Illinois Truck Accident Lawyer Blog

A 50 year-old semi truck driver was killed earlier this morning in a collision with a horse trailer – according to a report posted on ChicagoTribune.com. Our Chicago trucking accident attorneys learned that earlier today an empty horse trailer came loose from an SUV on an interstate toll road and collided into a semi tractor-trailer. Although the horse trailer was empty, upon becoming dislodged from the SUV the trailer jumped the roadway’s median and traveled into the eastbound lanes of the roadway. The collision with the semi truck caused the truck’s driver to lose control of his large commercial vehicle and cross into the westbound lanes of the roadway.

The driver of the large commercial vehicle was pronounced dead at the scene of the accident after suffering an apparent blunt force trauma. According to local authorities, the driver of the SUV was not under the influence of alcohol or substances and did not appear to make any unsafe lane changes prior to the semi truck accident. The SUV driver has not received a citation or charged in connection with the fatal accident.

While a majority of semi truck accidents occur as a direct result of semi truck driver negligence, truck drivers are not always at fault, such as in this case. Our Chicago trucking accident lawyers continue to strongly encourage and promote safe driving for drivers of all type of motor vehicles. Often times, these types of accident occur when driver deviate from Illinois driving laws. Failure to follow these laws may result in a strict fine, or even worse – a fatal Illinois trucking accident.

Our Illinois truck accident attorneys have represented hundreds of victims of negligence and know first-hand the devastating and life-altering effects that motor vehicle accident can have on victims and their entire families. Many times, seriously injured victims and their families are faced with large medical expenses, lost income, long recoveries, and even life-long disability. Due to this, victims of these devastating accidents should seek legal relief in order to recover compensation if their accident was caused by the negligence of others.

If you have been injured in a motor vehicle accident or have lost a loved one at the hands of negligent driver, you may be able to seek compensation for damages incurred. Please contact our experienced and knowledgeable Chicago truck accident attorneys to see what legal rights, representation and relief may be available to you.

Earlier today, the Belleville News Democrat Online posted a report detailing a particularly devastating Illinois trucking accident that resulted in three individuals sustaining severe personal injury. According to the news report, the accident transpired when the 21 year-old driver of a passenger vehicle collided into the rear end of a large semi tractor-trailer while traveling southbound on Interstate 255 near Dupo, Illinois. The passenger vehicle driver, as well as, his two passengers all required advanced medical attention for the severe injuries they sustained in the crash that caused the vehicle to become smashed beneath the large commercial vehicle.

According to Illinois authorities, the driver of the semi truck informed police that he was on the right shoulder of Interstate 255 and was using the shoulder to gain speed to merge into traffic on the interstate highway when he was rear-ended by the passenger vehicle. In the passenger vehicle driver’s statement to authorities, he revealed that he was unable to remember if he was traveling in the center lane or right lane before he struck the commercial vehicle. The motor vehicle driver admitted that he looked down at the radio seconds before the tragic collision and did not recall seeing the truck before the crash.

Our Illinois truck accident attorneys learned that a witness at the accident scene told police that he observed the 21 year-old driver pass his vehicle in the right lane when he witnessed the semi truck using the shoulder of the interstate to gain speed before merging with traffic. The witness revealed that the truck had merged into the right lane of the roadway for at least seven second before the passenger vehicle collided into the large commercial vehicle. Subsequently, as a result of the accident in which three individuals sustained substantial serious injuries, the driver of the motor vehicle has received a citation for failure to reduce speed to avoid an accident.

While our Illinois truck accident blog frequently discusses the tragic consequences that often result from semi truck collisions caused by truck driver error, many times drivers of passenger vehicles are found to be responsible for these devastating collisions involving large commercial vehicles that often weigh upwards of 80,000 pounds. Our Chicago truck accident attorneys continue to urge readers to exercise safe driving habits each and every time a motor vehicle is operated in order to help reduce and eventually eliminate the injuries and fatalities associated with motor vehicle accidents.

Late Friday evening, a fatal Illinois trucking accident occurred on Interstate 64 in southern Illinois, resulting in one death and five injuries. According to the news report, the interstate highway was particularly icy yesterday evening, causing a substantial threat to the roadways. The three-car accident transpired when a semi tractor-trailer struck a passenger vehicle – subsequently killing a backseat passenger of the motor vehicle and sending the car’s driver and three other passengers to the hospital for non-life threatening injuries. An additional passenger vehicle was also involved and injured in the trucking collision. The semi truck driver remained uninjured in the accident. Local authorities are attributing the crash to the severe weather and no citations have been issued as of press time.

Illinois winter weather often causes an increasing number of motor vehicle accidents, particularly Illinois trucking accidents. Under current trucking rules and regulations, semi truck drivers are required to change their driving habits in order to adapt with weather and roadway conditions. However, a number of drivers continue to operate in a careless manner, even on snowy and icy interstate highways. According to the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration, truck accidents have continued on the rise in the past few years. In 2010, there were over 500,000 trucking accidents that resulted in serious injury, while 5,000 resulted in fatality.

Each and every year, our experienced accident lawyers in Chicago provide legal representation to the victims of any and all types of motor vehicle accidents, including Illinois trucking accidents. Our attorneys recently obtained a $6.5 million settlement on behalf of a Huntley, Illinois family who sustained a particularly devastating loss and substantial injuries as the direct result of a negligent semi truck driver. During the crash investigation, it was revealed that in addition to the semi truck driver’s excessive speed, the driver was also under the influence of marijuana and operating an overloaded trailer at the time of the fatal accident.

If you or a loved one has been involved in a collision involving a large commercial vehicle, it is extremely important to have knowledgeable legal professionals working on your case. Our Chicago trucking accident lawyers will help evaluate your case and determine the best course of civil legal action. Personal injuries or wrongful death claims often cause substantial hardship and our Illinois truck accident attorneys ensure that our clients obtain the maximum compensation for damages incurred as the result of a semi truck collision, as well as, hold the wrongdoer accountable for their negligent conduct.

Yesterday, PJStar.com reported a fatal Illinois trucking accident that took the life of a 34 year-old Peoria man early Thursday morning. The news report reveals that the accident transpired when the accident victim was traveling west on Illinois Route 17 when his passenger vehicle spun sideways in the snowy roadway and collided into an oncoming semi tractor-trailer traveling eastbound. Subsequently, the accident caused both of the vehicles to travel off the roadway and enter an embankment on the south side of the highway. Although reports state that the passenger vehicle driver was wearing a seat-belt at the time of the accident, he was pronounced dead at the scene. The 51 year-old driver of the commercial vehicle required advanced medical attention for minor injuries sustained. The accident currently remains under investigation.

Our Chicago truck accident lawyers also read an additional report posted on PJStar.com which detailed another fatal accident that transpired yesterday on Fulton Country Highway 2. According to the news article, a 56 year-old Ellisville man was pronounced dead at the scene of a single-vehicle accident along the county highway. The details of the accident, which transpired at around 6:30 in the morning, have not been made available as of press time. Authorities from the Peoria Police Department released collision alerts in response to the adverse roadway conditions, encouraging motorists to exchange personal information in the event of a non-injury resulting motor vehicle accident with minor damages.

There are approximately over 6 million motor vehicle crashes that transpire each year in the United States, of which twenty-four percent (or 1,511,000) are attributed to weather related conditions. According to the Federal Highway Administration, snow and/or sleet causes roughly 225,000 motor vehicle accidents each year. Of the 225,000 accidents, 70,900 result in personal injury while 870 cause premature fatality.

With all considered, motorists must protect themselves from the immense dangers that surround driving during harsh winter conditions. The Illinois State Police website recommends that drivers ensure that their motor vehicle is adequately prepared for winter related driving situations by checking the following vehicle parts:
- Fuel system
- Ignition system
- Brakes
- Exhaust system
- Wiper blades
- Tires/Tire Pressure
- Defrosters
- Battery Life

If you or a loved one has been injured or killed in an Illinois motor vehicle accident, please contact a Chicago truck accident attorney to see what legal rights and relief may be available to you.

Earlier today, our Illinois accident attorneys read a report on KSDK.com detailing a fatal Illinois trucking accident that took the life of a passenger vehicle driver. According to local Illinois authorities, a passenger vehicle was traveling southbound on Illinois Route 4 near Weber Road when the vehicle crossed the center line of the roadway and collided head-on into a semi truck. The collision resulted in the immediate fatality of the passenger vehicle driver, while the driver of the large commercial vehicle remained unharmed.

A subsequent accident resulted shortly thereafter involving an SUV and a pickup truck who were trying to avoid the first accident which the vehicles collided head-on. The drivers of both vehicles required advanced medical attention for non-life threatening injuries. Our Chicago accident lawyers read that authorities are continuing to remind drivers to driver with extreme caution due to the inclement weather conditions.

In order to avoid a recurrence of a devastating accident on our busy Illinois roadways, our accident lawyers in Chicago encourage readers to follow important and life saving tips for driving in the snow and ice provide by WeatherChannel.com:

Tips for Driving Safely on Icy Roads:
- Lower your speed and give yourself plenty of room in between vehicles in order to stop. Rule of thumb is to allow at least three times more space than usual between you and the vehicle in front of you
- Brake slowly in order to avoid skidding. If your wheels began to lock up, let off the brake
- Turn on your headlights to increase your visibility to others
- Keep your headlights and windshields clean
- Never pass snow plows or sanding trucks.
- Use low gears in order to keep traction, especially on hills
- Remain especially careful on bridges, overpasses, as well as infrequently traveled roads.
- Never assume that your motor vehicle can handle all conditions. Even four-wheel and front-wheel drive vehicles can encounter issues during winter weather

Given the upcoming months of severe weather and snow, every Illinois accident lawyer and Levin & Perconti continues to encourage safe driving habits for drivers of all types of motor vehicles. If you have been injured in a motor vehicle accident or have lost a loved one at the hands of a negligent driver, please contact our experienced Chicago truck accident lawyers to see what legal rights and relief may be available to you.

After an Illinois trucking accident took the life of a 68 year-old woman earlier this month, a Rockton town board is appealing to the state of Illinois to improve roadway conditions to prevent a similar accident from ensuing in the future. Our Chicago truck accident lawyers read an article on RRStar.com detailing the proposed upgrades for the Illinois 2 intersection which was the site of the fatal accident when the accident victim attempted to turn east on Roscoe Road and was struck by a northbound semi tractor-trailer. According to town board members, the intersection has been a common cause of concern due to various line-of-sight issues and a hill that comes to a crest at the Roscoe Road intersection.

In a unanimous vote by the town board to upgrade the intersection at Roscoe Road and to eventually widen the roadway from two to four lanes within the next fiscal year, the town is pleading with the Illinois Department of Transportation to help make this goal possible. While the untimely fatality of the 68 year-old woman prompts roadway changes, local officials in Rockton have made several attempts over the years to expand the highway and improve the Roscoe Road intersection. In fact, only a few short months ago the Illinois Department of Transportation began a $21 million roadway improvement project that will ultimately expand Illinois 2 to four lanes from Elmwood Road to Latham Road – an approximate stretch of three miles.

Unfortunately, despite the significant number of traffic accidents that occur at this particular dangerous intersection, it may ultimately take several years before the improvements are complete. Any Chicago truck accident attorney will tell you that although many traffic accidents are caused by driver error, another common cause motor vehicle accidents is roadway conditions and/or failure to promptly improve roadways. In order to properly handle and repair these roadway conditions, state transportation agencies across the country should not worry about constructing new roadways, but instead focus on updating existing roadways to meet the current and future needs of that particular road.

When improvements to roadway safety are implemented, a substantial dent is made in the rate of traffic accidents that occur nationwide each year. Our accident lawyers in Chicago continue to encourage annual improvements to roadways, as well as, safe operation for drivers of any and all types of vehicles. With the holidays rapidly approaching, drivers must exercise the utmost care when operating their vehicles in order to prevent the recurrence of these types of devastating motor vehicle accidents.

Earlier today, PekinTimes.com posted a report detailing a destructive Illinois trucking accident that sent five individuals to the hospital after a semi tractor-trailer drove off an Interstate 474 bridge onto Illinois Route 29. According to initial reports, the accident transpired when the 25 year-old driver of a semi truck was attempted to pass another semi truck while traveling westbound on Interstate 474 in Creve Coeur. Due to an unknown reason, the semi truck driver lost control of his commercial vehicle and ran off the median side shoulder of the interstate highway and struck the overpass bridge at Illinois Route 29. Upon collision, the semi truck’s trailer separated from the vehicle and fell onto the overpass of Illinois Route 29 into the northbound lanes.

The separated trailer from the commercial vehicle resulted in subsequent collisions on Illinois Route 29 involving two passenger vehicles. As a result of the accident, the semi tractor-trailer began expelling diesel fuel causing a fire to ensue on both Route 29 and Interstate 474. Our Chicago truck accident attorneys read that over 20 fire trucks and ambulances were called to the scene to handling the resulting blaze, which ultimately caused traffic to come to a complete halt in all directions. Illinois State Police at the scene revealed that the driver of the semi truck, both drivers of the passenger vehicles, as well as, two passengers of the vehicles required further medical assistance at area hospitals.

The devastating accident, which transpired at around 5 p.m. Friday evening, caused Illinois Route 29 to remain closed to traffic in both north and southbound lanes for well over four hours. Additionally, traffic was not permitted to enter the westbound and eastbound lanes of Interstate 474 until around 9:15 p.m. According to the news report, a source at the scene believes that the initial collision and lost vehicle control was caused by a blow to the semi tractor-trailers front tire. Illinois State Police are currently conducting a thorough investigation into the accident and no charges have been filed.

A tragic Illinois trucking accident, such as the one previously mentioned, transpires nearly every day on our busy and hectic roadways. Victims of these accidents often incur serious and debilitating injuries, as well as, subsequent medical expenses. If you have been injured in a motor vehicle accident or have lost a loved one at the hands of a negligent driver, please contact our experienced accident attorneys in Chicago to see what legal rights and relief may be available to you.

An Illinois trucking accident that transpired earlier today in Saline County has left one woman in critical condition, according to a report posted by WPSDLocal6.com. Illinois State Police revealed that the accident occurred around 3:30 p.m. on Illinois Route 34 at Mt. Moriah Road when a 42 year-old driver of a semi tractor-trailer collided into the rear-end of a passenger vehicle that was traveling north on Route 34. The 44 year-old passenger vehicle driver sustained personal injury that required advanced medical attention when she was rear-ended attempting to slow down to turn west onto Mt. Moriah Road. The accident currently remains under investigation and the semi truck driver has received a citation for failure to reduce speed to avoid an accident.

Any Chicago truck accident attorney will tell you that when any type of vehicle, particularly a semi tractor-trailer, fails to reduce speed in order to avoid an accident – the results are almost always disastrous and tragic. Under current Illinois Statute, failure to reduce speed to avoid an accident is considered a petty offense, one that can only be punishable by a fine of up to $1,000. Additional components of the Illinois Compiled Statutes governing Vehicle Codes provides further explanation on general speed restrictions for Illinois drivers:

“The fact that speed of a vehicle does not exceed the applicable maximum speed limit does not relieve the driver from the duty to decrease speed under the following conditions:
- When approaching and crossing an intersection
- Approaching and going around a curve
- When approaching a hill crest
- When traveling upon any narrow or winding roadway
- When special hazard exists with respect to pedestrians or other traffic or by reasons of weather or highway conditions”

Furthermore, as applicable to the previously mentioned Illinois trucking accident, speed must be decreased as may be necessary to avoid colliding with any person or vehicle on or entering the highway in compliance with legal requirements and the duty of all persons to use due care.

