Illinois Truck Accident Lawyer Blog

An accident between a semi-trailer truck and a freight train took place in Eastern Illinois on Friday afternoon, according to Wandtv.com. Our train accident lawyers learned that the collision occurred in the small town of Caitlin, several miles southwest of Danville. The report states that the truck driver was traveling across the tracks at a moderate speed; the truck’s cab had just cleared the tracks when the train suddenly appeared and struck the semi’s empty trailer at close to 55mph.

The impact of the collision pushed the trailer about one hundred feet west of the crossing and left a large hole in its side. The driver of the semi-trailer thankfully walked away from the accident without serious injury. Illinois State Police and Norfolk Southern railroad officials are currently investigating the accident to determine if any other factors may have contributed to the collision.

In previous blogs, our law firm has discussed the number and severity of train accidents in Illinois, as almost all of these accidents include property damage, personal injury, medical expenses, or fatalities. Statistics from the Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) show that railroad crossings in Illinois are more dangerous in terms of accident population. In 2010, Illinois was the second deadliest state in train crossing fatalities out of ten states. The FRA is currently making efforts to improve safety near railroads in Illinois and many other states with a high number of train crossing fatalities.

We would like to urge the public to always be cautious when traveling near railroad tracks. Railroad collisions have many causes, including improper installation of warning devices, improper sight lines that prevent drivers from seeing an oncoming train, failure to properly maintain crossing areas, or other types of negligence that may occur by either the train company or other vehicles involved. Surprisingly, nearly half of all collisions at railroad crossings occur when automatic warning devices such a flashing lights or gates are present and are functioning properly. Therefore, be aware of these warning devices and avoid train tracks when they are flashing. Be especially alert near train tracks that do not have these warning devices.

In addition, many people believe that if they ever crossed the train tracks at an inappropriate time, they would be able to avoid the train, or the train would be able to stop in time. However, most freight trains traveling at about 50 miles per hour take over a mile to stop. Therefore, if there is any possibility of a train coming nearby, avoid the train tracks and do not cross them until you are sure you can do so safely.

Although the above report does not confirm who was to blame in the accident, when motorists do suffer serious injuries as a result of a train accident, they have the right to take action. We understand that train accidents can result in life altering consequences. If you have been seriously injured, or lost a loved one in a train accident due to a negligent driver, please contact us to learn about what rights and compensation may be available to you.

A southern Illinois truck driver miraculously survived a head-on collision with a loaded trailer last week, according to Gasconade County Republican. The 53-year old driver of Coulterville, Illinois was traveling eastbound on U.S. 50 when a loaded trailer tore loose from a westbound tractor and slammed into his truck. The trailer was loaded with “distiller’s grain” that burst from the trailer, covering the interstate’s eastbound lanes for several hundred feet. Dozens of policeman and personnel were on the scene attempting to clean the grain that in some places was three to four inches deep. Many used roller sweepers and sprayed gallons of water to remove more of the substance.

A local police trooper stated that he looked in his rear-view mirror while driving and saw the trailer slide into the oncoming truck. The tractor had allegedly crossed over the centerline at the crest of a hill on the highway, which was on a curve. As it began its descent forward, the trailer then broke loose from the tractor.

Our Illinois truck accident lawyers learned that the accident closed traffic to all motorists for hours. Local fireman rerouted eastbound and westbound traffic and eventually allowed tractor-trailers and other large commercial vehicles to pass through once the westbound lane was reopened.

The report states that the truck driver was taken to a local hospital by ambulance for treatment of moderate injuries. He had received facial and head lacerations but did not appear to have suffered any broken bones, according to his wife. A local dispatcher commented on the accident after having seen photographs of the scene. He told reporters, “I’m surprised. Thank God he came out alive. The truck can be replaced. He can’t. He’s a good driver.”

Authorities say there was no indication that either driver was in any way under the influence of drugs or alcohol at the time of the accident. However, the tractor will be examined for signs of possible equipment violations.

From the perspective of our attorneys, accidents with cargo involved have the potential of causing very serious injury to the driver and other motorists if the cargo is detached or spills at any point during travel. Cargo detachment may cause further accidents, or in some cases may be caused by a previous accident. Cargo can add thousands of pounds to a truck’s weight, making it difficult for the driver to stop or steer as easily as if the cargo were not there.

Whether a cargo spill, equipment malfunction, or a negligent motorists is responsible for injury to another individual on the road, our law firm is dedicated to holding those accountable for the damage they have caused, including personal injury, medical expenses, or property damage. If you have been injured in a trucking accident, please contact us to learn about what compensation may be available to you.

