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Elgin Truck Accident Lawyer
Truck accidents are some of the most dangerous collisions because they involve large vehicles that weigh thousands of pounds and travel at high speeds. The results can be catastrophic for those involved, including serious injury or wrongful death.
At Rosenfeld Injury Lawyers, LLC, our personal injury attorneys represent victims of truck accidents. Our Elgin, IL lawyers also represent surviving family members who lost a loved one in a semi-tractor-trailer collision.
Contact our truck accident lawyers at (888) 424-5757 (toll-free phone number) or use the contact form to schedule a free consultation. Let our Elgin, IL law firm review your case's merits, provide legal advice, and share all the opportunities you have to obtain financial compensation for your damages.
Elgin, Illinois
Elgin, between Rockford and Chicago, Illinois, along I-90, draws dense trucking traffic throughout the city. Chicago is a major transportation hub, and the entire state is influenced by the extreme volume of semi-tractors that traverse Illinois' major roads.
With an increased volume of semis on the highways comes the added risk that other motorists will be involved in accidents due to the negligent actions of reckless or fatigued drivers. The accident injury attorneys of Rosenfeld Injury Lawyers, LLC are dedicated to representing the rights of those who have been seriously injured or killed in truck crashes.
How Truck Companies Cause Accidents
The trucking industry is currently in a crisis as most truck drivers are near retirement age, and it is becoming more difficult to recruit replacements. As a result, more drivers are overworked than ever to meet the ongoing demand for transport despite the dwindling workforce available to ensure that deadlines are met.
Truck drivers are continually encouraged to falsify their logs, skip routine mechanical inspections, and forgo required maintenance to stay on schedule. Unfortunately, these actions are the ultimate cause of the increase in fatal truck crashes throughout Illinois.
Some of the following factors also influence the decisions of drivers and motivate them to act irresponsibly:
- Being paid by the mile rather than the hour: Parking and waiting at a warehouse or sitting in traffic can frustrate drivers who know that the law limits the amount of time they may work inside each day and week. As a result, if they find themselves delayed at a warehouse or behind schedule due to congestion on the road, they are tempted to subvert the rules by falsifying logs, and some companies will even promote and encourage this illegal behavior.
- Strict deadlines: Whenever drivers are threatened with penalties for failing to reach their destinations on time, they will avoid necessary safety precautions such as regular maintenance and inspections to compensate for the lost time.
- The driver might work long hours to make up time and fall asleep behind the wheel. Additionally, overworked drivers tend to cause accidents by distracted driving through cell phone use, violating safety standards required to maintain a safe environment.
- Failure to require routine maintenance: It is the responsibility of both the driver and their employer to make sure that trucks are safe to operate. Unfortunately, the trucking company could cut corners to reduce its bottom line at the risk of potentially fatal accidents.
There are many reasons why truck accidents happen. Whether it's a driver who is distracted or speeding or an unexpected event like an animal darting into the road, many factors can lead to a car/truck crash.
One way to avoid being involved in a truck/auto accident is by making sure you're driving defensively and always checking your blind spots for big trucks before changing lanes.
Truck Drivers Make Wide Turns
Check for semi-tractor trailers turning to ensure you don't accidentally cut them off. Getting in their way could cause them to lose control of their vehicle and potentially lead to a car/truck crash involving you or other drivers.
Truck drivers often take longer to brake and accelerate than other smaller vehicles, so keeping a little more distance between you and them is best.
Be Aware of Garbage Truck Drivers
Be particularly wary of garbage trucks, as they make frequent sudden turns without signaling or slowing down. Stay clear of these large commercial vehicles when they turn, as it is difficult to see around them, and you could accidentally get cut off.
Look out for any trucks that might be backing up on the road, especially when you are in a parking lot or neighborhood street. These large vehicles can take some time to slow down and stop while going backward, so they need a wide berth.
Tips on Recovering from a Truck Accident Injury
The steps that any truck accident victim takes after experiencing mild to catastrophic injuries could save their lives. Potential injuries occurring in truck collisions include:
- Traumatic brain injuries
- Spinal cord damage
- Internal organ damage
- Fractures and broken bones
- Cuts, lacerations, and bruises
- Burns from fuel spillage
- Puncture wounds and other accident injuries
In addition to these traumatic injuries, those involved in a truck accident may also sustain other damages such as:
- Loss of income
- Decreased quality of life after an injury
- Psychological effects from experiencing a serious event
- Medical negligence resulting in additional injuries or fatalities because necessary care wasn't provided immediately after the accident
- Loss of consortium for partners who are left to care for children or elderly family members after the other parent is incapacitated
Serious injuries, especially those listed above, can cause victims to undergo months or years of physical therapy and rehabilitation. It takes a lot of time and effort to get back to living a normal life again.
If you are injured in an accident, you must seek medical attention immediately. If necessary, go to the emergency room or visit your doctor as soon as possible. Do not wait until later when your injuries have worsened and become even more painful or difficult to treat.
Next, contact our law firm at (888) 424-5757 to handle your case. As a legal professional, a competent Elgin truck accident attorney will work directly with the trucking company, truck driver, and insurance company to ensure maximum compensation.
Truck Driver Accident Statistics
According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), millions of truck drivers drive for more than ten hours a day and up to 100 miles beyond what the average driver travels; this equates to 1 billion more potential serious accidents caused by driving hours.
More than three million people are injured yearly in truck accidents involving semi-tractor-trailers or other large commercial vehicles. In addition, semi-tractor-trailer accidents accounted for nearly 500,000 injuries and more than 3,400 fatalities in 2020.
Data from the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) reveals that more cargo is lost to truck accidents yearly than any other form of transportation, including air and water carriers.