Legislation by governing authorities concerning motor vehicle travel is enacted in order to help prevent accidents causing injury and fatality, in addition to, holding those who violate these regulations accountable for their actions. Unfortunately, in many cases, even if a fine is imposed for negligent driving that leads to an accident – no compensation is provided for accident victims who have incurred various medical expenses, lost wages, and physical and emotional pain and suffering.

If you have been injured Illinois auto accident, please contact our accident lawyers in Chicago to see what legal rights and relief may be available to you.

The SouthTown Star posted an online report earlier today detailing the untimely death of a 72 year-old Chicago Heights man as the result of an Illinois trucking accident. According to Illinois State Police, the accident transpired near U.S. Route 45/52 and 2900 North Road near West Frankfort, Illinois. The 72 year-old man was traveling east when the vehicle failed to stop at the roadway’s intersection. An oncoming semi tractor-trailer traveling south subsequently struck the vehicle as it entered the intersection. The driver of the passenger vehicle was ejected from his vehicle upon collision and was pronounced dead the scene. The driver of the semi truck and his two passengers were uninjured in the accident which still remains under investigation.

Our Illinois truck accident attorneys know that despite frequent news reports each day about semi truck accidents resulting from truck driver negligence, often times the unsafe acts of passenger vehicle drivers causes these devastating accidents to transpire. Given that a majority of commercial vehicles are abundant in size (18-wheelers) as well as weight (80,000 pounds) any driver error can prove catastrophic. It is no surprise that when a collision occurs with a vehicle that weighs significantly more than an average automobile, the driver and the occupants of the passenger vehicle sustained the greatest personal injury and unfortunately in many situations, an untimely death.

In order to avoid another devastating Illinois trucking accident, our attorneys recommend that all passenger vehicle drivers adhere to the following safety guidelines when sharing the road with large commercial vehicles:

- Stay clear of truck’s blind sports:
- Keep an adequate following distance between your vehicle and the semi truck
- Always ensure there is sufficient space before passing a semi truck
- Avoid abruptly changing lanes in front of a commercial vehicle
- Always consider that a semi tractor-trailer requires significantly more time to come to a complete stop, given its size and weight

When proper steps are taken to avoid these potentially life-threatening accidents, the risk factors substantially decrease. Unfortunately, as we all know, motor vehicle accidents can occur unexpectedly -- even when a driver is operating safely. If you have been injured in an automobile accident, or have lost a loved one in a collision, please contact our attorneys at Levin & Perconti. Our experienced Chicago accident lawyers will provide a free initial consultation to see what legal rights, representation and relief may be available to you.

WTHITV.com recently reported a devastating Illinois truck accident that took the life of a 2-year-old girl. The fatal accident transpired near the intersection of Illinois Route 33 and Effingham County Road 1950 East when a tow truck traveling westbound crossed the roadway’s center line and collided into a passenger vehicle. The 2-year-old girl was pronounced dead at the scene. The Illinois girl’s parents required additional medical attention for their injuries and were transported to a nearby hospital. Local authorities state that the cause of this accident continues to remain under investigation. The 23-year-old driver of the tow truck has been ticketed for his role in the accident.

Harrowing statistics provide that younger children have become increasingly common victims in motor vehicle accidents resulting in injury or fatality. ConsumerReports.org recently revealed that roadway collisions kill approximately 260,000 children a year and injure about 10 million. Tragically, these motor vehicle accidents are the leading cause of death among children ages 10-19 years old, in addition to, the leading cause of disability in children. Additional research conducted by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration concluded that children ages 0-14 years old are highly susceptible to injury or death in motor vehicle accidents around the country. Statistical figures from the NHTSA provided that of the 42,643 traffic fatalities in the United States in 2003, over 5% (2,136) were children ages 0-14 years old.

Any Chicago truck accident lawyer at Levin & Perconti will tell you that the only way to prevent the devastating injuries that may occur as a result of a motor vehicle accident is to ensure that your child is properly and safely restrained in a child safety seat. Failure to properly fasten a child in a safety seat or seat belt is a common contributive factor is more than half of motor vehicle accident resulting in child injury or death. In the event of a collision, failure for an individual of any age to wear a safety belt significantly increases the likelihood of sustained serious injury or death.

If you or your child has been injured in an Illinois truck accident, you may be able to obtain compensation for damages incurred. Common damages include compensation for: lost wages, medical bills, funeral expenses, in addition to, physical and emotional pain and suffering. Please contact our Chicago truck accident attorneys as soon as possible to see what legal rights and relief may be available to you.

The ChicagoSunTimes.com recently reported an Illinois semi truck accident that took the life 62 year-old Lee County man. The man was traveling in his pickup truck at intersection of Galena and Jones roads in Little Rock Township when his vehicle crossed the yellow line. The pickup truck subsequently collided head-on with an oncoming semi truck. The pickup truck driver was pronounced dead at the scene, while the driver of the commercial vehicle sustained minor injuries and was transported to a local hospital. Kendall County law enforcement is currently conducting an extensive investigation into the accident.

Illinois semi truck accidents often results in serious, as well as, fatal consequences. The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety recently conducted a nationwide study into accidents involving various types of commercial vehicles, such as semi trucks and tractor-trailers. It was determined that in 2010, over 500,000 large trucks and commercial vehicles were involved in motor vehicle accidents, with over 100,000 injuries and 5,000 deaths resulting from these devastating accidents. Given the fact that large commercial vehicles can weigh upwards of 80,000 pounds, it is not surprising the tragic consequences often ensue when a semi truck collides with a passenger vehicle.

The Chicago semi truck accident lawyers at Levin & Perconti strongly urge passenger vehicle drivers to exercise extreme caution when traveling near large commercial vehicles. Although often times a semi truck accident occurs as a direct result of semi truck driver error, it is important to note that driver error on behalf of a passenger vehicle driver is also an extremely common cause of semi truck accidents. Safe driving habits, as well as, defensive driving measures should always be taken to avoid a potentially fatal accident. Drivers of all types of vehicles should always: take extra caution at intersections, avoid a semi truck’s blind spot, adapt to road conditions and adverse weather, as well as, always wear a safety belt.

Having represented hundreds of victims of negligence, our attorneys know firsthand the devastating effects that accidents have on victims and their entire families. In the event of a semi truck accident, it is important that the injured motorist of the family of an individual killed in a collision contact an experienced Illinois truck accident attorney as soon as possible. Our knowledgeable accident attorneys will provide a free initial consultation to help determine what legal rights may be available to you.

According to a report published by DailyRegister.com, a Thompsonville man has sustained serious injuries after colliding with a commercial vehicle. The Illinois semi truck accident transpired when the 68-year-old driver of a passenger vehicle failed to yield at the intersection of Macedonia Road and State Route 34 causing a collision with an oncoming semi tractor-trailer.

The passenger vehicle driver was not wearing his safety belt at the time of the collision and sustained extensive injuries that required him to be airlifted to a nearby hospital. The 68-year-old has received a citation from local authorities for failure to yield at an intersection. The semi truck driver was wearing his seatbelt at the time of the accident and remained unharmed. Illinois 34 near Franklin County Road remained closed for over three hours while road crews cleaned up the wreckage.

Our Chicago truck accident lawyers cannot stress enough the importance of wearing a safety belt each time a vehicle is operated. Even though seat belt use in on the rise nationwide, recent findings from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration show that over 68% of drivers and passengers between the ages of 16 and 20 are killed in motor vehicle crashes each year due to failure to wear a safety belt. Unfortunately, the same statistics holds true from drivers up to the age of 44.

Despite common misconceptions about seat belt use, seat belts save over 11,000 lives each year. The purpose of a seat belt is to hold vehicle occupants (the driver and their passengers) in place in the event that the vehicle abruptly stops. Even though many drivers state that seat belt use is unnecessary when making a short trip, research conducted by the Louisiana State Police found that 85% of crashes occur within five miles of the driver’s residence.

Another common misconception is that seat belt use is pointless if a motor vehicle is equipped with air bags. Although almost every motor vehicle on our roadways nowadays is fully equipped with air bags, these safety devices are only provided as a supplemental restraint system. This means that in order to achieve maximum safety benefits from an air bag, one must also use a safety belt.

The Illinois semi truck accident attorneys at Levin & Perconti know that simple safe driving habits, such as regular seat belt use, obeying posted speed limits, adjusting to adverse road conditions, as well as, avoidance of distracted driving practices can help prevent the thousands of injuries and fatalities each year from Illinois semi truck accidents.

A fatal semi truck collision took the life of a 78-year-old Illinois woman earlier this weekend – according to a report published by Madison.com. The Peoria woman was pronounced dead at the scene after her vehicle crossed an interstate highway median and struck an oncoming large commercial vehicle. The driver of the semi truck remained unharmed in the collision. It took road crews over four and a half hours to clean up the wreckage from the tragic semi truck accident. Local authorities are currently conducting a thorough investigation into the cause of the accident.

Motor vehicle crashes attributed to crossing a roadway median has become an increasing cause of traffic-related injuries and fatalities. Over the past couple years, a majority of these devastating accidents involved improper vehicle handling on the part of a large commercial driver. Earlier this month, our Chicago truck accident lawyers read a report published by the National Transportation Safety Board that discussed that a contributing factor in the severity of these median crossing crashes is due to inadequately designed median barriers.

A majority of median barriers were not designed to safely contain or redirect a heavy vehicle. Additionally, safety of median barriers has been unable to improve given that “median crossing crashes” is a broad definition that is not included in Fatality Analysis Reporting System data. To help prevent the cross median accident rate, states must develop sufficiently wide medians that allow drivers who leave the roadway to recover control of their vehicles and re-enter the highway in the correct direction. According to RoadSafetyToolkit.com, wider medians significantly reduce the number of head on collisions.

With concern about cross median crashes increasing nationwide, our Chicago semi truck accident attorneys urge readers to safely operate their vehicle when traveling on our busy Illinois roadways. With large commercial vehicles accounting for a majority of roadway users, extreme caution must be exercised during travel to avoid a potential Illinois semi truck accident. Due to the sheer size and weight of a commercial vehicle, a head on collision with a semi tractor-trailer causes significantly more damage than a similar type of collision involving a passenger vehicle.

If you have been injured or lost a loved one in a semi truck accident, please contact an Illinois semi truck accident lawyer. Our experienced accident attorneys will provide a free initial consultation to help determine what legal rights and relief may be available to you.

A preliminary hearing for the semi truck driver who caused the death of another driver in an Illinois semi truck accident earlier this month has received a felony charge of accident involving death or personal injury while not properly licensed to drive. In a report published by CentreDaily.com, the accident transpired when the semi truck driver rear-ended a dump driver on Interstate 80 in Marion Township. The collision caused the dump truck to driver off the road and caused a subsequent roll-over. Although the 24-year-old driver of the dump truck was wearing his seat belt at the time of the collision, he was pronounced dead at the scene after suffering substantial internal bleeding due to a lung laceration.

Yesterday, an Illinois district judge found a considerable amount of evidence to bind over the charges to trial, due to the fact that it would have had to take a significant impact to force the dump truck off the road. An accident reconstruction specialist, who testified at the preliminary hearing, stated that the semi’s tractor-trailer was overweight, in addition to, having brake issues at the time of the Illinois semi truck accident. Additional evidence, such as toxicology results of the semi truck driver are still pending. The semi truck driver is currently being held on a $150,000 straight bail.

The risk of a large commercial vehicle accident resulting in death and/or serious injury progressively increases with each extra ton of weight over the 80,000 pound federal legal limit the vehicle maintains. According to research conducted at the University of Michigan Transportation Research Institute, even when a semi truck weighs the legal 80,000 pounds, it is more than twice as likely to be involved in a fatal crash than a truck weighing about 50,000 pounds. Additionally, large commercial vehicles weighing the legal limit or over require a substantial amount of stopping time – subsequently often resulting in collisions due to inability to stop in time.

Our Chicago truck accident lawyers share extensive knowledge and experience when handling devastating Illinois semi truck accidents such as this one. We continue to provide legal representation to those whose lives have been turned upside down as the result of a semi truck accident. Negligent semi truck drivers and their trucking companies need to be held responsible for the harm they have inflicted by means of compensatory and punitive damages. If you or someone you know has been severely injured or killed as a result of a trucking accident, please contact an Illinois semi truck accident attorney to see what legal rights may be available to you.

The Northwest Herald recently reported the settlement of an Illinois semi truck accident lawsuit. After a four day trial, the estate of a woman who was killed as a result of a head on collision with a semi truck was awarded $1.275 million. The fatal semi truck accident occurred several years ago when the 27-year-old was heading north on an Illinois interstate when her vehicle was struck head on by a commercial vehicle. The driver of the semi truck was originally charged with reckless homicide when it was alleged that she fell asleep behind the wheel – but charges were later dismissed. The truck driver ultimately plead guilty to improper lane use, in addition to, failure to reduce speed to avoid an accident. She was sentenced to a year of conditional discharge and a $1,000 fine.

The victim’s family and friends spoke to the jury during the trial to determine the amount of damages to be awarded. After a two hour jury deliberation, the jury awarded the family over one million dollars for their devastating loss, grief, sorrow, and mental suffering due to the untimely death of their 27-year-old daughter. During the criminal proceedings, prosecutors were unable to prove that the truck driver acted recklessly at the time of the accident. Although evidence did not prove that the truck driver suffered from a medical condition or impairment that could cause this type of accident, expert witnesses suggested that given the truck driver’s failure to change vehicle direction or speed while drifting into the oncoming lane is highly consistent when a driver has fallen asleep.

Our Chicago semi truck accident lawyers know that when the operator of a large commercial vehicle becomes drowsy or fatigued, the accident rate substantially increases – putting the driver, as well as, surrounding passenger vehicles at high risk. According to the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration, more than 750 fatalities and 20,000 injuries result each year from fatigued commercial vehicle drivers. In addition, each year truck driver fatigue has played a sole contributing factor in as many as 30-40% of semi truck accidents. This risk substantially increases when a semi truck driver is operating alone as opposed to being accompanied by a passenger.

The untimely death of a family member is a devastating loss and can cause substantial grief. When the negligent driving of another vehicle causes this type of accident, the victim’s family may be able to seek compensation for their loss. Please contact a Chicago truck accident accident attorney if you or a loved one has been critically injured or killed at the hands of a drowsy driver for a free consultation to see what legal rights may be available to you.

In early August, our Illinois semi truck accident blog reported a fatal multi-vehicle collision in Buffalo Grove. The accident, which occurred south of Kirchoff Road on Route 53, ensued when the 23-year-old driver of a passenger vehicle struck a tractor-trailer and in turn collided with the driver of a disabled roadside pickup truck. An investigation into the accident concluded that the driver of the passenger vehicle was using her cell phone at the time of the collision that ultimately caused the death of the disabled vehicle driver. At the time, the woman faced charges of improper lane change, driving on the shoulder of the road, in addition to, using an electronic device while driving.

In an article recently published by the Daily Herald, it was reported that the Cook County State’s Attorney has decided to dismiss the charges against the 23-year-old to allow Illinois State Police to further investigate if more serious charges will be filed in this case. The woman admitted to authorities in the police report that she was scrolling down her cell phone contact list when she collided with the semi truck. The family of the deceased has filed a wrongful death lawsuit against the 23-year-old and is seeking at least $50,000 in damages.