An Illinois truck accident lawyer at our firm recently read a report detailing a late-morning crash that left multiple lanes closed on Interstate 88. According to Dailyherald.com, the accident occurred last Friday at approximately 11:54am between Naperville Road and Yackley Road when the 48-year old driver of a tractor-trailer decided to change lanes. As he attempted to maneuver into the lane on his right, he struck a passenger vehicle. The result of this collision caused both the tractor-trailer and the passenger vehicle to turn out of control, eventually striking a flat bed tow truck nearby.

Illinois State Police reported that all three vehicles traveled off the right side of the road and into a ditch. Two of the drivers were transported to Advocate Good Samaritan Hospital for treatment of injuries; it is not specified which vehicles these individuals were driving. The accident caused two lanes of eastbound I-88 to remain closed for more than three hours. All lanes were finally reopened just after 3pm. Investigators are continuing to work to determine what exactly triggered the accident.

From the perspective of our attorneys, a very large number of trucking accidents and collisions occur when truck drivers attempt to change lanes on Illinois highways and interstates. For semi trucks, tractor-trailers, and other large commercial vehicles, changing lanes can be extremely difficult because these vehicles have very large blind spots, and drivers have difficulty seeing additional vehicles on the road around them. When driving near a semi truck, you will most likely know that the semi is near you, but the semi’s driver, however, may not be aware you are near. As displayed in the above report, accidents resulting from lane changes often involve more than two vehicles because the vehicles involved may spin out of control and into the path of others. This places many drivers on the road at serious risk of injury, even if they are not involved in the initial collision.

To minimize blind spots and decrease the risk of these accidents from occurring, all truck drivers should stay in the right lane as much as possible and avoid making unnecessary lane changes. If a lane change is necessary, signaling should be completed well in advance to inform surrounding motorists that the change is taking place. Other tips to increase visibility include keeping mirrors clean and properly adjusted or installing extension-mounted mirrors.

If you are a motorist driving near a truck, remember that trucks take longer to change lanes than any other vehicle. If you must travel next to a truck, travel in the faster lanes of the highway where trucks are not as likely to enter. Furthermore, always try to refrain from traveling next to a truck in the right hand lane; the likelihood of an accident occurring is greater in the right hand lane than if you traveled in the left hand lane, primarily because it is easier for the truck driver to see you on the left. And finally, always remember that as a rule of thumb, if you cannot see a truck driver in his mirrors, then he probably cannot see you.

Most truck drivers are careful while behind the wheel, but unfortunately, not all drivers follow the above recommendations, resulting in other motorists or pedestrians being serious injured or killed when a semi truck makes a sudden lane change. A lane change happens within a matter of seconds, but the consequences of a negligent lane change can be long lasting and severe.

If you or a loved one has been seriously injured as the result of a negligent truck driver, please contact our attorneys to learn about what compensation may be available to you.

Bnd.com recently reported that a wrongful death suit was filed on Wednesday following the death of Illinois State Trooper after he was struck by a semi truck. Our Chicago wrongful death attorneys read that the 32-year old trooper and former Madison County Sheriff’s deputy was killed in late November while he was executing a traffic stop on Interstate 55 near Litchfield, Illinois. The suit has been filed on behalf of the trooper’s widow against the truck driver and the trucking company.

According to authorities, the driver was driving a semi-tractor trailer for DOT Foods when he hit the trooper on the shoulder of the highway, killing him upon impact. The driver reportedly suffered from an unknown medical condition that may have caused him to black out and lose control of his truck. The suit alleges DOT Foods acted improperly because it allowed the driver to operate his truck when he knew he was “medically unfit to do so” and was an “imminent danger to the public.”

The truck company’s corporate counsel could not be reached for comment regarding the accident. However, the victim’s family’s attorney stated that the trucking company is always looking for someone to drive their trucks. She asserts that trucking companies can't keep up with the demand for drivers and ensuring drivers are healthy would cost too much, leaving unsafe drivers in control of tractor-trailers.

There are many factors that come to play when a wrongful death suit similar to the one above is filed. A primary issue that needs to be addressed is if the trucking company knew the driver had the medical condition that he did. If so, the company had a responsibility to prevent him from driving. If not, the question of whether or not the driver’s condition could have been recognized by annual physicals or other trucking regulations enforced by the company needs to be asked. Finally, it is important to determine if the driver’s condition was the type that would prevent him from operating his vehicle properly.

In a case similar to the above, our law firm would perform a thorough and complete investigation into the fitness of the truck driver and whether the trucking company had knowledge of the driver’s physical well being. We would also determine whether the company complied with all state and federal regulations, and adhered to its own internal policies and procedures.

