Speeding Truck Accident Lawyer

Name: Truck Accident Guidebook: A Guide for Victims Injured in Commercial Vehicle Accidents
Author: Jonathan Rosenfeld

The trucking industry regulations mandate a reasonable speed, according to the posted speed limit, to avoid the likelihood of causing a commercial truck accident.

Unfortunately, the trucking company will often place significant time constraints, pressurizing truckers to ensure that the cargo arrives on time, even if it requires breaking a few rules and driving longer than allowed daily.

Did you sustain serious injuries in a Chicago trucking accident, or did you lose a loved one through a wrongful death caused by another's negligence? At Rosenfeld Injury Lawyers, LLC, our personal injury attorneys represent truck accident victims in truck accident claims to ensure they and their families recover compensation for loss and damages.

Call a knowledgeable truck accident lawyer from our office in Chicago, Illinois, at (888) 424-5757 (toll-free phone number) or use the contact form to schedule a free consultation today.

All confidential or sensitive information you share with our legal team remains private through an attorney-client relationship.

The Speed Where Most Truck Accidents Happen

According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), about 70% of all fatal accidents involving large commercial trucks and passenger cars occur at speeds of 40 mph or less. In addition, these accidents tend to occur more often in urban areas than in rural environments.

Approximately half (47%) of all trucking accident-related deaths involving large trucks occur in rural areas at speeds between 45 and 50 mph. Many of these accidents were avoidable if the speeding truck driver kept to the speed limit in bad driving conditions and hazardous roads.

Many fatal crashes occur because a truck driver speeding on the road failed to slow down while negotiating a corner or driving on hilly roads. In addition, truck drivers often travel faster than the posted speed limit on long roads with no traffic lights and stop signs to deliver their loads quicker.

Statistics often show that the drivers were speeding and crossing the opposite

traffic lane or merging onto the highway before checking if the roads were clear.

Truck Accidents and Alcohol

Many truck drivers are under a lot of pressure from the trucking company to complete their deliveries on time. As a result, some truck drivers will consume alcoholic beverages to help them relax or feel less nervous about getting behind the wheel.

Most trucking companies have a zero-tolerance policy towards alcohol, yet some drivers continue to drink and drive anyway. However, drunk driving can be dangerous and cause a major traffic accident with passenger cars or other road users. It increases the chances of a severe accident leading to debilitating injury or death.

While many state laws require a trucking company to install an ignition interlock device in each of their commercial trucks, many drunk drivers find ways around this law. These devices require drivers to blow into them to start the truck. In addition, the device will prevent the vehicle from starting if the driver has a blood alcohol content (BAC) greater than 0.02%.

Call our speeding truck accident lawyers for more information about personal injury and wrongful death claims related to truck accidents.

Factors To Consider in Collisions Involving Speeding Trucks

Driving recklessly at high speeds is the leading cause of a commercial vehicle accident. However, other serious factors can result in a speeding truck crash.

The common causes of big rig crashes include:

Truck driver fatigue
Text messaging
Phone calls
Road conditions
Jackknife swerves
Rollovers
Lack of truck maintenance by the trucking company
Lane drifting
Driving under the influence of alcoholic beverages, prescription medications, or illicit drugs
Load shifting
Improperly loaded motor vehicles
Wide-angle turns or curves

Calculating Economic & Non-Economic Losses Related to Injuries

A commercial vehicle's size and weight in a collision can result in serious injuries to other motorists and passengers. As a result, it often requires the skills of an experienced speeding truck accident lawyer specializing in injury cases to accurately calculate the victim's losses.

A knowledgeable truck accident lawyer working on your behalf will hire medical experts to diagnose the extent of the serious injury you suffered in your car accident, and may include broken bones, traumatic brain injury, or spinal cord damage.

Economic damages are compensation for monetary losses due to your accident. It can include medical bills, lost wages, future income, property damage, loss of earning capacity, vocational rehabilitation, household services, and out-of-pocket costs.

Non-economic damages may include pain, emotional distress, loss of enjoyment of activities, or worsening of prior injuries.

Compensation Claimed for Expenses

In addition, the lawyer's efforts will ensure that you receive enough compensation in your truck accident case to cover various expenses, including:

Current medical bills and emergency services
Future medical bills and hospital costs
Funding for any future physical therapy, rehabilitation, and additional surgeries
Lost wages due to missed work after the accident
The lost potential of wage earnings in the future due to injury
Property damage caused by a negligent truck driver of a commercial vehicle
Severe & permanent injuries, including brain trauma, spinal cord injury, head or neck injuries
Mental anguish
Pain & suffering
Funeral and burial costs for the wrongful death of a close relative in an accident with a speeding truck

If you sustained serious injury, an experienced lawyer from our law office can help you recover compensation.