An Illinois wrongful death lawsuit can be filed on the basis that the wrongful or negligent conduct of an individual caused the premature death of another. In this case, the passenger vehicle driver may be held liable for wrongful death on the grounds that she operated her vehicle in a negligent way – through the use of her cell phone – which ultimately caused the fatal accident. Wrongful death lawsuits vary from personal injury claims due to the fact that the family of the deceased brings about the cause of action. In order to bring about this type of claim, a strict statute of limitations must be adhered to in order proceed with civil litigation. In the state of Illinois, depending on the type of accident, the statute of limitations for a wrongful death claim is 2 years.

If you have been involved in any type of motor vehicle accident, or have lost a loved one at the hands of a negligent driver, it is important obtain legal guidance from an experienced Chicago accident attorney. Having represented hundreds of victims of negligence, our attorneys share comprehensive knowledge when handling these types of devastating, as well as, life-altering accidents. Please contact an Illinois personal injury lawyer to see what legal relief and representation may be available to you.

Our Cook County truck accident lawyers read an article on KMOV.com earlier today detailing a fatal Illinois semi truck accident. At around 6:35 this morning, a semi tractor-trailer was entering the Connoco Phillips Refinery in Hartford, Illinois, when an oncoming pickup truck collided into the semi’s trailer. The driver of the pickup truck was transported to the hospital where he was later pronounced dead. As of press time, it is unknown if the driver of the commercial vehicle sustained any injuries. An investigation into the accident is currently underway and an autopsy, as well as, a toxicology test is scheduled on the pickup truck driver to determine the exact cause of death.

Unsafe driving habits exhibited by passenger vehicle drivers has become an increasing cause of semi truck accidents resulting in injury and/or death. Given that fact that large commercial vehicles operate in a completely different manner than smaller motor vehicles, many motorists are unawares of a semi truck’s performance capabilities. The performance capabilities of large commercial vehicles range from variability in acceleration, breaking, in addition to, visibility.

The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration recently compiled a report titled “The Unsafe Driving Acts of Motorists in the Vicinity of Large Trucks” with identifies many common unsafe driving acts exhibited by motorists that contribute to collisions with large commercial vehicles. Some of the most frequent crash factors exhibited by drivers of passenger vehicles which contributed directly to a fatal collision with a semi truck included:

- Running off the Road/Lane
- Failure to Yield Right of Way
- Unsafe Speed
- Driving Inattentively
- Failure to Obey Traffic Devices
- Erratic/Reckless Driving

To help inhibit the increasing epidemic that is resulting from passenger vehicle and semi truck collisions, the study recommends that motorists should be educated in driving behaviors that may ultimately lead to collisions with commercial vehicles. One suggestion made by the study is to begin educating drivers during driver training of safe way to share the roadways with semi trucks.

Any type of collision with a large commercial vehicle can have a devastating impact on the life of you or a loved one. With over 10,343 crashes involving tractor-trailers occurring in Illinois in 2010, safe driving habits must always be exercised in order to avoid the hundreds of injuries and fatalities that result from Illinois semi truck accidents each year. Our Chicago semi truck accident attorneys always recommend that drivers of all types of vehicles adhere to the following safety tips:

- Never Drive Impaired
- Adhere to Posted Speed Limits
- Avoid Distractions (Cell Phones, Texting)
- Never Drive Fatigued
- Always Wear Safety Belt
- Operate Vehicle Carefully During Adverse Weather
- Practice Defensive Driving
- Maintain Vehicle Maintenance

If you or a loved one has been involved in a semi truck accident, please contact an Illinois personal injury lawyer to see what legal rights and representation may be available to you.

An Illinois semi truck accident claimed the life of a 76-year-old McHenry County woman earlier this week. In a report published by the Courier-News, the accident resulted when the passenger vehicle the woman was driving drove into the path of an oncoming semi tractor-trailer. The accident occurred at the dangerous Hampshire intersection of Route 20 and Big Timber Road. The accident caused Route 20 to be closed for several hours while accident an reconstructionist and Illinois trucking officials conducted an investigation into the fatal accident. Local authorities and eye-witnesses at the scene stated that the truck driver never had a chance to stop in time to avoid collision and will not face charges.

The dangerous intersection of Route 20 and Big Timber Road has proven to be a recurring source of motor vehicle collisions within the past several years. Just three years ago a collision at the crossing resulted in injury of four teenagers. According to authorities, the last three accidents at the intersection all involved semi trucks. Illinois and Kane County officials have continued to express concern about the lack of visibility at the dangerous intersection due to the curve on Route 20. The Illinois Department of Transportation has recently recommended the concept of developing the intersection into a roundabout that would require drivers to substantially reduce speed.

Intersections have proven to be a consistent location of devastating accidents often resulting injuries and fatalities. 40% of all motor vehicle fatalities in the United States each year involve drivers who: fail to yield the right-of-way at an intersection, drive through a stop sign, or run a red light, according to the Driving Institute of America. To avoid dangerous intersection accidents, drivers of all types of vehicles should anticipate the hazards associated with crossings and know how to safely and properly avoid them. SafetyInfo.com provides helpful driving tips to avoid these potentially fatal collisions:

- Approach intersections with caution. Be alert that cross traffic may not adhere to traffic signals.
- When crossing an uncontrolled intersection, allow enough time to clear the entire roadway without interfering with oncoming traffic.
- Exercise extreme caution at uncontrolled intersections where large vehicles are traveling.

Our Illinois semi truck accident lawyers continue to encourage drivers to exercise safe driving habits each time a vehicle is operated. Many accidents can be avoided when drivers stay attentive and adhere to traffic safety laws. Unfortunately, countless accident result each day from drivers who operate in a careless and negligent manner. If your or a loved one has been injured as a result of driver negligence, please contact an experienced Chicago personal injury attorney to seek what legal rights may be available to you.

Our Illinois semi truck accident attorneys recently read a report on the MadisonCountyRecord.com detailing a newly filed lawsuit against a semi truck driver for his role in a fatal semi truck accident that caused the death of a pedestrian. The accident occurred in late August when the victim was walking west on Chain of Rocks Road in Chouteau Township when she was struck by an oncoming commercial vehicle. As a result of the accident, the victim sustained severe internal bleeding and punctures to both of her lungs. The injuries the victim incurred unfortunately lead to her untimely death shortly after --leaving behind her two minor children.

A relative of the victim has filed a lawsuit against both the truck driver, as well as, his trucking company for their role in the fatal Illinois semi truck accident. The six count complaint filed on September 22 in the Madison County Circuit Court alleges that: the semi truck driver negligently failed to control and stop his truck to avoid the collision, failed to sound his horn to warn of his approach, failure to keep a proper lookout for pedestrians, in addition to, operating his vehicle at an excessive speed.

The complaint also includes the driver’s trucking company alleging that the company: failed to provide the defendant with adequate equipment, failure to equip the truck with adequate warning devices, failure to prevent the defendant from driving his vehicle too quickly, failure to install proper traffic signals to warn pedestrians of the truck’s approach, as well as, failure to install proper devices to control the defendant’s actions. Additionally, the suit alleges that the trucking company was negligent in hiring the defendant and failing to properly train employees to ensure the safety of others.

When a devastating collision, such as this one, occurs the results can be life-altering for the victim and their families. In this case, the victim endured severe pain and suffering, loss of earnings, medical expenses, sustainment of a physical disability, as well as, loss of life enjoyment leading up to her premature death. When this type of severe harm is sustained, civil litigation can help victims and their families receive compensation, in addition to, punish the wrongdoer for their negligent behavior. If you or a loved one has been involved in an Illinois semi truck accident, please contact a Chicago truck accident lawyer to see what legal rights may be available to you.

Recently, our Illinois truck accident lawyers read a report in the Chicago Tribune detailing a recent Illinois semi truck accident that resulted in the death of an Illinois Department of Transportation employee. Authorities in Will County stated the accident occurred when the construction worker exited a piece of heavy equipment he was operating. The 28-year-old was subsequently struck by a semi tractor truck with a dump trailer that was backing up in the construction zone. State police are continuing their investigation into the cause of the accident and have issued a citation to the semi truck driver for improper backing.

Construction zones often provide some of the most dangerous breeding grounds for semi truck collisions. Although in this accident the driver of the commercial vehicle received a citation for the improper backing of his semi truck, a citation does not compensate for the devastating loss the victim’s family has sustained. While this news report does not confirm if the victim’s family wishes to seek civil legal action against the semi truck driver, through our experience as Chicago semi truck accident attorneys, that family may have a cause of action for a wrongful death lawsuit.

A wrongful death lawsuit contends that the victim died as a direct result of a negligent or unjust action. In this case, the semi truck driver’s improper handling of his commercial vehicle was a direct cause of the victim’s fatality. Under current Illinois statute, a number of factors must be proven into order to file a wrongful death lawsuit:
- A fatality was directly caused by a wrongful act – negligent or through inaction
- The negligent or default act would have entitle the party injured to maintain a cause of action
- Monetary damages have resulted from premature death

A wrongful death lawsuit is substantially different than other types of personal injury claims due to the fact that the victim’s family brings the cause of action. It is important in these types of cases to obtain the legal guidance from an experienced Chicago truck accident lawyer. Through civil litigation, our attorney help compensate accident victims and their families for the harm they have sustained as a result of motor vehicle accidents. If you have been involved in a Chicago semi truck accident, please contact our attorneys for a free consultation to help determine what legal rights may be available to you.

Our Illinois semi truck accident attorneys recently read an article on WCFCourier.com detailing a fatal collision involving a disabled semi truck that ultimately resulted in four fatalities. Although the accident currently remains under investigation, local authorities state that accident occurred when a semi truck became disabled along Interstate 80. Two tow trucks shortly arrived at the scene to assist the broke down commercial vehicle. A oncoming commercial vehicle traveling on the interstate sideswiped the first tow truck, causing a subsequent collision with the disabled semi truck. The driver of the disabled semi truck, two tow truck employees, as well as, the driver of the second semi truck died from the injuries they sustained as a result of the collisions.

When a vehicle becomes disabled alongside a busy interstate or even a local roadway, the possibility for a motor vehicle accident substantially increases. Many times, oncoming vehicles are unaware of an upcoming disabled vehicle and accidents resulting in injury or even death consequently occur. Although roadside pedestrians are duty bound to maintain an appropriate level of care to protect themselves against roadway dangers, oncoming vehicles are required to exhibit an increased standard of care when operating around these disabled vehicles and their drivers. Motorists have a responsibility to operate their vehicle and observant manner.

In order to prevent the reoccurrence of these fatal collisions, drivers of all types of motor vehicles should adhere to the following safety tips. The National Safety Council suggests that in the unfortunate chance your vehicle breaks down or becomes disabled on any and all types of roadways, drivers should:
- If able, try to maneuver your car to the nearest exit if you are along an interstate
- Make vehicle visible to oncoming vehicles.
- Place reflecting triangles behind vehicle and use vehicle’s emergency flashers
- Seek professional help if vehicle requires advanced maintenance
- Refrain from standing behind or next to vehicle. Stand off roadway until help arrives.

Our Chicago accident attorneys strongly encourage drivers to adhere to safe driving practices each time a vehicle is operated. Motor vehicle accidents, especially those involving semi trucks, are almost always destructive and the results can be devastating. With over 10.2 million motor vehicle accidents occurring in 2008 alone, driver safety is a top priority. In the event that a driver unsafely operates their vehicle and causes a collision involving an injury or even fatality, accident victims may be able to seek legal relief for damages incurred. If you have been harmed as the result of a motor vehicle accident, please contact our personal injury attorneys to see what legal rights may be available to you.

Recently, our Illinois semi truck accident attorneys read an article on WCFCourier.com that detailed recently dismissed criminal charges against a semi truck driver who caused a fatal Illinois semi truck accident. The accident, which occurred on June 17 in Nelson, Illinois, resulted in the death of three individuals. The semi truck driver was traveling southbound on Illinois Route 30 when he ran a stop sign and subsequently collided with the oncoming passenger vehicle

The collision resulted in the death of the 26-year-old male driver, his 51-year old mother, in addition to, the driver’s 16-month-old daughter. The driver’s fiance and another passenger also sustained critical injuries. A grand jury in Lee County found insufficient evidence to indict the semi truck driver on criminal charges. The Lee County prosecutor stated that it has not been determined if the semi truck driver will be cited for traffic violations.

The news report does not confirm whether or not the family of the deceased wish to seek civil legal action against the semi truck driver. Looking at this case, from our experiences as Chicago truck accident attorneys, they may be have a cause of action for a wrongful death suit. However, this can only be determined by an attorney after an in-depth investigation is made.

Wrongful death lawsuits stem from the wrongful or negligent conduct of another causing a premature death. Family members of the deceased may be able to seek legal relief for damages including: medical, funeral, as well as, burial expenses. The family may also be able to obtain punitive damages that are created to punish the wrongdoer’s negligent behavior.

Since 1992, our accident attorneys at Levin & Perconti have extensively handled a variety of cases involving the devastating effects that result from motor vehicle accidents. Recently, we obtained a $6.5 million settlement on behalf of the victims of an Illinois semi truck accident. Due to a negligent truck driver, a woman was tragically killed and her husband and son sustained serious injuries. After a thorough investigation, we discovered that the semi truck driver was operating an overloaded semi truck, in addition to, operating under the influence of marijuana.

If you or someone you know has sustained severe harm or even death as a result of a semi truck accident, please contact a Chicago accident attorney for a free consultation. Our attorneys will help evaluate your case and determine what legal rights may be able to you.

Our Illinois semi truck accident attorneys recently read a report in the Belleville News-Democrat detailing a fatal semi truck collision that took the life of a 48-year-old Collinsville woman. The female driver was traveling south on Illinois 111 near Pontoon Beach earlier this morning when her vehicle drifted across the center line into the northbound lanes. The woman’s vehicle was subsequently struck by an oncoming semi tractor-trailer. The 48-year-old driver was not wearing a seat belt at the time of the collision and she was pronounced dead at the scene. The driver of the commercial vehicle was not injured in the accident. Local authorities state that they will be performing a toxicology test on the deceased driver to see if alcohol or drugs played a factor in the accident.

Seat belts are one of the most important safety features in motor vehicles. These devices help prevent further bodily harm or even death in case of an accident. James Madison University recently conducted a study to determine safety belt use statistics. The study found that each year approximately 35,000 people die in motor vehicle accidents. Of those 35,000 people, about 50% (17,000) of these individuals’ lives could have been saved if they wore safety belts. In addition, when safety belts are used properly, they reduce the number of serious traffic accident related injuries by 50% and fatalities by 60-70%.

The state of Illinois has recognized the increasing injuries and fatalities that result from the lack of safety belt use in motor vehicle accidents. Under current Illinois law, each driver and front seat passengers are required to wear seat belts that are properly adjusted and fastened. Additionally, each driver under the age of 18, as well as, driver passengers under the age of 19 is legally required to wear a safety belt. Any violation of Illinois seat belt laws may result in a $25 fine. Even though in 2009 over 130,000 Illinois residents were fined for a safety belt violation, overall seat belt usage rose to 90.1% the same year.

Our Chicago accident attorneys continue to encourage safe driving habits for all Illinois residents. Motor vehicle accidents, especially those involving large commercial vehicles, could prove fatal when safety belts are not worn or properly secured. With Illinois’s rigorous enforcement programs to mandate seat belt use, our Illinois injury attorneys hope that future accidents such as this one can be avoided at all costs. This simple device could one day save the life of you or a loved one.

