Category: truck accident

You know that the crash that just occurred on the Eisenhower Expressway, the Edens Expressway, or another Chicago road was bad. The truck that hit you was big, and the force was significant. The wreckage is substantial, and you are left stunned and scared. You hit your head, but you do not yet know how badly you are hurt.

Not All Brain Injuries Are the Same

Several different types of brain injuries can occur after a serious accident. The specific type of brain injury depends on the force of the impact. Following are four of the most common:

• Concussion. A concussion, which can occur as a result of a blow to the head, violent shaking, or force from a whiplash injury, is the most common type of brain injury. It may result in lifelong injuries if it is not properly treated.
• Contusion. A contusion is bleeding on the brain caused by a direct blow to the head. Some contusions have to be surgically removed.
• Diffuse Axonal. The rotational force of a car accident can cause the skull to move while the brain stays in place. The result may be a tearing in the brain that causes significant brain damage, a coma, or death.
• Penetration Injury. As the name suggests, a penetration injury occurs when an object goes through the skull and into the brain. The damage that is done, and whether an individual survives, depends on what part of the brain is damaged.

No matter which diagnosis you receive, it is important to know that your treatment and your recovery will be unique.

You Deserve to Be Fairly Compensated

If a trucker or trucking company caused your injury, it is important to understand how to make a fair recovery. Please start an online chat with us now for more information.

You have no doubt about what happened. You know who caused your recent truck accident on I-94, I-290, or another Chicago-area road, and you know it was the truck accident that caused your spinal cord injury. You might expect that the trucker, the trucking company, and the insurance company also know the truth. However, unless you fight for your fair and just recovery, you should not expect to make such a recovery.

How a Lawyer Can Help

A spinal cord injury can change your life forever. Currently there is no cure for this type of injury, and the impact on your life may be permanent. Yet, that is not a reason to give up on recovering fair damages. An attorney can help you recovery money for the following:

• Medical and rehabilitation expenses. Surgeries, medications, specialized medical equipment, physical therapy, and occupational therapy may be just some of the medical expenses you incur now and will continue to incur in the future.
• Out-of-pocket costs. You may need help with transportation, childcare, and maintaining your home.
• Lost income. You may not be able to work or earn the same income that you did prior to your spinal cord injury.

You only have one chance to make a recovery, and your time to do so is limited. Once the statute of limitations expires, you will no longer have the right to bring a lawsuit or to recover damages.

You Have a Decision to Make

And you deserve to be fully informed of your choices before you make those decisions. To find out more about your legal rights, possible recovery, and how a lawyer may help you after a truck wreck, please fill out our online contact form today or call us directly to schedule a free consultation.

July 21, 2014, was a deadly afternoon on I-55—two fatal truck accidents occurred within three miles and 16 minutes. The first accident occurred south of Arsenal Road, killing four people. A few minutes later, another accident occurred three miles north of the first one, killing another person.

What Caused These Fatal Accidents?

While the cause of both accidents remains under investigation, initial accident reports drive home the point that truck driver negligence is often the underlying cause of fatal truck accidents—even though the circumstances of the accidents can vary greatly. For example, the trucker involved in the first accident was charged with felony log book violations. It is alleged that he willingly entered false information in a false log book. The trucker reportedly made an abrupt lane change and hit a car that was stopped in traffic. And while the second accident did not immediately result in any criminal charges, one semi-truck rear-ended another semi, killing one of the truckers.

Why Is the Cause Important?

We know that the effect of these accidents is important. We know that people lost their lives unnecessarily and that their families are devastated. However, the cause of these fatal truck crashes is also important. In order for the grieving families to recover, they need to know what caused the crash that killed their loved ones.

If you have questions about the cause of a truck accident that hurt you, or killed your loved one, please start an online chat with us now to find out more about your rights and your possible recovery.

It is hard to find any good that comes from a horrific truck crash. Someone is suffering—whether the accident involves a celebrity on the New Jersey Turnpike or your loved one on the Chicago Skyway. Someone is in pain or has been killed because a truck driver was too tried to drive safely.

There May be a Way to Prevent Drowsy Driving Truck Accidents

The technology exists to equip each tractor-trailer with an onboard electronic logging device. This device, which would be similar to the black box found on an airplane, would record the hours driven. Those who support this use of technology argue that it would make trucking companies keep accurate logs and encourage compliance with federal hours-of-service regulations.

The U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) supports onboard electronic logging devices for large trucks. However, there are no regulations in place that require the use of these instruments.

Perhaps, serious truck crashes that gain national attention such as the one that hurt Tracy Morgan on the New Jersey Turnpike last month can help raise awareness and rally those interested in improving truck safety throughout the country.

Have you been hurt, or have you lost a loved one, on I-90, I-94, or another Chicago-area road? What have you done to help prevent future crashes? Please leave a comment in the space below and let others know how they can get involved in the fight to keep our roads safe and please contact your Illinois Representatives and Senators to let them know of your concerns.

Who Is at Fault if a Truck Overturns on a Chicago Highway?

On June 9, 2014, a tanker truck overturned on the New Jersey Turnpike leaving one person dead and several other people injured. The cause of the wreck was under investigation in the days immediately following the crash. While the cause was unknown, a few things are clear:

• Investigators will work hard to determine the true cause of the overturned truck accident.
• One person’s life was cut short and that person’s family was left grieving.
• Other people were hurt in the crash.

Overturned Truck Wrecks Happen for Different Reasons

We won’t speculate on the cause of the June 9 tanker truck crash on the New Jersey Turnpike. However, when a client comes to us after being hurt or losing a loved one in an overturned truck wreck on I-88, I-90, I-94, or another road, we work hard to find out what caused the crash. We may investigate, for example, whether:

• A mechanical problem caused the accident.
• The driver made a mistake such as speeding or braking too quickly.
• The truck was improperly loaded.
• Other factors led to the accident.

You can be confident that we will find out the cause of the crash.

You Can Be Confident That We Will Fight for Justice

We work hard to get truck accident victims the recoveries they deserve whether it was the trucker, trucking company, mechanic, or manufacturer who caused the crash. For more information about the investigation of your own accident, please fill out our online contact form or contact us directly to schedule a free initial consultation.

Video Monitors Could Help Reduce Truck Accident Fatalities

As a commuter from Naperville, a Chicago resident who regularly navigates the Loop, or a visitor arriving at O’Hare and traveling to the city on the Kennedy Expressway, you may be all too aware of the dangers posed by large trucks on the crowded streets of Chicago.

What if there was a way to save more than 800 lives a year, prevent 39,000 injuries, and eliminate about 35 percent of truck crashes caused by truckers?

What if There Was a Way to Keep Us All Safer?

New research from the Virginia Tech Transportation Institute found that installing video monitors on large trucks and buses could help significantly reduce the number of accidents caused by truckers. The idea is that the video monitor would capture the behavior of the trucker. If the trucker’s behavior was seen as risky by the safety managers who analyzed it, the trucker would receive training or coaching, as needed, to help change the behavior. It is estimated that the video monitors would cost $50-$75 per month per vehicle.

Not Everyone Agrees With This Idea

A representative of the Owner-Operator Independent Drivers Association does not believe that video monitors would make much of a difference. He allegedly argues that the monitors do not capture all of the relevant information and that safety training should occur before a driver goes out on the road.

Have you, or someone you loved, been hurt in a Chicago-area truck crash? Do you support the idea of video monitors? We’d love to hear your thoughts. Please leave a comment on this blog and let us know what you think.