Millions of Trucks on America Roads
There are more than five million commercial trucks in America today, yet they represent only 0.5 percent of all vehicles registered in the US.
More than 90 percent of all fatal truck accidents involve either a passenger car, SUV, or a motorcycle colliding with a commercial truck, including a garbage truck.
Moreover, these sobering statistics about the frequency of large-truck collisions showed an average of more than 200 deaths each month from 2016-2020 due to tractor-trailers and other large commercial vehicles.
Filing Truck Accident Claims for Damages Against Truck Drivers and Trucking Companies
After surviving a truck accident, you will likely want to file a personal injury claim for damages against the negligent driver who caused the serious accident. Criminal charges might be filed, depending on the severity of the other driver's conduct.
Additionally, you or your attorney might also file a claim against the trucking company who hired the trucker due to its lack of supervision or training of the driver.
Filing a claim for damages against trucking companies, truckers, or other parties can be extremely difficult, depending on your accident's circumstances.
Who Is at Fault?
For example, suppose you ride in a car when a negligent truck driver hits you. In that case, the trucker might be one of many at-fault parties involved in the collision that led to your significant damage or injuries.
As a result, you may only recognize some of the parties potentially liable for your injuries, as it can be difficult to determine whether you have a cause of action against trucking companies, insurance providers, and others responsible for causing your accident.
Therefore, you must contact an experienced Elgin truck accident lawyer immediately after being injured.
Financial Compensation for Medical Bills and Other Costs
Injuries from a trucking accident can be especially severe, and the at-fault party should be held accountable for their negligent conduct. In addition, it may help cover the costs of medical bills and any other damages that resulted from the accident, such as pain and suffering, loss of wages, or loss of a loved one.
Being involved in a truck accident is likely to cause significant emotional and physical stress. Because of that, it is crucial to seek the assistance of an Elgin truck accident attorney who understands your rights and what needs to be done to protect them.
An Elgin Truck Accident Lawyer Can Help
An experienced personal injury attorney can also help determine exactly how liable each party is for causing the accident, ensuring that you get all the financial recovery you are entitled to receive.
These personal injury attorneys specialize in truck accident cases to ensure that injured victims are compensated for lost wages, medical expenses, rehabilitation bills, lost wages, future lost earnings, pain, and suffering.
Your Elgin truck accident lawyer will work directly with the insurance companies, gather evidence, speak to eyewitnesses, and build the case to hold those who acted negligently financially accountable.
Typical defendants in a trucking company accident case will involve the negligent truck driver, one or more trucking companies, truck accident victims, and another at-fault driver who caused or suffered injuries or death.
Safety Tips to Avoid Truck Accidents
A large truck is any motorized vehicle with a gross weight of at least 10,001 pounds, including garbage trucks, tractor-trailers, 18-wheelers, flatbeds, dump trucks, and other commercial trucks.
Despite how common these vehicles may be on the roads of America, they can also pose a significant risk to other drivers on the road. That is why it's important to safely share the road with these large commercial vehicles.
Here are some safety tips for sharing the road with commercial vehicles:
- Commercial vehicles need more room to brake and accelerate after disrupting traffic. So, give them plenty of space if you notice a commercial truck changing lanes.
- A truck's blind spots are larger than those of smaller vehicles, so you must always pay attention. Never cut off a large truck or move into a driver's blind spot without checking to see if it is safe.
- Be aware that the air brakes on a commercial truck are very loud, giving plenty of time for other vehicles to stop ahead of the semi-truck. However, because commercial vehicles are longer than other cars on the road, always be prepared to stop at intersections.
- Always keep your distance from a large semi-tractor trailer. Semi-trucks have trouble stopping, so maintaining a safe speed will help you avoid potentially deadly crashes with commercial vehicles.
An attorney can help you sort out the details of your accident and determine whose insurance company will pay for your damages, including medical bills. For more information on where to find a personal injury attorney representing those injured due to someone else's carelessness, visit us online today.
Demanding the Compensation You are Entitled to Following an Elgin Truck Accident
Did a negligent truck driver's actions cause harm to you or a loved one?
If so, our Elgin truck accident lawyers are committed to holding the driver and his employer monetarily responsible.
Our law office will work to recover the cost of your medical treatment, out-of-pocket expenses, loss of income, and the pain and suffering you have endured due to your tragic injuries or the loss of a loved one.
Our comprehensive team includes professionals in specific disciplines like accident reconstruction, medicine, social work, economics, and trucking law. For example, an Elgin truck accident lawyer and our team have recovered the highest possible compensation allowed by law for hundreds of Illinois semi-truck accident victims like you.
Hiring an Elgin Truck Accident Injury Lawyer
Have you suffered harm or property damage by someone's negligence? Contact our legal team today to speak with an Elgin truck accident attorney and schedule an initial consultation to gather the information we need to evaluate your case and explore your legal options properly.
Our Elgin personal injury attorneys accept all truck accident cases and wrongful death lawsuits through contingency fee arrangements. This promise ensures we are paid for our services only after we collect financial compensation on your behalf.
Receive a monetary recovery for your accident, brain injury, spinal cord trauma, lacerations, and wrongful death. In addition, our case evaluation of your motor vehicle accident will ensure that all those at fault for the truck accident are held legally and financially accountable.
Wrongful Death Lawsuit
In addition, qualified surviving family members who lost a loved one in a trucking accident can file an avoidable death lawsuit, seeking compensation and justice. Typically, those who qualify include spouses, children, grandchildren, grandparents, and parents.
Contact the Elgin personal injury law firm at (888) 424-5757 (toll-free phone number) or use the contact form to schedule a free case evaluation. All confidential or sensitive information you share with your Elgin truck accident lawyer remains private through an attorney-client relationship.