Recently, our Illinois semi truck accident attorneys read a report in the Pantagraph detailing a fatal Illinois semi truck accident. The 21-year-old Odell woman died from the injuries she obtained as a result of a semi truck collision on Route 23. Local authorities state that the woman was turning left from Redwood Road onto Route 23 when she was hit by a semi tractor-trailer traveling northbound. The Peoria County Coroner stated that the woman died of multiple force injuries and toxicology tests are currently being conducted. The driver of the semi truck remained uninjured in the accident.

When a semi truck and a passenger vehicle collide, the results are always devastating. With the holiday weekend upon us, many types of vehicles will be sharing the roadways. It is extremely important that all drivers respectfully share the road to avoid the recurrences of these types of tragic fatal accidents. The American Trucking Association recently assembled a group of top professional semi truck drivers with millions of accident-free miles to provide safety advice to drivers. These tips include:

- Prepare motor vehicles for extended travel. Simple maintenance steps such as checking wiper blades and fluid can prevent many motorist problems.

- Plan highway travel route ahead. Many accidents occur as a result of unexpected lane changes to highway exits.

- Never cut in front of large trucks. These vehicles are significantly heavier and take substantially longer to stop.

- Be aware of commercial vehicle blind spots. If you can’t see the truck driver in his or her mirrors, the driver cannot see you.

- Always wear a safety belt.

- Avoid risks. Never driver when tired, upset, or physically ill.

A majority of semi truck accidents occur as a result of motor vehicles cutting in front of trucks, failure to use turn signals, in addition to, changing lanes too rapidly. Automobile drivers should always consider the fact that semi truck drivers are unable to brake as quickly as cars can. According to Illinois Crash Data Report, there were over 9,300 reported accidents that resulted from a collision with a tractor-trailer in 2009 alone. Out of the reported accidents, 1,600 resulted in injury while 62 were fatal.

Our Chicago accident attorneys continue to encourage safe driving practices for all drivers, especially over Labor Day Weekend. Injuries and fatalities can be easily avoided when drivers respect each other and share the road. Unfortunately, many times there are unforeseeable and unpredictable accidents that occur as the result of a negligent driver. Accident victims who sustain serious harm or even death at the hands of a negligent driver may be able to seek legal relief for damages incurred.

Earlier today, our Illinois semi truck accident attorneys read a report in the Chicago Sun Times detailing a semi truck collision that resulted in one fatality. Reports state that the driver of a passenger vehicle was using her cell phone while traveling along Illinois Route 53 when she collided with a semi truck. The women’s vehicle then proceeded to collide with a motor vehicle stopped in the left median of the northbound lane. The motorist of the stopped vehicle had pulled over to change a flat tire when he was struck by the woman’s car and subsequently pinned between vehicles. Although the accident occurred early last month, the motorist passed away today as a result of the injuries he sustained from the accident. The driver that caused the accident was cited for improper lane usage, driving on the shoulder, and texting while driving.

Cell phone use while driving has become an increasing epidemic that has caused a great number of motor vehicle accidents resulting in injuries and/or fatalities. The National Safety Council recently conducted a study reviewing accidents that occur as a direct result of cell phone use. The study found that over 28% of traffic accidents occur when drivers talk on their cell phone or send text messages. Of that percentage, 1.4 million accidents are attributed to cell phone conversations while 200,000 are blamed on text messaging. This type of distracted driving led to over 6,000 fatalities in 2008 alone.

Illinois has continued to provide a firm legislative stance against cell phone use during vehicle operation. Under current state law, driving in Illinois while using a cell phone is illegal for: learner’s permit holders, drivers younger than 19, school bus drivers, in addition to, all drivers operating in school or construction zones. Currently, Chicago is the only major city in the state of Illinois to outright ban cell phone use for motor vehicle drivers. In addition, the state also presently prohibits texting while driving for drivers of all ages.

Despite the legality in some areas to operate a cell phone while driving, our Chicago accident attorneys strongly encourage drivers to avoid cell phone use when operating their vehicles. By taking your eyes off the road for a few quick seconds could potentially result in tragic consequences for you or surrounding passenger vehicles. To prevent distracted driving accidents, drivers should always pull off the road and find a safe place to stop for any and all cell phone use.

Earlier today, our Illinois truck accident attorneys read a report in the Madison County Record detailing a recently filed lawsuit on behalf of a man who sustained serious injuries as the result of a dump truck accident. The lawsuit, filed in Madison County Circuit Court on August 22, charges seven counts against the dump truck driver, an Illinois waste company, in addition to, the company’s corporation. In the complaint, the victim alleges that he was traveling along Route 3 in Madison County when he came to a stop for a traffic signal. The defendant truck driver failed to adhere to the stopped traffic and collided into the rear of the plaintiff’s vehicle.

In the seven count lawsuit, the plaintiff alleges that the defendant negligently failed to keep a proper lookout, drove in such a manner that he collided with the victim’s vehicle, failed to control his vehicle, in addition to, driving in an inappropriate manner. As a direct result of the accident, the victim sustained serious injury including severe disability and disfigurement that has limited his ability to complete his usual duties. The suit seeks a judgment of $350,000 for medical costs and loss of wages, as well as, costs and other relief the court deems just.

A collision involving a dump truck or commercial vehicle is vastly different than those accidents involving solely passenger vehicles. Accidents involving large vehicles that collectively weight well over thousands of pounds can lead to devastating injuries, as well as, fatal effects. Commercial vehicles are held to strict rules and regulations for safe operation and dump trucks are no exception to these safety standards. With over 347 recorded fatality incidents involving dump trucks from 1991-2004, according to the Occupational Safety and Health Administration, unsafe drivers and their companies need to be held legally liable for the substantial harm caused by these types of accidents.

Accident victims may be able entitled to monetary compensation for the damages they have sustained as the result of another’s negligent conduct. These damages include compensation for medical expenses, loss of wages, pain and suffering, in addition to, punitive damages which punish a wrongdoer’s negligent behavior. If you or a loved one has been a victim of a motor vehicle accident, please contact a Chicago personal injury lawyer for a free consultation. Our experienced accident attorneys will review your potential case and determine what legal relief may be available to you.

Earlier this morning, the Omaha World Herald reported a deadly truck accident that occurred on I-80 in Nebraska. As the result of a collision between a semi-truck and a mobile home, an Illinois man was killed, while numerous others were injured. While the initial cause of the accident is unknown, reports claim that the semi-truck rear-ended the motor home, causing the semi to jackknife and collide into a bridge rail. The collision set afire both the semi and the motor home.

The driver of the semi sustained severe personal injuries and was flown by helicopter to the nearest hospital. The semi’s passenger, who was riding in the rear “sleeping” portion of the trailer, was pronounced dead at the scene. The driver and the passengers of the motor home all sustained injuries as well and were taken to the hospital. The driver of the semi, as well as, the occupants of the motor home were all wearing safety belts.

A “jackknife” occurs when a semi-truck comes to a sudden stop. While the cab of the truck itself comes to a halt, the load the truck is carrying continues its forward momentum, ultimately causing the load to move horizontally across the highway. As you can see, the jackknife of a semi-truck is responsible for many highway accidents due to the fact that it causes the truck to take up all encompassing lanes on the highway. According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, approximately 10% of semi-truck occupant fatalities are associated with a jackknife. In addition, the likelihood of a jackknife fatality substantially increases when: there is a speed limit of 55 and over, poor weather, and/or a curved road.

Our Illinois truck accident attorneys send our deepest condolences to the family of the victim, as well as, those injured in the collision. The fatality rate of highway accidents due to semi-trucks has continued to be on the rise and proper safety precautions need to be taken in order to prevent future accidents such as this one. Victims and their families should seek legal relief if they have been harmed by the carelessness of a negligent driver.

Earlier this week we discussed the truck accident lawsuit that was filed by a Chicago area resident after getting injured when a truck driver ran into an Amtrak train. The accident made headlines across the country as at least six people were killed and dozens more injured. An investigation into the accident remains on-going, but new information is now being reported about the negligent truck driver that caused the collision.

According to USA Today, the man had at least two other citations for driving violations within the past few years. For example, in 2007 he was cited for slamming his semi into the back of a car that had stopped on a highway, injuring a family of three. The man and his trucking company were defendants in a truck crash lawsuit after that accident, and they settled the matter out of court.

The attorney who represented the family in that case explained the man “was at least a very distracted driver, if not a driver who’s conduct exhibited a disregard for the safety of others.”

On top of that accident, the driver had a string of speeding tickets. However, the timing of those tickets was spread out enough so that he did not lose his commercial driver’s license. Usually a CDL will be lost if a certain amount of violations are acquired within a short time period or if those violations are of a certain severity (such as driving more than 15 miles per hour over the speed limit)

Continue reading "Negligent Truck Driver Had History of Driving Problems" »

A Chicago truck accident lawsuit was recently filed by one of the victims of the devastating collision involving a semi-truck and a train that originated in Chicago. Fox News reported last week on the lawsuit stemming from the accident that killed six people and injured many others. The victim is a 38-year old Evanston woman who works as an Amtrak train attendant.

The crash resulted from a truck driver who ran his machine into the train at the crossing on U.S. Route 95 near the town of Lovelock. He was leading a convoy of three tractor-trailers at the time. The driver failed to notice that he was approaching the train crossing, even though the signal lights and arms were working properly. Visibility at the time was excellent, so it is unclear how the driver could have failed to realize he was approaching the train.

The driver hit his brakes only 320 feet before the rail crossing, and so he did not have enough time to stop before barreling across the safety arms and into the side of the train. The devastation was severe. The truck was traveling at such a high speed at the time of the collision that the truck was embedded in the side of the train.

The lawsuit alleges that the trucking company is responsible for failing to properly hire, train, and supervise their truck driver. Records indicate that the driving and the company he worked for had been cited more than a dozen times by various agencies for safety violations in the last three years alone.

Continue reading "Chicago Truck Accident Lawsuit Filed Following Deadly Amtrak Crash" »

Fox News 41 reported this weekend on developments related to the well-publisized truck crash that took the lives of three Chicago family members and injured several others. Two young children injured in the wreck have been hospitalized for nine days, and they are now returning to Chicago. The children were fortunate to have survived the crash which injured their parents and killed three relatives.

Doctors remarked that they’ve been astounded by the progress both children have made following the devastating accident. The family has filed a truck crash lawsuit against the negligent truck driver and company.

The truck crash occurred near Elizabethtown, Kentucky on Interstate 65. The Humboldt Park family was driving back home after attending a wedding in Florida. There were seven passengers in the Nissan Pathfinder when the accident occurred.

According to reports the family was traveling in their SUV in the early morning, at 3:30am on an unlit portion of the highway. Unexpectedly their vehicle was hit from behind by a FedEx tractor trailer. That impact caused the SUV to spin out of control. It eventually flipped over—five passengers were ejected from the vehicle during the crash.

When emergency medical crews arrived, three people were pronounced dead at the scene.

They included a 26-year old newlywed, and two sisters, one 9 years old and the other 11. The grandmother of the victims explained that the very close family remains in shock. The young girls are described as smart students who had plans to become nurses. Four others were injured in the truck accident, including the two children ages 5 and 2.

Continue reading "Miraculous Recovery for Children Injured in Deadly Truck Crash" »

On Friday we reported on a tragic truck accident that ultimately killed three members of a Humboldt Park family.

According to reports the family was traveling in their SUV in the early morning, at 3:30am on an unlit portion of Interstate 65. Unexpectedly, their vehicle was hit from behind by a FedEx tractor trailer. That impact caused the SUV to spin out of control. It eventually flipped over—five passengers were ejected from the vehicle during the crash.

When emergency medical crews arrived, three people were pronounced dead at the scene. They included a 26-year old newlywed, and two sisters, one 9 years old and the other 11. The young girls are described as smart students who had plans to become nurses. Four others were injured in the truck accident, including two other children ages 5 and 2.

Now, WLKY News reports that the catastrophe is sparking calls to improve the highway where the trucking accident occurred. Specifically, some advocates are calling for an expansion of Interstate 65. There is currently a 45 mile long stretch of the highway that is only four lanes. Many are pushing efforts to widen the highway to six lanes.

A wider highway with more area for cars to travel is cited as necessary to ease the congestion in that stretch of roadway. In that way, it is hoped there would be less risk of vehicles bumping into one another and causing deadly accidents.

Continue reading "Car Accident That Killed Three Spurs Calls for Highway Safety Improvements" »

Each day typically brings news of more accidents on our roadways involving large trucks and trailers. It takes only a short trip on a highway for most travelers to come into contact with these large vehicles that transport all sorts of materials from one side of the country to the other. Obviously the transportation capability of these machines is a vital service upon which we all depend. However, that does not excuse any truck driver or trucking company from doing everything in its power to ensure that the travel is as safe as possible.

It is also imperative for all other drivers to take extra care when on the roadway around trucks. Sadly too often that does not occur, leading to devastating trucking accidents.

Earlier this week WNDU News reported on another semi accident. The crash occurred around 3pm on Tuesday. A 21-year old driver from Illinois was traveling in a rural area when he accidentally failed to stop at a stop sign. At the same time a 50-year old truck driver was traveling on the road that intersected the one with the stop sign. As a result the semi collided with the car. The car was smashed in the crash and a female passenger was rushed to a local hospital, but fortunately, there appear to be no fatalities in this crash.

Continue reading "Illinoisan Injured in Semi Accident" »

A trucking accident occurred on I-57 in Franklin County, Illinois and resulted in the death of two people, and was caused by a truck failing to slow down in time to avoid an accident. The accident involved seven vehicles total, four of which were semi-trucks and three of which were passenger vehicles. One of the people killed in the trucking accident was the semi-truck driver that initially caused the chain-reaction crash. The driver came upon a slowed highway, due to construction in the area, and failed to appropriately gauge the situation and tried to stop too late. The truck driver crashed into another semi-truck in front if his truck, and then was struck by another semi-truck which was in turn struck by yet another semi-truck. The second person that was killed in this accident was the driver of the second semi-truck that crashed directly into the first victim’s truck. The reason that the two drivers were killed in the accident was because the initial truck caught fire and spread to the truck that crashed into it. According to STL Today, no charges have yet been filed in connection with the accident but charges are pending. To read more about this Illinois trucking accident, please click on this link.

Illinois accident attorneys ask drivers to always be extra cautious in allowing yourself time to break and come to a complete stop when approaching slowed-down traffic. The best way to ensure that you will not hit a car when you are slowing down is to leave an appropriate amount of space between you and the cars in front of you so you will always have time to react to even a sudden slow-down in traffic. The general rule of thumb is for every ten miles an hour you are driving there should be one car length between you and the car in front of you to ensure safe distance and reaction time, meaning that if you are driving at 60 miles an hour on a highway the car in front of you should be at least 6 vehicle lengths ahead of you. Please follow this simple tip and hopefully help avoid an accident!

A former Kenawee mayor was killed in a fatal trucking accident after the truck that he was driving in crashed head first into another truck. The accident occurred near Geneseo, Illinois on Highway 6 on July 7th. At this point not a great deal is known about the accident, however it is clear that the former mayor was killed as a result of the personal injuries he suffered in the accident. Two other people that were riding in the other truck did not suffer major injuries in the accident. A friend of the victim who had seen the former mayor earlier that morning actually passed the accident once the police had arrived and had no idea that it was his friend that had been involved in this tragic accident. According to WQAD, the friend, as well as many other Kewanee residents, had nothing but kind things to say about the former mayor, including what a wonderful and devoted family man he was and what great things he had been able to do for the community. To read more about this Illinois accident, please click on this link.

