Chicago Truck Accident Lawyers

We share the roads in Illinois with a significant number of semi tractor-trailers. However, if a semi driver causes an accident by driving tired or speeding, we don’t share in the consequences. While truck drivers typically walk away from crashes, the people in the other vehicle are often killed or suffer devastating injuries.

At Healy Scanlon Veugeler Gannon in Chicago, our attorneys are known for holding truck drivers and their employers accountable when their negligence injures innocent people. We have obtained many multimillion-dollar recoveries for truck accident victims.

Attorneys at Healy Scanlon  Veugeler Gannon have frequently been called on to educate other personal injury attorneys about truck accident litigation.  Martin Healy, Jr.  was a member of the Board of Directors of AAJ’s Interstate Trucking Group.  In addition to frequently speaking to groups about interstate trucking accidents, Martin Healy founded and chaired the AAJ Truck Underride Litigation Group.  With John Scanlon he authored the AAJ Trial article “Silent Killer on the Highways” concerning truck underride.

In addition to being called on by other plaintiff’s lawyers to discuss truck accidents, John Scanlon, has also been invited by defense and insurance groups to discuss truck collisions from the victim’s perspective.

Our Truck Accident Attorneys in Chicago have handled cases against some of the largest and well-known trucking companies in the world including Dart Transit, Dean Foods, US Express, JMS Trucking, IDOT, Mercer Transportation, Pepsi/Global Transport, Strick Trucking, Eagle Express, Stoughton, Van Leer Trucking and CH Robinson World Wide, the world’s largest freight broker.

Here are a few examples:

$23.7 million for victims of a truck accident in Plainfield that caused the death of two people and severely injured another. The jury verdict was the largest ever in Will County

$20.2 million for an intersection accident with at truck that caused the death of three teenagers in Indiana

$9.3 million for the family of a man who was killed at a Chicago construction site in an accident involving a semi dump truck

$25.1 million for an intersection collision with a truck in Schaumburg that caused a man to become a paraplegic

$3 million for the death of a male senior during a whiteout snowstorm involving 36 trucks and cars

$7.5 million for an iron worker killed in semi/bus accident on the Chicago Skyway

Truck Accident Statistics in Illinois

With Chicago as one of the major commercial transportation hubs and destinations in the United States, it is not surprising to learn Illinois ranks high in the number of accidents involving commercial trucks. In 2014, which is the latest year for which statistics were released, the Illinois Department of Transportation made public a report that listed the following statistics.

Semi-trailer trucks were responsible for more than 11,000 accidents, which accounted for more than 10% of all fatal vehicle crashes. Ninety-five people lost their lives because of truck accidents, leaving 1,902 motorists and pedestrians injured. The Illinois truck accident statistics released in 2014 confirmed a trend that should make the owners of other types of vehicles think twice about passing a big rig or even saddling up to the side of an 18-wheeler.

Primary Causes of Truck Accidents

The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) has reviewed more than 120,000 accidents involving at least one truck, and the federal agency has come up with one compelling statistic.

Driver negligence causes about 87% of all truck accidents. What are some of the reasons causing truck driver negligence?

Infographic - Truck Accident

 

The FMCSA discovered 10% of truck crashes involved some vehicle defect and the remaining three percent of truck accidents were directly related to poor road conditions.

Another reason plays a role in truck accidents that occur in greater Chicagoland. Six federally sanctioned interstates cross through the heart of The Windy City. Whether you commute every day on the Kennedy Expressway or leave for a weekend in the country by taking Interstate 55, chances are you will encounter numerous commercial trucks on the road.

Types of Truck Accidents

According to the FMCSA, four types of truck accidents encompass more than half of all crashes involving a semi and at least one other vehicle.

Rollovers

Several different scenarios can cause rollover accidents. Rollovers can happen because a truck driver tries to avoid contact with another vehicle or hit another car and then the truck ends up on its side or worse, rolling over more than one time. Driving too fast for the conditions and not applying enough brake pressure on steep inclines cause most truck rollover accidents.

Jackknifes

When truck’s axle brakes suddenly lock, the trailer can skid for dozens of yards, depending on the speed of the vehicle. During the time a truck jackknifes, the driver loses complete control of the truck, and typically a rollover unfolds.

Underride

As one of the most dangerous types of truck accidents, an underride appears similar to a rear-end collision. However, an underride collision involves a smaller vehicle typically a passenger vehicle with a lower vehicle front and hitting the back of a truck and sliding underneath the rear of the truck.  The reason for the dangerous nature of an underride is the possibility of the driver of the smaller vehicle receiving life-threatening head injuries.  See: Silent Killer on the Highway, Martin Healy, Jr. and John Scanlon, Trial, ATLA/AAJ (Article on truck underride).

Martin Healy, Jr. founded and chaired the Truck Underride Litigation Group (ATLA/AAJ).

Rear End

Trucks carry considerable weight, which makes stopping the vehicle difficult to perform over short distances. The most common type of truck accidents can be either the fault of the truck driver or the driver of the other vehicle for not maintaining the proper distance for applying the brakes. Trucks weighing 80,000 pounds and moving at 60 miles per hour need approximately 426 feet to stop.

Other causes of truck crashes:

  • Road construction
  • Bad braking technique
  • Brake failure
  • Blind spots
  • Work zone accidents
  • Wide turns
Serious Injuries Caused by Truck Accidents

Weighing several tons and applying incredible force at high speeds, semi-tractor trailers and even the smaller trucks driven by delivery companies can cause significant injuries. Many of the following injuries require months, if not years of physical therapy to overcome.

  • Brain injuries
  • Spinal fractures
  • Disc herniation’s
  • Extremity fractures
  • Serious soft tissue injuries

 

If you suffer from one or more injuries caused by a truck accident, you should work with a highly rated team of personal injury lawyers to ensure you receive the monetary damages you deserve for long term physical and emotional harm. A majority of truck accidents in Illinois take place on the roads and highways covering the Chicago metro area. The personal injury lawyers at our firm have amassed years of experience representing clients that have undergone the ordeal of a life-changing truck crash.

Proving Negligence is the Key

As legal experts that often prosecute truck accidents causing personal injuries and fatalities, our team of attorneys understands how to get to the bottom of a personal injury case. We thoroughly investigate every truck crash accident we are involved with to determine liability. Our strategy typically involves establishing whether a truck driver violated one or more state and federal regulations.

Here are some of the tools we use to ensure trucking companies have followed state and federal regulations:

  • Review time log books
  • Determine the level of truck maintenance
  • Drug and alcohol tests
  • Confirm adequate insurance coverage
  • Examine truck safety markings
  • Weight restriction compliance
  • Adherence with loading procedures
  • Fulfilled safety inspection requirements

Hire a Highly Rated Personal Injury Lawyer

Many of our clients feel acute anxiety after dealing with truck accidents. However, you cannot afford to wait for the stress to diminish. You should contact one of the accomplished personal injury lawyers at our law firm to seek swift justice for the negligence that caused the truck crash.

Call our office today to schedule a free initial consultation.

Schedule A Consultation If You Or A Loved One Is Injured

There is never a charge to discuss your case with one of our Illinois trucking injury attorneys. Evening and weekend consultations are available. The initial consultation is free. To speak with our truck accident attorneys, call 312-977-0100 or send us an e-mail.