The semi-truck accident attorneys at Rosenfeld Injury Lawyers, LLC, have a comprehensive understanding of pursuing and resolving freeway commercial truck crash claims involving i-24 truck accidents. Let our legal team at (888) 424-5757 carefully review your evidence and help you file a claim.
Your attorney can help determine if another party’s negligence caused your damages. Discuss your compensation claim with truck accident attorney who will protect your rights and obtain the compensation you might be entitled to receive.
Interstate 24
Interstate 24 (I-24) is a Midwestern multi-state freeway route beginning in Marion, Illinois (I-57), running diagonally from Northwest to Southeast, ending in Chattanooga, Tennessee (I-75). The highway travels through major metropolitan areas, including Nashville and East Ridge, Tennessee.
In 1956, the Interstate Highway System planners proposed a portion of I-24 between Chattanooga and Nashville, Tennessee, with discussions lasting until 1960. Construction began that year.
Over the decades, I-24 was built in segments with recent upgrades, including an HOV lane in Smyrna and Nashville. The Tennessee Department of Transportation announced a sinkhole formation in May 2010 near Pelham in Grundy County.
Freeway junctions shared with I-24 include interstates:
- 24 – Business (Paducah)
- 40 (Knoxville, Memphis, Huntsville)
- 54 (Memphis, Chicago, St. Louis)
- 59 (Birmingham)
- 64 (Memphis, Chicago, St. Louis)
- 65 (Huntsville, Louisville)
- 69 (Calvert City, Elizabethtown, Fulton, Princeton)
- 75 (Atlanta, Knoxville)\124 (Chattanooga)
- 169 (Hopkinsville)
- 440 (Memphis)
Common Large Truck Accident Causes
A commercial truck’s sheer size and weight can cause catastrophic injuries when the trucker fails to obey traffic laws and Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) regulations. Truckers cause horrific accidents through negligence and disregard for safety.
The Illinois DOT released truck accident statistics for 2018, revealing 13,071 accidents involving 2235 injuries and 122 deaths.
Contributing factors leading to catastrophic accidents include:
Adverse weather – Truckers and passenger vehicles traveling through the Midwest and Southeast face adverse weather conditions making driving challenging. During the Fall, Winter, and Spring, drivers must maneuver their vehicles across icy and snowy roads. During the summer months, the area is susceptible to harsh summer storms, lightning, and torrential downpours.
Bad road conditions – Interstate 24 is under nearly constant construction repairs and upgrades, building new bridges and resurfacing asphalt roads. Bad road conditions can lead to catastrophic injuries when fully loaded commercial vehicles crash into passenger cars and pickup trucks.
Maintenance problems – All truckers must obey Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) rules and regulations, including maintaining their vehicle according to safety standards. Any maintenance failure could result in catastrophic damage and death.
Malfunctioning brakes – Truckers operating their vehicle with malfunctioning brakes cannot typically stop in time to avoid collisions.
Faulty tires – Driving a semi-tractor-trailer with eighteen tires that are bald, malfunctioning, or defective could create an unsafe environment for all motorists sharing the road.
Illegal maneuvers and backups – Truckers must have the experience and training to make safe maneuvers when changing lanes, turning corners, or backing up. Any failure could be catastrophic to anyone around.
Distracted driving – All drivers, including professional commercial vehicle drivers, must remain attentive when behind the wheel. Distracted driving often involves talking and texting on a smartphone, drinking or eating, grooming, or adjusting the radio/navigation equipment.
Failing to yield – Traffic rules require all motorists and professional truck drivers to yield the right-of-way to others according to the law and posted signage. Many failing to yield accidents result in catastrophic injuries and wrongful death.
DUI crashes – Driving under the influence of alcohol, prescription medications, and illegal drugs is a crime. Unfortunately, professional truckers are found to be under the influence after causing a horrific crash with severe injuries, extensive property damage, and fatalities.
Filing and resolving a traffic accident compensation claim or civil lawsuit can be challenging. In many incidents, a truck driver employed by a trucking company claims they are independent contractors, muddying the waters in determining all parties responsible for causing the crash.
Trucking companies will hire expensive attorneys to build a case that limits their liability, placing the blame for causing the crash on the victim.