A Carthage, Illinois trucking accident occurred on July 3rd on Illinois 94 and left the truck driver with minor personal injuries resulting from the accident. The teenage driver was driving in Illinois 94 when for an unknown reason his truck left the highway and overturned before coming to a stop on the roof of the truck. According to The Whig, the driver was ticketed for failing to reduce speed in order to avoid a car accident and failing to wear a seat belt. To read more about this Illinois truck accident, please click on this link.

This accident involved a driver who was not wearing a seatbelt at the time of the crash. Luckily, he was not severely injured, but he would likely have been injured even less had he been wearing a seat belt. It is not only against the law to drive without a seat belt, but it can often mean the difference between suffering injuries in the event of a car accident and can even be the difference between life and death. Many people feel that because they are good drivers, or because they are only traveling a short distance, that they do not need to wear a seat belt. However, as Chicago accident attorneys remind readers, many accidents can occur very close to home on a short trip and no matter how safe of a driver you may be, there are others you may encounter on the road that are not as safe of drivers. Because you cannot be sure of what you will encounter while driving, it is important to always be safe and wear your seatbelt any time you are driving. In addition to always wearing a seat belt when you are driving, please make sure that any passengers are also buckled up so that they are protected in the event of a car accident.

A trucking accident on the I-94 on the Northwest side of Chicago left the truck driver injured and the highway temporarily closed for a couple of hours following the crash in the early morning hours of June 22nd. The truck driver was driving a load of about 1200 cases of beer and then crashed and the truck overturned, spilling the load all over the highway. According to the Chicago Sun Times, at this time police are not aware of what caused the driver to crash and the truck to overturn, but they do not suspect that alcohol or drugs were a factor that was a contribution to the crash. The driver suffered some personal injuries in the accident and was taken to a local Park Ridge hospital for treatment of these injuries. Following the accident and the spill, the highway did have to be closed for a little while, but the lanes were reopened later that morning. To read more about this Illinois trucking crash, please click on this link.

Trucking crashes that involve trucks carrying large loads can often lead to the area where the crash occurred having to be shut down for clean-up. This means that even if a trucking accident is minor, traffic could still be backed up for awhile if the truck's load spills. In some cases, when the truck involved in an accident was transporting hazardous material, a special team (the HAZMAT team) has to be called in to clean up the spill. The reason a special team is necessary in this type of trucking accident is that the spill needs to be contained a certain way to ensure that people and the land near the accident do not get exposed to the hazardous material. Because of the possibility of load spill, trucking accidents can often lead to extreme back-ups around the site where the accident occurs.

A Williamson County trucking accident occurred on June 13th and left six people with serious personal injuries resulting from the crash. The accident occurred when a semi-truck crashed into four others cars that were slowing down for construction in the area. The truck then crashed into another semi-truck which then hit a construction vehicle. Three more cars were then involved in this chain reaction crash when they were unable to stop in time to avoid the accident. Six people that were involved in this accident had to be taken to local hospitals for treatment of the injuries they sustained in the accident. According to KFVS News, the driver of the original semi-truck that caused the accident has been cited with failing to reduce speed in order to avoid a car accident. To read more about this Illinois trucking accident, please click on this link.

The trucking industry has recently been trying to make changes and adjustments in order to help reduce the number of trucking accidents like the one above and make the trucking industry a safer place overall. The trucking industry has become noticeably safer in recent years, with a marked decrease in truck accident related fatalities, and hopefully will continue in this fashion. One of the measure the industry has taken to increase safety is the creation of new technologies which help truckers drive safer and be more aware of their surroundings, and these include anti-rollover safety equipment, lane departure warning systems, and blind spot and collision warning systems. Another important stand that the trucking industry has taken on safety, is that they are strong advocates of limiting highway speeds for large commercial trucks, seeking a national speed limit of 65 miles per hour. A third very important safety measure that trucking companies have recently enactedare the implementation of a national Roadcheck, which was sponsored by the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration and in which at the first check trucks were pulled over at random to check that they were in compliace with all safety requirements. All of these measures taking by the trucking industry have helped tremendously make the number of trucking crashes decrease and make the roads safer for everyone.

An Illinois trucking accident left one man dead on June 10th, when the concrete mixer he was driving rolled over as he tried to exit the highway. According to WGN, the accident occurred on the Bishop Ford expressway when the truck crashed into a van and then rolled over. The driver of the cement truck was killed as a result of the personal injuries he sustained, but the driver of the van was not injured. At this time the Illinois State Police are still investigating what the cause of the fatal accident may have been but it does appear that the truck driver may have been speeding at the time the accident occurred. To read more about this Pullman trucking accident, please click on this link.

It is important for truck drivers to always remember to drive the appropriate speed given the speed limit and the conditions on the road around them. This means that if the weather is bad or if the road conditions are dangerous, that truck drivers should even drive below the speed limit and at a comfortable speed. This way, they have the appropriate time to react if something happens and it helps to keep their truck under control. Trucks are large vehicles which can make them much more difficult to control or to stop in the event of an emergency. Illinois accident attorneys ask truck drivers to always remember the danger of speeding in a large commercial truck and the danger it can pose not only to the driver and passengers in the truck but also to other drivers and passengers on the road.

An Illinois trucking accident that occurred near Lake Springfield on June 8th left a teenage girl with serious personal injuries. The accident occurred when the teenage victim got into an accident with a truck, spun around and was struck by another truck, causing the car to end up in a ditch. According to The State Journal-Register, at this point in time police are not sure which driver caused the truck accident and therefore no citations have been issued. The driver of the passenger car and her passenger were taken to a local hospital following the accident, and the teenage driver is still hospitalized. Neither of the semi-drivers were injured and did not need to go to the hospital following the accident. To read more about this Springfield trucking accident, please click on this link.

Teen drivers are at a higher risk of getting into traffic accidents than any other age group, and according to the National Safety Counsel, teenage traffic accidents account for about 44% of teenage deaths each year. According to The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, teenage inexperience is a major factor in accidents involving teens and this issue is likely not helped out by the fact that the process for getting a driver's license is not a very difficult or demanding. Like any other skill, learning to drive well and safely takes time and practice. This is one of the reasons that teenage drivers are at such a higher risk for accidents. Illinois accident attorneys remind adults to help young drivers learn the rules of the road and help make sure that teenage drivers get plenty of practice with experienced drivers before they are on the road alone.

Another major issue affecting teenage drivers is distractions that take teens attention off of the road. According to ABC News, distractions while driving can be as dangerous as driving under the influence of alcohol or drugs. Distractions range from talking on a cell phone, sending and receiving text messages, adjusting the radio, eating while driving, to other teenagers in the car that cause the driver to become distracted. To combat this issue, please talk to your teens about how dangerous it can be to lose focus from the road and how important it is to not let these distractions in while driving. One of the best ways to show teens how to not let distractions become the cause of an accident is to set an example and make sure not to allow distractions to take your focus of the road when you are driving with the teens in the car.

A chain reaction truck accident resulted in the death of three people on May 31st. The Illinois truck crash is believed to have occurred when drivers were trying to merge into one lane because of construction and a crash occurred in which nine vehicles were involved, including a semi-truck. This Mattoon area accident is believed to have primarily been the result of driver distraction and at this time there is no evidence that drugs or alcohol played a factor in the fatal accident. According to The Herald Review, the accident occurred on I-57 which was closed for about 7 hours to clean up from the multi-car accident. To read more about this tragic trucking accident, please click on this link.

Many accidents occur everyday as a result of distracted drivers. Distracted drivers can be as dangerous as drivers under the influence of drugs or alcohol and the results can be very severe. Our Illinois accident attorneys remind drivers of the importance of always keeping an eye on the road and being aware of your surroundings and of other drivers while behind the wheel. Please make sure to limit cell-phone use with a hands-free device. Do not try to send or respond to text messages while you are driving because even taking your eyes off the road for one second can lead to a serious crash that can harm you, your loves ones, or others on the road. While there are rules in certain parts of Illinois that ban cell phone usage to different degrees, it is best to error on the side of caution and avoid potential distractions. Taking this one safety measure can make all the difference in preventing an accident.

A tragic accident that occurred earlier this year and left a six-year-old Edwardsville girl dead, has been ruled an accident. The accident occurred when a pickup truck was pulling out of a driveway and backed up over the young girl as she rode her bike near her home. The young girl did not die immediately following the accident, but died shortly after in a local hospital. According to The Chicago Tribune, the investigation into the tragic trucking crash has been closed, after a coroner’s jury ruled the death an accident. The driver of the truck has not yet and is not expected to face any criminal charges. It is unknown at this point whether the family of the victim will file civil charges against the driver. If you would like to read more about this terrible trucking accident, please click on this link.

Even though this specific accident was determined to be an accident, it shows us what can happen when a driver fails to pay enough attention to the road or fails to be extra cautious when driving in a neighborhood with children. Chicago injury attorneys want to remind readers of the importance of always looking around and being aware when driving. Small children are not going to be as cautious as adults and may dart out into the street to retrieve a ball or toy, so it is always worth taking the extra few seconds to look around especially when you are driving in an area which has small children around.

A Chicago trucking accident that occurred earlier this morning resulted in the personal injuries of two people. This Chicago accident occurred on the Eisenhower Expressway, in the east bound lanes of the I-290, and while it is not currently known what caused the accident, it is known that four cars and a truck were all involved in this accident. According to The Chicago Sun Times, of the two people that suffered injuries, one is in serious but stable condition and the other person is listed in good condition. To read more about this Chicago trucking accident, please click on this link.

Chicago accident attorneys want to remind all drivers, of both cars and trucks, of the importance of always being alert and aware to your surroundings when driving. Always try to keep the distractions to a minimum and always allow plenty of distance between your car and other cars when driving, in order to allow yourself reaction time in the event of a sudden slow down in traffic. This tip is especially important when traveling on highways, because the faster the speed that you are traveling the longer it will take you to slow your vehicle down in the event that you need to slow down suddenly. Staying aware of what is going on around you while driving and always injuring that you have adequate space from the cars around you is a great way to help avoid car and trucking accidents. Taking a few simple steps every time you get behind the wheel can make all the difference in staying out of car accidents, so please stay alert and aware at all times!

An Illinois teen was killed in a trucking accident that occurred on Illinois Route 48 on May 6. The Taylorville girl was driving when she went off the road, crossed the center line and crashed into a semi-truck that was traveling the other direction. According to The Herald Review, the Illinois accident occurred early in the morning and a third car was involved as well. The only person that suffered any personal injuries was the young teen who unfortunately had too severe of injuries to recover and died as a result of the accident. If you would like to read more about this tragic Sangamon County trucking accident, please click on this hyperlink.

While it is unknown at this point exactly what caused the teenage driver to lose control of her vehicle, teenage drivers often tend to be more involved in car accidents than older and more experienced drivers. One main reason for teenagers being involved in more accidents is that they are younger and less experienced than older drivers and often lack the ability to judge situations on the road in order to avoid accidents. Additionally, younger drivers tend to be more likely to allow distractions to get the best of them while on the road. This can include talking to friends while driving, listening to and changing the radio, texting while behind the wheel, talking on the phone while driving, as well as other distractions that can take the young drivers focus away from where it needs to be, on the road at all times. The combination of the lack of experience and the many possible distractions that teenage drivers face are the leading causes of the higher rate of teenage accidents.

A Hardin County, Illinois trucking accident that occurred on April 23rd left one man dead and another seriously injured. The accident occurred on Route 34 when a passenger truck tried to pass a semi-truck and collided with another semi-truck as it attempted to pass. Unfortunately, the driver of the passenger truck suffered such serious personal injuries that he ended up dying at the scene of the tragic trucking accident. The driver of the semi-truck involved did suffer some personal injuries but refused to be taken to the hospital for treatment following the accident. The area of Route 34 where the accident occurred was closed temporarily to clean up after the semi-truck’s load spilled into the road. To read more about this fatal trucking accident, please click on this link.

Attempting to pass other car on a two lane highway is extremely dangerous and can easily result in a head on car accident. Even in areas where passing is allowed, please remember that it is very hard to determine how long it will take a car coming from the opposite direction to approach and to always err on the side of caution. If you feel like you need to pass a car in an area that allows passing, make sure to only pass if there if there are no cars coming in the opposite direction. If you are not sure if there is time to safely pass a car, please do not attempt to because of the serious risk and danger of a car accident resulting from attempting to pass when there is not enough time to safely get around the car in front of you.

A trucking accident that occurred on April 19th left one Illinois pedestrian dead and seriously injured another. The accident occurred when a sports utility vehicle crashed into a semi-truck, causing the SUV to roll over onto the sidewalk and trap two people that were pedestrians on the sidewalk. Thanks to the witnesses that worked so hard to save the man trapped under the vehicle, that man is expected to be completely fine. According to the Chicago Sun Times, a group of people that witnessed the accident came together and were able to lift the SUV, which weighed over 3,000 pounds, off of the trapped man so he could be taken to a hospital. The woman that was killed had also been trapped under the vehicle and the bystanders were able to get her out as well, but unfortunately her injuries were too severe for doctors to save her. The two pedestrians that were involved in this accident were a married couple that were walking to the bank in order to get some exercise. At this point, the Lombard Police are not sure what caused the initial accident, but it is still under investigation. To read more about this pedestrian accident, please click on this link.

Unfortunately, pedestrians are killed as a result of car and trucking crashes all the time. In 2003, eleven percent of all motor vehicle deaths were pedestrian deaths. According to Walking Info’s website, the most common group of people that are at risk for getting struck by a car are very young boys that may have the highest tendency to dart out into the street. The least common age group to be affected by pedestrian crashes are the elderly population which is probably a result of this age group being the most cautious pedestrians and those least likely to walk in highly traffic-filled areas. It is important for all walkers to be cautious and alert when walking, especially in areas where traffic is heavily congested. Even though pedestrians have the right of way, many drivers may not always stop in time so everyone should always double check before crossing the street.

The driver of a truck that struck and killed a small child and injured four others and then fled the scene has been charged with five felonies in connection with this tragic hit-and-run accident that occurred in Cartage, Illinois in December. The hit-and-run prison sentence has not yet been determined but the driver responsible can face up to 15 years in prison in connection with the hit-and-run felony. The accident occurred when the defendant was driving a pickup truck with a trailer towed behind it and the trailer broke of the truck and crossed the center line striking an oncoming vehicle. According to The Whig, the driver turned his truck around and passed the accident and drove away after causing the terrible accident. To read more about this Illinois trucking accident, please click on this link.

In Illinois, it is a serious offense to leave the scene of an accident. According to Illinois driving laws, any driver involved in a car or truck accident where people are injured or property is damaged is required to stop at the scene, exchange information and provide help if needed. If a person in Illinois fails to stop after damaging property it is considered a misdemeanor hit-and-run (Class 4 felony carrying up to $25,000 in fines and up to 3 years in prison) and if a person is injured and a negligent driver leaves the scene, they can be charged with a felony hit-and-run (Class 2 felony carrying up to $25,000 in fines and up to 7 years in prison). If a person is killed during the hit-and-run, the charge is a Class 1 felony carrying up to a $25,000 in fines and up to 15 years in prison. While it may be scary to be in a car accident and leaving is scene of an accident is never the right choice. Always make sure if you are involved in an accident that you stay and make sure that everyone is okay and that information is exchanged.

