrow fell from truck, leading to crash

When a wheelbarrow fell off the back of a Symmetry Landscaping truck onto interstate 270, it wasn't the first time one of the company's truckes had dropped part of a load.

Trucker Pleads Guilty to Manslaughter Following Civil Investigation and Lawsuit By Dollar, Burns & Becker, LC.

Driver Clark Montogmery was sentenced to 50 months in prison for killing Rita Huscher in a hit and run collision. The attorneys at DB&B investigated the collision and aggressively pursued civil claims against the driver on behalf of Ms. Huscher's family before the guilty plea.

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As Trucking Rules Are Eased, A Debate on Safety Intensifies, Stephen Labaton, New York Times, December 3, 2006

This article recently published on the front page of The New York Times relies on a lawsuit handled by attorneys Tim Dollar and Jeff Burns to urge greater federal regulation of the trucking industry. Evidence indicated that driver fatigue and long hours behind the wheel caused an 18-wheeler to slam into a vehicle driven by Doris Edwards on Interstate 70 in Missouri, causing her death. The case became part of a national debate over the dangers of federal deregulation of the trucking industry and the safety of our nation’s roadways.

ABC News Program 20/20 Interviews Tim Dollar

Tim Dollar was interviewed by Catherine Crier for ABC News' 20/20 for a special program aimed at exposing the abuse and neglect that threatens our elderly population in nursing homes all over the country. Tim Dollar discussed his role at length in a case in which he represented the family of an 82 year old woman who was brutally raped in a nursing home by a nursing home employee. During the course of his investigation of the case he discovered the employee had a criminal record and had previously worked at another nursing home owned and operated by the same company. In both instances the company failed to perform a criminal background check on the employee.

Missouri & Kansas Super Lawyers 2007

Lawyers with Dollar, Burns & Becker selected for inclusion in Super Lawyers 2007 based on the law firm's national reputation as a leading authority on truck accident cases. The firm has successfully represented trucking accident victims in jurisdictions throughout the country.

Tim Dollar Tapped by Prosecutor to Handle "Precious Doe" Case.

Attorney Tim Dollar has agreed to handle two high profile murder cases for the Jackson County Prosecutors Office. The cases involve the death of a three year old girl known across the country as Precious Doe. For the past twenty years, Tim Dollar has devoted a portion of his time in the courtroom to the prosecution of dangerous criminal offenders in Jackson County, Missouri.

Crash Sparks Crusade to get Truckers to Rest, Rick Montgomery, The Kansas City Star, November 12, 1993

Attorney Jeff Burns talks about the case that started his personal crusade to reform the trucking industry and take tired truckers off of our nation’s roadways. In 1993, Mr. Burns represented the family of a mother and her two children who were killed when a tractor-trailer smashed into the rear of their parked car on Interstate 70. The case resulted in a 4 million dollar recovery and required the trucking company involved to create a training program to warn drivers about fatigue.

Highway Tragedies Prompt campaign to Alter Trucking Law, Rick Montgomery, The Kansas City Star, March 13, 1995

Attorney Jeff Burns continues to speak out nationally as part of the movement to get tired truckers off the road. Burns dedicated 2000 hours of his time researching and speaking out on trucker fatigue. A safety summit called by the U.S. Transportation Secretary was attended by federal regulators, trucking representatives, safety experts, and activists.

Attacking the Tired Trucker Problem, Kenneth C. Jones, Missouri Lawyer’s Weekly, December 24, 2001

Attorney Jeff Burns discusses his dedication to the handling tired trucker cases, as well as his involvement sitting on the boards of Citizens for Reliable and Safe Highways (C.R.A.S.H.) and Parents Against Tired Truckers (P.A.T.T.).

18-Year Old Killed in Truck Accident, Missouri Lawyer’s Weekly, October 27, 2003

Man Killed By Tractor Trailer Truck, Missouri Lawyer’s Weekly, July 23, 2001

Trucker Severely Burned in Head-on Crash, Missouri Lawyer’s Weekly, December 6, 1999

Siblings Killed in Construction Zone Accident, Missouri Lawyer’s Weekly. September 13, 2004

Rear-Ended Motorist Recovers $3.375 Million, Missouri Lawyer’s Weekly, August 8, 2005

Tracking the Tractor Trailers, Missouri Lawyer’s Weekly, August 8, 2005

Fatal Semitrailer Collision Case with “Clear Liability” Settles, Missouri Lawyer’s Weekly, April 2, 2007

Capacity Crunch - Too Much Freight, Too Few Trucks, Patricia Smith, Roadstar, February, 2005

Surviving the Good Times: Too Much Freight, Too Few Trucks, Patricia Smith, Newport’s Heavy Duty Trucking, December 30, 2004

Appeals Court Again Rejects Bush Rules to Increase Work Hours For Tired Truckers, Press release from Public Citizen; Tuesday, July 24, 2007

Court rejects HOS restart, additional hour of driving, Commercial Carrier Journal; Tuesday, July 24, 2007

Court sets aside trucker driving regulation, Reuters News Service; Tuesday, July 24, 2007