Information on Truck Accidents in Lake County, IL Area
Every year across the United States hundreds of thousands of truck related accidents occur, causing injury and death. If you or a loved one has been involved in a truck related accident that resulted in injury or death, then you know only too well that it is a difficult and overwhelming experience. Help relieve some of the stress of this painful time by putting your legal concerns in the knowledgeable and caring hands of a Illinois truck accident lawyer from our firm. We are experienced in areas of trucking accident law.
Causes of Trucking Accidents
After an accident has occurred, one of the most important things that will need to be determined by an injured victim filing a claim is the cause of the accident. Finding the responsible party upon whom the liability for restitution to the victim will rest, will be difficult to do until the cause is determined.
Delivery Truck Accidents
Accidents involving delivery trucks occur far too often. As the need for delivery trucks has risen, the incidents of delivery truck related accidents have also risen. If you have suffered an injury due to a delivery truck accident, finding the cause and knowing who to hold responsible may be difficult.
Driver Disqualification
In Illinois a commercial truck driver must have a clean driving record in order to receive and maintain a commercial truck driver’s license. If it has been determined that a driver has excessive moving violations or if there is a DUI on the driver’s record, his/her commercial driver’s license can be disqualified and suspended or permanently taken away.
Drunk Driving Truck Accidents
There are many different causes of trucking accidents in cases of driver negligence. One of the causes is driving under the influence of alcohol or controlled substance. If you or a loved one has suffered injuries due to a truck related accident in which the driver was operating the truck at the time of the accident under the influence, you do have rights.
Employer Negligence
When a trucking company fails to comply with all of the regulations governing commercial trucking by not properly hiring, training and supervising their drivers, properly maintaining their trucks or by demanding too many hours in a workday they can be held liable in the event of an accident.
Highway Accidents
Illinois has thousands of miles of freeways that truck drivers must travel in their day to day work. Due to the high speeds that are maintained on a freeway, when a truck related accident occurs, the victims can be seriously injured or even killed.
Hours-of-Service Regulations
The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) maintains strict regulations governing the hours-of-service that a commercial truck driver may be working before time off and sleep is required. If the driver or the employer fails to adhere to these regulations and an accident occurs, they can be held liable due to their violation of the FMCSA regulations.
Jackknife Accidents
When a jackknife accident occurs, innocent people, including the truck driver can be seriously injured. Slick roads and sudden swerving or braking can cause the trailer to swing out to the side and toward the cab thus causing a jackknife accident and potential injury for everyone involved.
Truck Accident Injuries
Every day on our Illinois streets and highways commercial truck drivers are working to deliver products. Long hours, driver error, insufficiently maintained equipment and poor driving conditions are just some of the problems that are leading to truck related accidents. Due to the size and weight of a commercial truck, a victim is more likely to come away with serious injuries when compared to a car related accident.
Truck Accident Investigations
If you have been involved in a commercial truck related accident, finding the cause and determining the responsible party can be a difficult task. A thorough investigation into all of the details surrounding the incident is necessary in order to file a claim in an attempt to recover damages for any injuries you may have sustained.
Truck Inspections and Highway Safety
Hundreds of people are killed and thousands more injured every year in Illinois truck related accidents. For this reason the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) has strict regulations in place regarding truck inspections and highway safety. Truck drivers and their employers must adhere to these regulations or face responsibility for any accident involving their truck.
Truck Rollovers
When a large commercial truck is involved in a rollover, any vehicles immediately near it can receive serious damage. The size and weight of these large commercial trucks impose a great risk to its immediate surroundings in the event of a rollover because the out-of-control vehicle can destroy anything in its path. Not slowing down soon enough for a freeway exit, improperly balanced cargo, tired driver and other problems can be contributing factors to a truck rollover.
Trucking Regulations
The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) is in charge of overseeing that all regulations governing commercial trucking are adhered to. When it has been determined that a truck related accident resulting in injuries has occurred because of a violation of one of the regulations set forth by the (FMCSA), the driver and/or trucking company may be held liable to compensate any victims for their injuries.
Underride Accidents
An underride accident occurs when a car or smaller truck goes under a large semi-truck or trailer. These types of accidents are almost always fatal as the top portion of the smaller vehicle is in many cases completely crushed or torn off. Poor visibility conditions or the inability of the truck driver to see the smaller vehicle because of the size differential are common causes.
Wrongful Death
Truck accidents can lead to the death of the passengers of the other vehicles or nearby pedestrians. If someone you know has been killed due to a commercial truck related accident a wrongful death claim may be Due to the size and weight of large commercial trucks accidents involving the vehicles in many cases may filed.
Contact an experienced lawyer
Our office offers free consultations. Evening and week-end appointments available. Home and hospital visits available upon request.
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