On April 14th two North Aurora teens were killed in a fatal accident involving their passenger car and a garbage truck. According to the Chicago Tribune, the trucking accident occurred on Illinois Highway 47 in the early afternoon near Waubonsee Community College. According to the truck driver the accident happened when he was driving on IL 47 and the passenger car turned into a driveway in front of his truck. Aside from the two teenagers that were killed in the crash, a man was also injured. It is unknown if this was the truck driver or another person that was in the passenger car. To read more about this tragic accident, please click on the link.

Unfortunately teenage drivers are the age group with the highest fatal crash rates as well as the highest traffic violation rates. Several of the factors that are believed to contribute to the high number of teenage accidents is that teenagers are the most likely to take risks, to have a low risk perception, to have poor hazard detection, to lack driving skill and to be distracted while driving. According to the Department of Motor Vehicles website, in 2008 there were 164 fatalities in the state of Illinois that were either teenage drivers, passengers of teenage drivers, or people that were killed as a result of a teenage driver. One way to helpfully lower these statistics is to impose stricter driving rules and driving education for teenage drivers and with that hopefully there will be less of these tragic teenage trucking accident.

An Illinois woman has filed a trucking accident lawsuit in connection with an accident that the complaint alleges left her sick, sore, disordered and disabled. The trucking accident occurred when the plaintiff claims she was driving on I-55 and a tractor that was traveling on the same highway struck her car. The lawsuit claims that the Defendant caused the accident by failing to keep a proper lookout, that he failed to stop to avoid a collision, and that he failed to keep his vehicle under proper control. According to the St. Clair Record, the plaintiff is seeking over $150,000 in damages. If you would like to read more about this trucking lawsuit, please click on this link.

Often times plaintiffs involved in a trucking accident will sue the trucking company as well as the driver. In this case it is known that the defendant was working for a trucking company, but is unknown whether the plaintiff will name the trucking company as an additional defendant in the lawsuit. Being that trucking companies may face liability for their drivers, it is important for companies to make sure that not only safety programs are offered and required for all drivers but that drivers are actually driving safely on the roads and not causing trucking crashes. If you or a loved one have been involved in a trucking accident and feel that the driver and/or the trucking company were at fault for the damages incurred, please contact an Illinois accident attorney today so you can discuss what options are available to you.

A Southern Illinois man was killed in a trucking accident on the morning of April 12th. The victim was an elderly man, 95 years old, and the accident occurred when he failed to yield at a stop sign causing his car to be struck by a tractor-trailer. The truck flipped on its side but the trucking driver only suffered minor personal injuries and is expected to recover fully according to WSIL TV. The elderly man was killed as a result of the injuries he sustained from the accident. The area of Route 148 where the fatal accident occurred was shut down for most of the day to clean up the gasoline spill from the tanker truck. To read more about this Williamson County trucking accident, please click on the link.

Many accidents, like the one above, are caused by elderly drivers whose reaction times may make it difficult for them to drive. If you are a elderly driver or have an elderly family member that is still driving, it is important to look for warning signs that may mean that you should not still be behind the wheel and be aware of safety tips for elderly drivers. Some of the things to look out for and be aware of how they can affect your driving are visual decline, hearing loss, limited mobility and increased reaction time, overall drowsiness, dementia and affects that medication may have on driving ability. All of these changes that often come with age can affect driving and it is very important to remember to respect these changes and make sure you are safe to drive. Certain tips are offered by Help Guide’s website to help elderly drivers make sure they are safe while driving and they include making sure that the car is right for you and that you are comfortable driving it, driving slowly and on familiar routes and maintaining distance from other cars, avoiding distractions that might take away from your concentration, and avoiding uncomfortable driving situations such as new areas, crowded streets, and weather problems. To read more about elderly drivers and tips to help avoid car accidents, please click on this hyperlink.

A trucking accident lawsuit has been filed in connection with a trucking accident that occurred back in 2008. The accident occurred when the victim was driving on I-70 and was struck from behind by a tractor-trailer. The accident left the victim in a coma and her husband has filed this lawsuit on her behalf. The complaint alleges that the victim has incurred over $600,000 in medical expenses in addition to lost wages she has suffered and will continue to incur. According to The St. Clair Record, the husband of the victim names the truck driver for causing the accident and states that he was negligent in that he failed to keep a proper lookout and failed to slow down to avoid an accident. To read more about this Illinois trucking accident lawsuit, please click on this link.

Often times when a trucking crash occurs, the trucking company may be held liable for the driver’s actions. Because trucking companies can be liable, it is important for all trucking companies to try to insure that their drivers are properly trained and are very safe and cautious when on the road. Trucking safety is very important to trucking companies and truck drivers and this extended safety effort can be seen in the number of trucking accidents decreasing in recent years. However, these accidents do still occur too often and if you or a loved one were involved in a trucking accident that you feel the truck driver or trucking company may have been at fault in causing, please contact an Illinois accident attorney to further discuss your options.

An Illinois trucking accident lawsuit has settled in connection with an accident that occurred back in 2006. The trucking accident occurred when a passenger car struck a tractor trailer that was backing out of an office building lot. The lawsuit that was just settled was brought by the wife of a passenger in the car that died several weeks after the crash as a result of his injuries. According to The Madison Record, the amount of the settlement is confidential. To read more about this Illinois trucking accident, click on this link.

Many accident lawsuits arising from car and trucking accidents involve many defendants and bring a suit under many different causes of action. Often times when companies are named in lawsuits, they may try to reach a settlement instead of having to go to trial to handle the situation. Additionally, parties may be added to the lawsuit if the facts of the accident reveal along the way that someone else may have been at fault. If you or a loved one has been involved in a car or trucking accident and want to file a lawsuit, please call an Illinois accident attorney to further discuss your options.

An Illinois trucking accident left a 6 year old boy dead and his father seriously injured. The accident occurred in Pilsen on March 19th when the young boy and his father were crossing the street on their way home from the boy’s school. According to The Chicago Sun Times, the area where they were hit had no traffic lights or stop signs and they were struck by a semi truck as they were crossing the street. Both victims were taken to Stroger Hospital following the truck crash, but unfortunately the little boy’s injuries were too severe and he died. The truck driver has been ticked with hitting a pedestrian. To read more about this tragic pedestrian accident, click here.

It is important for drivers of any type of vehicle to make sure to always yield to pedestrians, who always have the right of way. Even if there are not traffic signals or stop signs, drivers must always yield to pedestrians. According to the National Highway Traffic Association, in 2005 close to 5000 pedestrians were killed in motor vehicle accidents in the United States and pedestrian deaths are more common in urban areas. Given the high number of pedestrian deaths that occur each year, we must remember to always stay alert and watch out for pedestrians!

A trucking accident that occurred on March 17th in Joliet left three Illinois Department of Transportation (IDOT) workers injured. The accident occurred when the victims were in their truck on the shoulder of the I-80 in Joliet and were struck by a passenger vehicle. According to WBBM, the driver of the car has been cited with several violations, but at this time it is unknown if texting or cell phone use was a factor in the crash. All three of the victims were hospitalized because of their personal injuries but are expected to recover fully. To read more about this IDOT trucking accident, please click on this link.

It is important for all drivers to obey the rules of the road when driving and more specifically the rules that apply to driving in construction zones when appropriate. According to the Illinois Department of Safety website, in Illinois, a driver can still get a ticket for failing to obey the posted laws in a construction zone even when no workers are present. The restrictions place lowered speed limits in construction zones not only to protect the workers but also if the event that there is equipment or other things that would be dangerous if the normal speed limit was allowed. The fines for a first offense in a construction zone is at the minimum $375 and a minimum of $1000 for the second offense. If the second offense is within two years of the first offense, a mandatory suspension of the driver’s license is required. These construction zone laws in Illinois are taken very seriously and are in place for the protection of both workers and the drivers and should be taken very seriously and obeyed at all times by drivers.

An Illinois motorcycle accident occurred on March 17th on the Kennedy Expressway when a motorcyclist tried to change lanes in between two semi-trucks and hit the back on one of the trucks. The motorcyclist was luckily wearing a helmet, but did still suffer critical injuries and was taken to Advocate Lutheran General Hospital. The truck driver that was struck was questioned after the accident and his truck was inspected following the truck crash to see if he had disobeyed any laws and if his truck was up to code.

The police at the scene determined that the truck driver had not violated any rules and that the truck driver was not at fault for the trucking accident. According to The Chicago Sun Times, at this point it is unknown whether or not the motorcyclist will be cited in connection with the accident. It is important to remember that not all trucking accidents are caused by truck drivers and that sometimes other vehicles on the road fail to be cautious and respect the fact that they are driving near a truck. It is important to use proper driving techniques and follow appropriate safety precautions at all times. To read more about this Chicago motorcycle accident, please click on the link.

An Illinois man has received a settlement amount of over $10 million in connection with a trucking accident lawsuit. The trucking accident occurred a couple of years ago in Southern Illinois and the victim filed a lawsuit after his car was sideswiped by a truck after the truck driver ran a stop sign. According to The Chicago Sun Times, the victim suffered many ongoing medical problems that have and will continue to create problems for him. The accident caused the man to have herniated discs in both his back and neck and have caused him to need multiple surgeries on his spine.

Victims of accidents are often entitled to compensation that goes beyond the cost of medical bills, and often includes money for lost wages and other compensation to try to best make the victim as whole as possible again in every aspect of their life. This victim suffered spinal injuries which may have left him unable to work and with other severe and permanent medical issues that may leave him in constant pain and require constant attention. Given the amount of this settlement and what drivers can be found liable for when they are found to have acted negligently on the road, it is crucial to always remember how important it is to follow traffic signals and paying attention while driving. To read more about this trucking accident settlement, click on this link.

A recent study has shown that traffic deaths are at an all time low. According to Trucking Info, the reason for the decline is believed to be mostly attributed to certain factors such as safer roads, safer vehicles and an overall drop in the number of drivers. Additionally, certain campaigns have increased driver awareness and overall more cautious driving, such as campaigns that remind of the importance of not drinking and driving and of always wearing a seat belt when driving or riding in a car. To read more about this trucking accident study, click on the link.

While the decrease is clearly a step in the right direction, it is only the a step. These numbers are still high and need to drop further. The fight for driver safety will continue until people stop dying in traffic accidents. In addition to drivers taking it upon themselves to be safer and more aware on the road, the safety measures must be taken in other ways as well. When it comes to trucking accidents, to make sure they are less likely, the trucking companies have to take the initiative to encourage truck safety and driver safety and help insure that their trucks and drivers are safely on the road. Hopefully, if everyone can take it upon themselves, and trucking companies can take the steps to make safety a priority, the number of fatalities in car and trucking crashes will continue to decrease.

A trucking accident that occurred on March 7th injured 13 people. The south side Chicago trucking accident occurred near Loomis Street and Cermak Road when a semi-trailer truck and a CTA bus crashed into each other. According to Chicago Breaking News, twelve people on the bus suffered personal injuries as well as the truck driver. Luckily, only one of the injuries was severe enough to be considered critical. At this point there is no word on what caused the accident and if either driver will be facing any kind of charges. To read more about this South Side trucking accident, please click on the link.

Many accidents occur each years involving Chicago Transit Authority busses and trains. If you or a loved one were involved in a Chicago accident where you were a passenger on a bus or train and feel that you may be entitled to damages for injuries, please contact a Chicago accident attorney to discuss your options. Many times the accident may be caused by a negligent driver on either the bus or train, or in a car that crashed into one of these, and the passengers involved may be entitled to compensation.

A wrongful death lawsuit has been filed in connection with a trucking accident in which a Frankfurt woman was fatally injured, when she was believed to be looking at a flat tire on her car and was struck by a semi-truck. According to My Fox Chicago, on February 16th, the Illinois woman got out of her car on the shoulder of I-294 and was hit by the truck and pronounced dead on the scene. The wrongful death lawsuit alleges that the truck driver failed to keep a proper lookout, drove too fast, did not stay in his lane and failed to sound the horn. These are all negligent actions on the part of a trucking driver and are all crucial rules to obey when driving a truck. Truck drivers must always remain alert and aware of what is going on on the road around them and keep an eye out for stopped cars and make sure to keep a safe distance from the cars as well as properly warn them if they are too close. In addition to these negligent actions on the part of the driver, the lawsuit alleges that the truck itself was in disrepair and had not been properly maintained. Proper maintenance of all trucks is necessary and negligence in truck upkeep is something that a driver or a trucking company may be held liable in the event of a trucking accident. To read more about this tragic Illinois trucking accident, please click on this link.

In the event that your car gets a flat tire or breaks down in some other way while on the highway or a busy street there are certain safety precautions that should be taken. The National Safety Council recommends that you should always ease your car towards the side of the road and if you are on a highway try to reach an exit if possible. Once you are off the road you want to make sure that your car is visible to other cars passing by, whether this is done by putting out reflective triangles behind your car, turn your flashers on and turn on the interior light in your car. If the reason you are pulled over is for a flat tire, make sure to only change the tire yourself if you can do so a safe distance from traffic. If the problem is unknown or something serious beyond what you can easily fix yourself, wait for professional help. Do not attempt to flag down a car, but rather call a tow truck company for help and then raise the hood to try to let a police officer or tow truck know where you are when they arrive to help.

An Illinois trucking accident lawsuit has been settled and the family of the victims have been awarded $4 million dollars. The LaSalle County trucking accident occurred two years ago when a semi-truck driver fell asleep at the wheel and caused an accident that involved seven vehicles in total. According to My Web Times, the wrongful death lawsuit that was just settled was in connection with an elderly couple that were killed in the chain reaction accident, and another young woman also died as a result of the accident and several others were hurt. The court found the truck driver guilty of failing to reduce speed and following too closely and after the court found the driver negligent the jury was asked to determine what damages should be awarded to the estate, and they came up with $2 million per person or $4 million dollars total. To read more about this trucking accident lawsuit, please click on the hyperlink.

Following too closely and failing to reduce speed to avoid an accident are common causes of both trucking and car accidents. When following too closely or driving too fast for the conditions it can make it difficult or even impossible for drivers to stop in time to avoid an accident. According to the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration’s website, trucking accident account for about 12% of all motor vehicle accidents and the best way to prevent more accidents is to make sure you are a defensive driver. This means that you are always aware of what is going on around you while driving, of other vehicles on the road, follow speed limits and drive slowly when conditions require it, are always alert while at the wheel and maintain your distance from other vehicles. Being a cautious and defensive driver can be all it takes to reduce the number of trucking and car accidents and can make the road a safer place to be.

A Chicago trucking accident occurred early on the morning of March 5th in which a semi-truck and a passenger car crashed. There is video footage of this accident which show the car being stuck between the semi-truck and the barrier of the Bishop Ford Expressway. One of the people involved in the accident had to be extricated from the car, however luckily according to Chicago Breaking News, the personal injuries were minor. To read more about this Illinois truck crash, please click on the link.

If certain precautions are taken, often times trucking accidents that could be fatal or at least result in personal injuries, can be much less severe. Truckers should always make sure that they are following the speed limits, not driving when they are fatigued, always remaining alert and paying attention to other drivers on the road and always wearing their seat belt. Additionally, drivers of passenger cars need to follow these same precautions as well as remaining a safe distance from trucks. If you are in a passenger car and involved in a trucking accident please remain calm and stay focused on the road and wait for emergency personnel.

A trucking accident that occurred on the Dan Ryan Expressway on February 20th left an Illinois adult and two children seriously injured. The accident occurred when the van they were traveling in blew a tire and crashed into a semi-truck. The man and two of the children were not wearing seat belts at the time of the accident and were ejected from the vehicle, and are all listed in critical condition at local hospitals. According to The Chicago Sun Times, two other adults and one other child were involved in the crash, but luckily they were wearing their seat belts and therefore were not ejected from the car. If you would like to read more about this Chicago trucking accident, please click on the link.

