Common Chicago Truck Accidents
Truck accidents in Illinois can occur for a number of different reasons. Among the most common causes of these accidents are commercial drivers operating their truck while impaired due to fatigue, illness, or other reasons, despite federal regulations forbidding this practice. Further, accidents may also be caused by distracted drivers or intersections which impose special actions or procedures for commercial drivers. Regardless of the cause, however, if you have suffered damages due to a truck accident, an experienced truck accident lawyer can assist in filing an injury claim and recovering financial compensation for your injuries.
Causes of Common Chicago Truck Accidents
Some causes of truck accidents that are unique to trucks can relate to the following:
- An unfit driver
- A driver with no proper training or experience to handle the truck or the load
- Poorly supervised drivers
- Poorly inspected vehicles and maintained and allowed to travel on the roadways in unsafe condition
- Improperly loaded cargo or cargo improperly secured in the truck or the flatbed truck
- Violation of various safety rules including minimum amount of hours a driver permitted to drive without rest
- Lastly, misuse of alcohol or drugs
Failure to Yield Accidents
A failure to yield accident often arises when a passenger vehicle merges onto the highway. Because of their size, weight, and the stopping distances, drivers need to watch for trucks. However, trucking and insurance companies often try to blame the car operator for merging onto a highway unsafely. Retain an experienced lawyer to sort through all liability issues.
Dealing with Insurance
In Chicago, many insurance policies include medical pay which provides coverage for the first $5,000 of medical bills. Truck accident cases usually involve serious injuries due to the severity of the impact. Plaintiffs should immediately review their insurance policies to determine if they have medical pay coverage and exercise their rights under their policy. It is important to know that with regards to medical pay, a plaintiff is entitled to that benefit under their insurance policy.
Rear-End Collisions
Another one of the common Chicago truck accidents is a rear-end collision. Rear-end accidents between a car and a truck are unique and often relate to changing lanes. Plaintiffs are sometimes disappointed to learn that they can’t recover for a rear-end accident involving a truck. If the driver of the car changes lanes in front of the truck, doesn’t leave adequate stopping distance, the car driver could have fault.
Evaluating those situations and those defenses can be complex and require the consultation, direction, and advice of an experienced plaintiff’s truck accident lawyer. Routinely, trucking companies and their insurers will take the position that the driver of the automobile wrongfully changed lanes in front of the truck and caused the rear-end car accident. Unless the plaintiff has a skilled lawyer, trucking companies, and their insurance companies, often get away with that defense.
Importance of An Experienced Lawyer
It is important that a plaintiff who has suffered a rear-end or failure to yield accident with a truck contact an attorney immediately after the accident to protect their rights and begin to develop the evidence needed to properly and forcefully present their claim. Failure to retain an attorney immediately after a rear-end accident can forever jeopardize a plaintiff’s rights and preclude them from aggressively pursuing their case and recovering for their injuries and pain and suffering.
Trucking companies are very experienced in how they present their defenses after these common Chicago truck accidents happen; they know how to minimize their liability and the value of the plaintiff’s case. Every victim should retain an attorney immediately to preserve evidence, fight against the insurance companies and their experienced claims adjusters. So, don’t wait, and contact us today! We look forward to working with you.