Holding a Speeding Truck Driver Responsible for A Truck Wreck

Even if the truck driver is at fault, other responsible parties might be involved. For example, the trucking company may be held accountable, if the victim's attorney can prove that the truck driver was inadequately trained or that the truck was not properly maintained.

Also, a defective component might result in a truck accident. For example, the crash might be from a defective tire, bad brakes, or another truck component that caused the driver to lose control.

An experienced speeding truck accident lawyer will determine all responsible parties to ensure that every individual and business entity at fault is held accountable for their actions or inactions.

A Truck Accident Lawyer Holding Speeding Truck Drivers Accountable

You'll need to protect the recovery of your damages and losses, including medical expenses, from the moment the large truck collides with your vehicle. An experienced personal injury lawyer can -

Investigate what happened at the truck accident scene
Get witness statements
Obtain copies of the police reports
Communicate with the other parties
Negotiate with the insurance company
Safeguard your right to sue the insurance company for financial compensation in an Illinois court

Most truck accident cases and trials take time and money. Our law firm provides our clients with the resources needed to resolve the case. Our Chicago speeding truck accident lawyers work on contingency so that you or your loved one can focus on recovery. You will only have to pay us if we win the case.

Speak to our law firm and hear how we can assist you in dealing with the trucking company, their insurer, and filing an accident claim.

Speeding Truck Wreck Injury FAQs

Our law office understands many families have unanswered questions and have reservations about talking directly to the insurance company for compensation in a truck crash. However, a speeding truck accident lawyer has answered some of those questions below.

Contact our law office at (888) 424-5757 (toll-free phone number) for additional information.

What Percentage of Accidents Are Caused By Tractor Trailer Trucks?

Statistics from the Illinois Department of Transportation reveal approximately 20% of all vehicle accidents involve large commercial vehicles.

Information released by the American Trucking Association reveals that passenger vehicle drivers are responsible for most collisions with commercial trucks.

At What Speed Do Most Accidents Happen?

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration states that about seven out of every ten fatal car and truck crashes happen on roads with recommended speed limits of up to 40 mph in urban environments.

About 47% of all crashes with preventable deaths occur on streets with recommended speed limits of 45 mph to 50 mph in rural settings.

Why Does Speed Increase Your Chances Of A Crash?

The faster you travel, the longer it takes to come to a complete stop after reacting to a danger on the road. Therefore, traveling faster creates less time to respond to any roadway hazard or risk.

A speeding motorist on any roadway is likelier to collide with other vehicles or be involved in a single-vehicle truck wreck. Even at excessive speed, truck crashes involving only a single vehicle lead to catastrophic harm, including traumatic brain injuries, spinal cord damage, permanent disabilities, emotional and physical suffering.

Do Fast or Slow Drivers Cause More Accidents?

Speeding cars and trucks tend to cause more accidents than slow-moving ones. Many states, including Illinois, have the recommended minimum speed limits to ensure that the pace of traffic moves fast enough to avoid fast-approaching cars that do not have enough time to stop crashing into a slow-moving vehicle.

Truck companies started to use speed limiters decades ago after several speeding accidents and countless fatalities attributed to other semi-truck drivers who tended to drive too fast. Unfortunately, semi-truckers often remove the speed limiter to enable speeding with catastrophic consequences.

Why Do Truck Drivers Drive So Fast?

Many truckers feel pressure to meet long-haul deadlines, even if that means driving fast or taking dangerous shortcuts.

In addition, many truckers are not familiar with the terrain on which they are driving. As a result, some truckers, to save time, drive fast to get back onto an interstate highway or freeway that is long-distance but less dangerous than taking a slower back road.

Talk to A Truck Accident Attorney Today

Hiring a speeding truck accident lawyer to handle an injury claim or lawsuit in a speeding truck accident is crucial to its successful resolution. Rosenfeld Injury Lawyers, LLC offers every potential client a free case evaluation to discuss your legal options.

A personal injury attorney from our law office can offer legal counsel regarding a personal injury claim and how to recover compensation. Contact us today at (888) 424-5757 (toll-free phone number) or use the contact form for real-time assistance.

Our law firm accepts all personal injury cases and wrongful death lawsuits through contingency fee agreements.

Our Illinois truck accident attorneys are ready to move quickly to investigate your case.

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