Drivers and their passengers should always wear their seat belts whenever they are traveling in a car. Wearing seat belts have been found to be the best way to reduce injuries in car accidents. As this accident shows, accidents can occur even when you are paying attention to the road and driving cautiously, in the event of a tire blowing out or some other car malfunction. Because these types of accidents are possible, and because even though you may feel that you are a safe driver but you can never know about the other drivers on the road with you, it is crucial to always wear your seat belt. For seat belt safety statistics, please click on the link.

A Chicago trucking accident occurred on February 16th at the intersection of Ogden and Sacramento when a car tried to speed through traffic that was stopped for an approaching fire truck. According to WGN, the speeding car crashed into the fire truck, injuring three people that were in the fire truck. The firefighters had to stop and help the victims at the scene of the accident. To read more about this fire truck accident, please click on this link.

Illinois law requires that all drivers pull to the right side of the road if an emergency vehicle is approaching. This applies to both emergency vehicles that are behind or in front of the driver. In addition to this being the law, it is very important to always yield to emergency vehicles because they are trying to get somewhere quickly and if cars do not yield, an accident is likely.

A trucking accident in Effingham occurred when a train crashed into the side of a garbage truck on February 8th. According to WJBD Radio, a Dietrich man was driving a garbage truck and attempted to cross train tracks, but did not have enough time to safely cross the tracks and the garbage truck was struck by a train. The driver of the truck was thrown from the truck and suffered severe personal injuries but luckily was conscious and alert when emergency vehicles arrived. To read more about this trucking accident, click on this link.

In this accident there were no gates at the crossing to alert drivers when a train was coming. When there are no gates at the crossing it is important to take extra care and be extra cautious before crossing a train track in order to avoid an accident. Please click on this link for some safety tip and information about train tracks.

There are many types of violations that Illinois drivers receive after being involved in a car or a trucking accident. If drivers familiarize themselves with Illinois traffic laws, hopefully the number of Illinois accidents would be reduced. Most drivers are aware of certain violations such as driving under the influence, driving with a suspended or revoked license, and leaving the scene of an accident (hit-and-run).

However, there are many actions that drivers may not realize are in violation of Illinois law, but that can also cause car or trucking accidents or lead to citations. Examples of these types of less commonly known laws are things such as driving without insurance or registration, driving without a seat belt on, and driving with certain types of vehicle modifications found to be unsafe. In order to become familiar with all Illinois driving laws and what every Illinois driver should know before driving, please click on this link.

Aside from these driving laws, there are certain truck-specific laws as well. All Illinois truck drivers are responsible for following these laws, ranging from safe vehicle operations to the transport of hazardous materials, and are subject to citation if these rules are not followed. For a complete set of Illinois trucking laws, please click on the link.

If you have been injured in a car or trucking accident in Illinois, our trucking accident attorneys may be able to help you seek compensation. Follow this link to contact an Illinois accident attorney.

A tractor trailer accident on January 23rd resulted in the death of two Chicago area residents. The truck accident occurred when a semi struck a van carrying the family, after the truck was reportedly weaving on the highway. The trucking accident resulted in the death of the two family members as well as personal injuries to sixteen other people involved in the fatal accident. According to The Chicago Tribune, samples were taken from both drivers to test to see if they were under the influence at the time of the trucking accident. If you would like more information on this trucking accident, please click here.

A trucking accident that occurred on January 19th on the I-290 seriously injured one man. The trucking accident occurred when one car was stopped on the highway and a tow truck struck the car, and then a third car was involved in the car accident. According to Chicago Sun Times, traffic was stopped after the crash and one of the people involved in the trucking accident had to be unpinned and taken to a local hospital in a helicopter. To read more about this Illinois trucking accident, please click on this link.

A Randolph County trucking accident on Route 13 that occurred when the driver of a vehicle attempted to pass a semi truck and crashed into a ditch, flipping the vehicle. The driver was not fatally injured, but one of the passengers was thrown from the car and died as a result of her personal injuries. The other three passengers were injured but are all expected to recover fully. According to WSIL TV, at this time the accident is still under investigation and the charges are pending. If you would like more information on this trucking accident, please click on this link.

A fatal trucking accident occurred on January 20th when a Red Cross truck and a semi-truck crashed on Illinois Route 3. According to The Southern, the victim was a passenger in the Red Cross truck which caused the trucking accident when the truck crossed the center lane and crashed into the semi that was traveling in the opposite direction. The Red Cross driver has been cited with improper lane usage. If you would like more information on this fatal accident, please click on this link.

A South Pekin woman was killed in an Illinois Route 29 trucking accident on January 20th. According to The PJ Star, the trucking accident was likely due to ice that had just formed on the road causing a pickup truck to skid into a semi-truck. The driver of the pickup truck was killed as a result of the trucking accident. Several other car accidents in the area were also believed to have been due to the icy weather. To read more about this trucking accident, please click on this link.

A trucking accident that occurred on the morning of January 16th on Illinois Highway 53 in Rolling Meadows, resulted in the truck’s load of milk being spilled. According to Chicago Breaking News, the trucking accident occurred when a vehicle tried to cut over into another lane and a different vehicle was forced to swerve and then hit the milk truck. The driver of the original car has been charged with improper lane usage, but is unharmed. The other two drivers involved in the truck accident were taken to local hospitals, however their condition is non life-threatening. To read more about this Illinois accident, click here.

A trucking accident that occurred on January 15th resulted in the death of two sisters that were involved in the terrible crash. According to ETruth.com, the truck driver was an Illinois resident, and the crash occurred when the truck driver struck a car in which the two sisters were traveling. At this point no citations have been issued in connection with the fatal accident, and to read more about this tragic trucking accident please click on this link.

A trucking accident that occurred earlier this month resulted in the serious injury of an Illinois man. According to Alamogordo Daily News, the trucking accident happened when a tractor-trailer in which the victim was driving veered off of the road and hit a pole, causing the truck to roll onto its side. The victim was able to crawl out of the truck following the trucking accident and is now in a local hospital for treatment of the severe personal injuries incurred in the accident. To read more about this Illinois victim, please click on the hyperlink.

A trucking accident earlier this morning occurred when a semi-truck crashed into a car on the Bishop Ford Freeway on the South Side of Chicago. According to The Chicago Sun Times, at least one person involved in the trucking accident was taken to Advocate Christ Medical Center and is listed in critical condition. Not much more is known about what caused the Illinois trucking accident at this time, but to read more please click on this hyperlink.

A Salem trucking accident early this morning left one Illinois woman injured. The trucking accident occurred when the victim was attempting to turn left and a semi-truck driver apparently failed to stop at a red light and crashed into the victim’s car. According to WJBD Radio, the victim had to be extricated from her vehicle but has since been treated and released from a local hospital. To read more about this trucking accident, please click on the link.

A truck accident in Wabash County resulted in the death of two people. The truck accident which occurred on January 10th occurred when a car crossed the center lane on Illinois Route 1 and crashed into a head-on into a pickup truck. The drivers of both of the vehicles involved in the truck accident were pronounced dead at the scene. According to The Courier Press, both of the victims were wearing their seatbelts at the time of the truck accident and the crash is still under investigation. To read more about this fatal truck accident, please click on this hyperlink.

A trucking accident that occurred on December 29th resulted in the injury of two people. The Joliet trucking accident was caused by a sports utility vehicle hitting a semi-truck on I-80. According to Suburban Chicago News, the SUV driver failed to stop in time and ended up underneath the semi-truck requiring the driver of the SUV to be extricated from the vehicle. The two people that were seriously personally injured in the trucking accident were the driver of the SUV and the passenger of the SUV. The driver will be cited with failure to reduce speed and possibly may face a DUI charge. If you would like more information on this Illinois trucking accident, please click on this link.

A fatal Interstate 70 trucking accident resulted in the death of four people and seriously injured six other people. The truck accident occurred when an awful snowstorm caused a truck to lose control and crash into a shuttle bus. According to The Springfield News Sun, the shuttle bus was carrying people with developmental disabilities, and all of the people that died in the trucking accident were passengers, and the driver, of the shuttle bus. The six people that suffered personal injuries were also passengers of the bus and were all Springfield residents. The driver of the truck suffered minor injuries and was released from a local hospital shortly after the trucking accident. If you would like to read more about this tragic accident, please click on this link.

An Aurora trucking accident that occurred on January 4th left an Illinois man with serious facial injuries. The accident occurred when the man was driving down Butterfield Road and a semitrailer in front of him passed under an underpass and knocked ice into the windshield of his car. According to The Chicago Tribune, the man was able to stop the car, move the ice and get out of the vehicle. The victim underwent surgery at Provena Mercy Medical Center, and is expected to recover from his personal injuries completely. Many people are concerned that there needs to be more awareness of this dangerous area of Butterfield Road because other trucking accidents of this type have occurred in this exact same location. To read more about this Illinois accident, click on this link.

A strange trucking accident that occurred in Aurora and resulted in the near death of a driver occurred when a semi-trailer drove under an overpass and ice that was on the overpass got caught on the truck and detached and struck a car driving behind the semi-truck. According to The Daily Herald, while this odd trucking accident seems like a very strange occurrence, several other people have reported similar accidents of this type on this same stretch of highway on Butterfield Road. The most recent of these trucking accidents occurred on January 4th when an Aurora man suffered multiple personal injuries and the ice crushed his windshield sending glass everywhere. To read more about this odd trucking accident problem, please click on this link.

A trucking accident lawsuit was filed in connection with a trucking accident that occurred in 2006 in which a truck struck a motorcyclist, killing the motorcycle driver. According to The St. Clair Record, the guardian of the victim’s two young children have filed a wrongful death lawsuit against the trucking company and the driver of the truck that caused the fatal accident. According to the complaint, the St. Clair County trucking accident occurred on Illinois State Route 127 when the truck was exiting a ramp and struck the motorcyclist, and claims that the driver failed to keep a proper lookout for other vehicles, did not keep his truck under control and failed to yield the right of way. The trucking accident lawsuit seeks over $100,000 in damages. To read more about this recently filed Illinois lawsuit, please click on the hyperlink.

A Clark County trucking accident that occurred on January 5th left one Illinois man dead. The trucking accident occurred when the victim was under the influence of alcohol and then drove the wrong way on I-70, and then got into an accident with three other vehicles including two semi-trucks. According to Terre Haute News, the accident occurred near Marshall and three other people, aside from the initial driver, were taken to a local hospital for treatment of their personal injuries which did not appear to be life-threatening. To read more about this fatal trucking accident, please click on the link.

A Lake Forest trucking accident on December 26th left two people dead. The trucking accident occurred on Route 60 and involved a semi-truck and a pickup. According to Justice News Flash, the accident occurred when the driver of the pickup lost control of his vehicle due to dangerous road conditions and spun into oncoming traffic, where a semi-truck crashed into the pickup, which caused the two people in the pickup to be fatally injured. If you would like to read more about this fatal Illinois trucking accident, please click on this hyperlink.

An accident that occurred on December 29th that injured a couple and their young children on the Dan Ryan Expressway is believed to have been caused by a semi-truck that then immediately fled the scene. This Chicago trucking accident occurred near 59th Street when, as authorities now believe, a semi-truck caused a pick-up truck to lose control of the car and hit a wall. According to Chicago Sun Times, while the semi-truck is not believed to have made actual contact with the pick-up truck the semi still may have caused the pickup to crash. The truck fled the scene and there were no witnesses to the trucking accident. The three passengers in the pickup were taken to Stroger Hospital of Cook County and University of Chicago’s Comer Children’s Hospital, and all conditions are currently unknown. To read more about this Chicago accident, please click on this link.

An Illinois trucking accident occurred on December 27th, causing three people to suffer from personal injuries. The Illinois accident occurred when the driver of a van tried to pass a tractor trailer semi and the van lost control and hit the back of the truck. The driver of the van was ticketed for failing to reduce his speed to avoid an accident and the truck driver was ticketed for driving with a suspended license. According to the Quincy Herald Whig, all four of the people involved in the trucking accident were wearing seat belts at the time of the crash. To read more about this Scott County trucking accident, click on this hyperlink.

A trucking accident that occurred on December 17th in Alton is under investigation as to who was at fault for the accident. The accident, which left an Illinois teenager dead, is said to have been caused by the teenage driver according to police reports but an eyewitness says that the accident was caused by the truck driver. According to The Telegraph, the trucking accident that occurred on Illinois Route 140 occurred when the teenage driver was driving through an intersection and the truck turned in front of the car, and the issue is whether the teenage driver had a green light at the time of the accident. To learn more about this fatal accident, please click on the hyperlink.

An Illinois truck accident occurred on December 20th causing three people to be sent to local hospitals for treatment of their personal injuries. The truck accident occurred in Illinois 96 when the driver of a pickup truck lost control of his vehicle and drove into the lane of oncoming traffic crashing directly into a car. According to the Daily Dem, the driver of the truck was charged with driving while his license was suspended, for having no insurance and for using lanes improperly. For more information on this Illinois truck accident, click on this link.

A Streator man was killed in a trucking accident on December 16th after his car was struck by a semi truck, The trucking accident was caused by the truck failing to stop at a stop sign and crashing into a passenger car in which the victim was driving. According to The Pantagraph, the victim was traveling on Illinois 23 when struck by the truck and the victim appeared to be dead at the scene of the trucking accident. If you would like to read more about the fatal Streator trucking accident, please click here,

Two Fed-Ex employees from Illinois were injured in the Poconos when the tractor-trailer they were operating drove off an embankment and collided with the front entrance of a vineyard. According to reports, the truck driver lost control of the truck, causing it crash through a guardrail and plunge down the embankment. Local emergency personnel had to free the driver, and both he and his passenger were taken to a local hospital. Fortunately, they did not suffer any serious personal injuries. Read about this Fed Ex trucking accident.

Recently, a semi collided with a school bus, a car and another tractor-trailer in a trucking accident that sent the truck driver and school bus driver to the hospital. According to Justice News Flash, the semi driver failed to slow down as he approached slowing traffic. His vehicle collided with the school bus; however there were no students on board. After hitting the bus, the semi barreled on and hit the car and tractor-trailer. The driver was taken to Carle Foundation Hospital in Champaign in critical condition. Follow the link to read the full account of the trucking accident.

A trucking accident that occurred in Monee on November 20th left person dead and one person with severe personal injuries. The trucking accident occurred on I-57 and according to The Herald-News, it is believed to have been caused by the semi failing to observe a traffic stop. One person involved in the accident was pronounced dead at the scene of the accident and another victim has to be airlifted to Advocate Christ Medical Center in Oak Lawn. Citations are supposed to issued, but at this time none have been issued. To read more about this Monee trucking accident, click here.

A trucking accident on December 3rd left a Lake County Road closed down for about two hours. The trucking accident occurred when a semi was traveling west on Illinois Highway 60 and a car collided with the semi. The semi swerved about 30 feet off the road, knocking over a traffic light pole. According to Chicago Breaking News, the driver of the car was taken to Condell Medical Center in Libertyville and at this point the extent of her personal injuries is unknown. The truck driver was also taken to the same hospital, although not for treatment of any injuries but for drug and alcohol testing. At this point no charges have been filed but the trucking accident still remains under investigation. If you would like to read more about this Lake County trucking accident, please click here.