Recently Reported Interstate 24 Traffic Accidents
Horrific accidents involving commercial semis are not random occurrences but occur all too often because of human error and negligence. Many commercial vehicle drivers are under tight deadlines, where they must deliver the goods and products on time dozens or hundreds of miles away.
Truckers are often exhausted, inattentive, distracted, or use prescription medications to stay awake. Some truck drivers fail to obey Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) regulations involving “hours of service” where mandatory breaks and time off are required.
Other accidents are the result of malfunctioning brakes or defective tires. Recent traffic accidents that happen on Interstate 24 reported in the news media online include:
Driver Who Left Road Killed in Head-on Collision
Marion County, Tennessee, January 2021 – The Tennessee Highway Patrol closed I-24 at mile marker 163 responding to a crash involving a vehicle leaving the roadway, crossing into oncoming traffic, and crashing into a tractor-trailer. The late Sunday night crash occurred at approximately 9:30 P.M. and killed the nineteen-year-old Dalton, GA driver.
At the time of the accident, the driver traveled in the westbound lane on I-24 when his vehicle swerved off the road, crashing head-on into a Kenilworth semi-tractor trailer.
Emergency Medical Technicians (EMTs) transported the injured male victim to a local hospital, where he was pronounced dead. According to news reports, all eastbound lanes and the westbound fast lane reopened hours later, after emergency crews cleared wreck debris and the vehicles from the crash scene.
Deputies Capture Livestock Escaping Cattle-Hauling Truck Struck on I-24
Murfreesboro, Tennessee, October 2020 – Rutherford County Sheriff’s office officials responded to a horrific fiery tractor-trailer crash involving livestock on I-24. The crash involved a collision between a passenger vehicle and a cattle-hauling truck near I-840 and the Almasville Road exit at mile marker 72.
Emergency Medical Technicians (EMTs) arrived at the scene as emergency crews closed all eastbound and westbound freeway lanes to corral cattle that escaped the trailer. Law enforcement said a dashcam video showed the wreck and livestock running down the freeway moving through traffic.
According to news sources, the road was reopened later during the afternoon hours. The initial investigation did not report if anyone was injured or killed.
Tennessee Highway Patrol Respond to Crash. Pickup Driver Killed
Pleasant View, Tennessee, November 2020 – Tennessee Highway Patrol responded to a deadly crash near Pleasant View on I-24. The early morning crash occurred around 8:15 A.M., involving a white pickup truck and a semi-tractor-trailer.
According to investigators, the pickup driver struck the back of the semi-tractor-trailer. The thirty-five-year-old pickup driver’s unsuccessful attempt to swerve out of the lane occurred moments before he was killed in the rear-end collision.
All closed lanes were reopened later during the afternoon hours. Traffic was diverted at the prior exit ramp.
Hiring an I-24 Truck Accident Injury Attorney to Resolve Your Accident Compensation Claim
Did you suffer an injury in a freeway commercial truck accident? Contact our personal injury lawyers to schedule a free consultation to discuss your legal rights and options.
Our interstate injury attorneys at Rosenfeld Injury Lawyers LLC can provide advice and counsel to file and resolve a personal injury claim for maximum compensation.
Our truck accident lawyers accept personal injury cases using signed contingency fee agreements. The arrangement ensures you only pay for our services if we obtain compensation on your behalf.
Families who lost a loved one through a preventable death can file a wrongful death lawsuit for all damages, including medical bills, lost earnings, loss of consortium, funeral and burial expenses, pain, and suffering.
All important information you and your loved ones share with our personal injury lawyers is confidential through an attorney-client relationship. Our Chicago truck crash attorneys currently follow CDC (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention) guidelines on Covid-19 social distancing to maintain everyone’s well-being.
Our practice areas include vehicle accidents, construction site injuries, premises liability, medical malpractice, nursing home abuse, product liability, and wrongful death. Our law firm currently represents injured clients throughout Illinois in Cook County, Dupage County, Lake County, Peoria County, Will County, Sangamon County, Winnebago County, Chicago, Joliet, Schaumburg, Waukegan, and Aurora.