A Vernon Hills trucking accident left a woman injured. The trucking accident occurred on December 2nd at the intersection of IL Route 60 and St. Mary’s Road and seems to have occurred when the woman’s car was trying to turn left in front of the truck and the truck then struck the car. According to Pioneer Local, the woman was taken to Advocate Condell Medical Center in Libertyville for treatment of her personal injuries and the driver of the truck did not suffer any injuries in the accident. To learn more about this trucking accident, please click on the link.

Police have released the name of a person killed in a fatal trucking accident that occurred on November 20th. The trucking accident occurred when a tractor-trailer was stopped in connection with another crash and a pickup truck struck the stopped truck. According to RGJ.com, another vehicle then crashed into the pickup truck from behind. The passenger in the pickup truck was fatally inured, and the trucking driver was a Chicago resident and had to be extricated from his vehicle and taken to a local hospital. For more information on this fatal trucking accident, click here.

An Anderson woman was injured on November 16th when she was struck by a tractor trailer heading down I-69. According to The Herald Bulletin, witnesses to the trucking accident claim that they had been trying to calm the woman down but that she then ran in front of the truck in what is believed to have been a suicide attempt. The truck driver had slowed down because he was trying to merge into a different lane. The woman was taken to a local hospital for treatment of a broken pelvis, leg and arm and a cut to the forehead. For more information on this Anderson trucking accident, click here.

A Fulton County trucking accident injured the driver when a deer that was in the air after being hit by another vehicle flew into the truck driver’s windshield. The accident occurred on November 19th on Route 24 and after the deer crashed through the truck driver’s window the semi went off the road and crashed into a guardrail and then into a ditch. Luckily, the truck driver was wearing his seat belt. According to PJ Star, the truck driver was hospitalized with serious personal injuries. Please click here to read more about this Liverpool trucking accident.

A Salem man was seriously hurt in a three-automobile crash on Route 50 on the morning of November 18th. According to WJBD Radio, the trucking accident occurred when the driver of a mini-wan tried to pass a semi-truck and then struck a semi-truck that was headed in the opposite direction. The truck driver had tried to pull on to the shoulder to avoid a truck accident but the minivan struck the back wheels of the truck. The driver of the minivan was ticketed for improper overtaking and the driver and his two passengers were taken to local hospitals for treatment of their personal injuries. To read more about this Illinois trucking accident, click here.

A trucking accident that occurred near Farina on November 9th, involved two semi-trucks. The trucking accident occurred when one semi ran off I-57 and hit a parked semi. According to The Sand Mountain Reporter, both of the truck drivers suffered serious personal injuries and were taken to local hospitals. For more information on this Illinois trucking accident, click here.

A motorcycle struck a semi on I-74 on November 9th in Carlock and resulted in the death of the motorcycle driver. The victim was a Lexington man and the accident occurred when the driver apparently lost control of his motorcycle and hit the driver’s side of the truck. According to The PJ Star, the motorcyclist was not wearing a helmet at the time of the trucking accident. The accident is still under investigation. For more information on this Illinois trucking Accident, click here.

An Illinois man was killed after crashing into a semi-truck in an accident that occurred on November 4th on the I-90/I-94. According to WKBT, the details of the trucking accident, such as the speed at which the driver of the car was traveling, are not known at this time. The driver was pronounced dead at the scene of the trucking accident and the eastbound lanes were closed for hours following the accident. For more information on this Illinois victim and car accident, click here.

A truck accident that occurred on November 1st in Sugar Grove, Illinois, left the driver of the pickup truck in critical condition. According to the Kaneland Chronicle, this Illinois truck accident is still a mystery to police because the victim was driving alone and is not currently able to provide a statement for the police, and no witnesses were available to say what happened to cause the accident. All that is known is that the drier was thrown from his truck after it flipped over. For more information on this Illinois truck accident, click here.

A high school student was killed in a trucking accident on October 29th that occurred on IL Route 9 near Hoopeston. The victim was the passenger in his friend and basketball teammate’s pickup truck on their way to morning practice when the driver lost control of the truck which entered the path of on oncoming semi-truck. The victim was pronounced dead at the scene of the crime and the driver and friend was issued a citation for improper lane usage. According to The Commercial-News, fellow students and teammates at Hoopeston Area High School were mourning the loss of a friend and said that he had a lot of friends. For more information on this tragic Illinois trucking accident, click here.

An Illinois truck driver and trucking company have been sued in connection with a trucking accident that occurred early last year, by a man who was rear-ended by the truck driver on Interstate 270. According to the complaint, the victim was stopped because of weather and traffic and the truck driver failed to stop in time and struck the back of the victim’s car, causing the victim to then rear-end other vehicles. According to The St. Clair Record, the trucking accident lawsuit seeks more than $300,000 in damages. For more information on this Illinois trucking accident lawsuit, click here.

A trucking accident in Coal Valley occurred today when an SUV and dump truck collided and the truck burst into flames. According to WQAD News 8, the accident occurred on IL 6 earlier this evening and the driver of the dump truck was able to get out of the truck in time and did not suffer serious personal injuries from the truck fire. The driver of the passenger car had to be cut from his vehicle and is currently in the hospital. The Illinois State Police are still investigating this Coal Valley trucking accident.

A Carlyle man was killed in a one-vehicle accident that occurred on I-64 in Washington County on October 23rd. The truck accident was caused by the front tire on the dump truck blowing out and then the truck crashed into the median and rolled over. According to The Belleville News-Democrat, the driver was not wearing his seat belt at the time of the crash and was ejected from the vehicle. The driver was taken to a local hospital but quickly died as a result of the severe personal injuries sustained in the truck accident.

Friends and family of the victim of a fatal bike/truck accident gathered at the cite of the crash to remember her. The bike accident occurred in the Lakeview area of Chicago when the victim was riding her bike and tried to pass in between a truck and a bus and fell of her bike and was then run over by the bus. According to The Daily Herald, no citations have been issued at this point in connection with the fatal truck accident.

Driver in fatal hit-and-run truck accident has surrendered and has since been released and no charges have been filed. The victim was a Chicago resident that was living in Baltimore and was a student at John Hopkins. According to The Chicago Tribune, the truck accident occurred on October 16th and the victim died the following day as a result of the personal injuries that she sustained in the fatal truck accident.

A motorcyclist was killed in a trucking accident on the Dan Ryan Expressway in downtown Chicago on October 21st. According to The Chicago Sun Times, the accident involved a semi-truck, passenger car and a motorcycle and at this point it is unknown whether anyone other than the motorcyclist was personally injured. The southbound lanes were closed several hours and police are still investigating the fatal Cook County trucking accident.

A fatal truck accident occurred in the Chicago suburb of Wilmette early on the morning of October 18th. The driver was from Portage Park and was ejected from his pickup truck on the Edens Expressway, dying from personal injuries sustained in the accident. According to CBS 2 Chicago, the driver veered into the right lane, hit the right shoulder and rolled over and the driver was ejected because he was not wearing his seatbelt. At this point the Wilmette truck accident is believed to have been caused by the driver’s excessive speeding.

A police officer from Macon County is back at work after a trucking accident that occurred ten months ago and left him seriously injured, including being immobilized for three months. The accident occurred last November 10th when the officer was traveling northbound on Illinois 48 when a semi-truck turned left onto the street in front of him and the officer did not see a second truck ,following the first truck closely, turn into his path. According to the Herald Review, the officer tried to avoid the truck accident but crashed causing a utility pole to snap. The steering column would have crushed his chest if he had not been wearing a bullet proof vest and he had to be extricated from the car. Although the personal injuries were severe, the officer persevered through his recovery and had returned to his job even though doctors told him he might not be able to do the same type of work again. For more information on this trucking accident, click here.

An elderly Illinois man was killed and four more people were injured in a trucking accident that occurred on I-43 in the town of Belgium on October 15th. The driver of the semitrailer was distracted and struck a car that was slowed down due to lane closures, and the truck then struck another car pushing it into a ditch. According to The Journal Sentinel, the victim was pronounced dead at the scene and his wife, a passenger in the vehicle, suffered serious personal injuries and was taken to a local hospital. Less than an hour after this fatal Ozaukee County trucking accident, another accident occurred very nearby injuring two more people.

A LaPorte County truck accident occurred on October 11th, in which a woman and her three children were seriously injured. According to the South Bend Tribune, the Westville truck accident occurred when the car the woman and children were in was stopped to turn left into a pumpkin patch and a pickup truck struck the car. The driver of the truck told police that he took his eyes off the road for a minute and this is what caused the accident. No one in the accident suffered life-threatening injuries and are expected to recover fully. For more information on this pickup truck accident, click here.

A Chicago man was killed on September 22nd after his car crossed the median on I-94 and crashed into a truck that was carrying cars, that was travelling in the opposite direction. The truck accident occurred near New Buffalo in Berrien County and the truck driver was not injured in the accident. According to WSJM, heavy rain may have been a cause of the accident. For more information on this fatal truck accident, click here.

A settlement has been reached in connection with a 2007 truck accident in which a teenage woman from Lawrence Park Township was left permanently disabled with a moderate brain injury. According to Go Erie, the truck accident occurred when a minivan collided with a tractor-trailer in Harborcreek Township at Nagle Road and Iroquois Avenue. The victim was a passenger in the van at the time of the truck accident and was not wearing a seatbelt. The settlement involved both driver’s insurance companies agreeing to pay a total of $450,000 with neither party admitting any wrongdoing. For more information on this truck accident settlement, click here.

A truck accident occurred early on October 3rd that left a Rushville man dead. The single-truck accident occurred when the truck rolled over and landed in a ditch. The driver was taken to a local hospital, however his personal injuries were so severe that he was pronounced dead shortly after the truck accident. According to the PJ Star, there is no further information as to what caused the driver to crash the truck. For more information on this Rushville truck accident, click here.

A Morton truck accident that occurred last week and injured 12 people, 4 of which were children, is believed to have been alcohol-related. According to the Pekin Times, the truck driver that caused the truck accident was driving very fast and passing cars while in a no-passing zone. The driver also had his driver’s license suspended for a previous DUI and following the truck accident his blood alcohol content was more than 3 times the legal limit in Illinois. The driver has been cited with a DUI, reckless driving and driving on a suspended license and at this point criminal charges have not yet been filed. For more information on this drunk driving accident, click here.

A Bloomington man was sentenced to 13 years in prison in connection with an August 2008 truck accident in which he was drunk and caused the crash in which two men were killed. The truck he was driving hit a tree and the two Chicago-area passengers in the truck with him were killed as a result of the crash. According to the Pantagraph, this was not the first alcohol-related incident that the driver has been involved in, he was also arrested in 2004 for driving under the influence. For more information on this DUI car accident verdict, click here.

According to the Chicago Tribune, on September 24th a Paw Paw man was seriously injured in a truck accident in which his motorcycle slammed into a semi-truck. The truck accident occurred on I-94 when the motorcyclist tried to exit the highway and ran into the side of a truck. The truck driver did not suffer any personal injuries but the Paw Paw man is listed in serious condition. For more information on this Lawrence Township truck accident, click here.

An Illinois woman is facing drunk driving charges after she rear-ended an Illinois Department of Transportation (IDOT) truck early this morning. According to the Chicago Sun Times, the IDOT truck was stopped on I-57 with its lights on to help a stranded motorist when the drunk driver hit the back of the truck. The driver was temporarily pinned inside her car but was rescued and taken to a local hospital for treatment of her broken bones. The IDOT driver an the stranded motorist that the driver was helping were not injured in the Chicago truck accident. For more information on this Cook County truck accident, click here.

An Illinois woman was seriously injured when the car she was driving was struck by a truck in the South Loop of Chicago on September 24th. According to Chicago Breaking News, the impact of this Chicago car accident caused the victim’s car to fly about 15 feet in the air and then hit a metal pole and flip over. The victim is currently in Northwestern Memorial Hospital where she is being treated for her serious personal injuries. For more information on this Chicago truck accident, click here.

A former Peoria woman was killed on September 17th when a tire blew out on her pick-up truck and her vehicle was then struck by a semi-truck. According to the PJ Star, this Logan County truck accident occurred on the I-55 when the tire blew, the pick-up hit a barrier and then crossed into oncoming traffic where the other truck then hit the pick-up. For more information on this Logan County truck accident, click here.

A young boy was seriously injured after he was struck by a truck on September 16th in Lake County. According to the Mundelein Review, the young boy was walking on the shoulder of the road on his way to school when he darted out onto the road and was hit by a landscaping truck. The boy was taken to a local hospital for treatment of his severe personal injuries, including severe breaks all over his body including a broken pelvis and skull fracture. The driver of the truck does not seem to have been impaired and therefore no charges were issued at the time of the truck accident. For more information on this Lake County truck accident, click here.

A truck accident in Quincy on the morning of September 11th left the driver suffering serious personal injuries. The truck crash occurred when the driver had to swerve out of the way to avoid hitting a deer and the truck went off the side of the road and overturned. Luckily, the truck driver was wearing a seatbelt so his injuries were less serious than they could have been. For more information on this Hancock County truck accident, click here.

A truck accident near Sun River Terrace that occurred in the early morning hours of September 16th caused a section of Illinois Routes 1 and 17 to be closed for nearly six hours after a truck with a huge load of flammable ink overturned. The area where this truck accident occurred is known to be accident prone and a local resident said that she sees a couple of truck accidents in that exact spot every year. For more information on this Illinois truck accident, click here.

A young man received major personal injuries after a truck accident that occurred on September 14th. The truck accident occurred when the victim experienced a tire problem and lost control of his car, went over the median and struck a semi-truck. The truck driver did not receive any serious personal injuries. This was the second truck accident that occurred on the same highway, I-57, that day. All lanes of traffic had just reopened when this second truck accident occurred. At this point no citations have been issued and the truck accident is still under investigation. For more information on this truck accident, click here.

The family of a Wood River man who was killed following a truck accident last November has sued the truck driver and two transport companies. The wrongful death lawsuit was filed in connection with the truck accident that occurred when a tractor-trailer came up behind the car the victim was driving and hit the car. The car was then forced across the median into oncoming traffic, causing another collision and killing the victim. According to the truck accident attorney on the case the victim’s family is seeking damages in excess of $50,000 from each defendant on each of several counts, including negligence and traveling at excessive speeds. For more information on this Madison County truck accident, click here.

A young child was killed in Mt. Carroll on September 11th after he was struck by a semi dump truck. The young boy was taken to a local hospital but was pronounced dead shortly after arriving. The truck accident is still under investigation and the Carroll County police are not sure what caused the fatal truck accident. For more information on this tragic Carroll County accident, click here.

A Romeoville young man was killed earlier today when his car was struck by a semi-truck. The truck accident occurred in the early morning hours and the victim was pronounced dead shortly after the crash occurred. At this point the Illinois police are still investigating the cause of the truck accident. For more information on this Will County truck accident, click here.

A Granite City man has received a 28 year sentence for pleading guilty to aggravated drunk driving in connection with a February truck accident that killed an Illinois couple and their unborn child. The truck accident occurred when the man crashed into the victim’s car going approximately 91 miles per hour while he was more than three times over the legal alcohol limit for the State of Illinois. The Defendant had five prior arrests for driving under the influence of alcohol. For more information of this fatal truck accident settlement, click here.

A DeKalb County truck accident on August 30th occurred when a police officer was involved in a crash while attempting to pursue an intoxicated driver. The drunk driver was driving his pick-up truck dangerously and had hit a sign and then continued to drive around. A police officer was driving behind the truck trying to apprehend the driver when she crashed into a different pick-up truck. The truck accident resulted in no serious injuries but remains under investigation. For more information on this DeKalb County truck accident, click here.