Wrongful death cases, commonly filed by a family member of a victim, can be used to recover monetary damages such as medical expenses or funeral bills, or pain suffered by survivors of the victim. We have seen the devastation that reckless behavior behind the wheel can cause and have represented numerous families in various cases. In 2010, John Perconti obtained $6.5 million in a settlement for the family of a 32-year old woman who was killed in an accident with a semi-truck, including personal injuries suffered by her husband and child. The wrongful death portion of the settlement,$4.7 million, was the highest wrongful death settlement ever recorded in Kane County, Illinois.

If you have lost a loved one in a trucking accident due to the negligence or carelessness of the driver, please contact our law firm for more information. We have the experience necessary to help your family recuperate after the loss of a loved one, in addition to uncovering the act of negligence that caused the accident. Find out what rights may be available to you.

U.S. 24 was closed for nearly eight hours last Thursday after a three-vehicle accident involving two tractor-trailer units and a three-axle straight truck, according to Whig.com. An Illinois truck accident attorney at our law firm learned that a 58-year old man of Granville, Illinois was driving east on the highway around 12:50pm when heavy winds blew his truck sideways. As a result, the truck collided with the front end of a second tractor-trailer, driven by a 50-year old man of Murrayville. After the collision, the second truck spun out of control and came to a sudden stop, blocking U.S. 24.

To make matters worse, the driver of an International three-axle straight truck was also driving east on the highway when he approached the above accident. He was unable to stop his vehicle in time and ran off the right side of the road, overturning his truck seconds later.

Illinois State Police say all three drivers were wearing seat belts. The first tractor-trailer driver was reported to have suffered serious injures, the second tractor-trailer driver reported no injures, and the three-axle straight truck driver sustained moderate injuries and was transported to a local hospital. All three trucks were extremely damaged after the accident, and traffic on U.S. 24 was stopped for nearly eight hours as the trucks were removed and crews worked to clear the scene. Assisting at the site of the accident were the Brown County Sheriff’s Department and Fire and Rescue Team, in addition to the Schuyler County Ambulance.

It is important to note that the primary cause of this accident was the heavy winds that led the first tractor-trailer truck to blow sideways and collide with the second tractor-trailer truck. High winds are one of the top causes of car and truck accidents, producing many collisions and overturning many vehicles on Illinois roadways each year. According to the Illinois Department of Transportation, high winds are usually defined as sustained gusts of winds of at least 40mph and reaching up to 58mph. They cause drivers to lose control of their vehicles and can even push them right off of the road. Unfortunately, wind is an overlooked danger to drivers, as most individuals fail to realize the potential dangers winds can have until it is too late.

In the case that heavy winds are present while driving, our attorneys believe an important step that can be taken to help prevent an accident from occurring is not driving over the speed limit, even decreasing speed if necessary. High speeds in combination with high winds can be especially dangerous. In addition, it is important to always keep your hands on the wheel, remain aware of your surroundings, and maintain a safe distance between your vehicle and the vehicle in front of you.

Many times, high winds will be strong enough to cause a vehicle to lose control no matter what the circumstances, but following the above steps will help to greatly decrease the risk of an accident. In the case that you or someone you know has been injured in an accident due to a negligent motorist, please contact our law firm for more information.

The dangers associated with large trucks, including semis, tractor-trailers, and other commercial vehicles are immense. These trucks sometimes weigh up to 80,000 pounds and account for a great number of traffic injury and death each year. Could you image increasing the size and weight of these trucks? Neither could we. Our law firm recently read a report by Saferoads.org regarding the need to freeze the maximum size and weight of trucks in order to increase the safety of all individuals traveling on Illinois interstates and highways.

Freezing the size and weight of large trucks is necessary because in simple terms, bigger trucks compromise safety. The heavier a truck is, the more the chances of a truck accident occurring and resulting in serious injuries or fatalities. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) states that large trucks are involved in 11% of all crash fatalities. In 2009, nearly one-quarter of occupant fatalities in passenger vehicles that had multi-vehicle collisions were the result of accidents involving large trucks. In two-vehicle crashes involving passenger vehicles and large trucks, 98% of the fatalities were occupants of the passenger vehicle.

In addition to injuries and fatalities, the issue of cost is at hand. Truck related accidents cost up to $19 billion each year, according to the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMSCA). Fatal truck accidents create the highest costs, with an average of $3 million spent per accident. These costs include medical bills, lost wages, road damage, and other projected costs. Specifically, road damage has become a serious issue in that one legal 80,000-pound tractor-trailer truck does as much damage to road pavement as 9,600 cars! By damaging roads, large trucks further degrade highway safety and continue to add to the costs caused by trucks. With even heavier trucks, interstate highways would simply be unable to accommodate them.

Despite the list of numerous concerns, trailer lengths have continued to grow over the past few decades, some states allowing vehicles of up to 59 feet on their roadways. The number of trucks on U.S. highways has also consistently grown, even after increases in both the sizes and weights of semis. According to the release above, by an 88% majority, the American public is opposed to allowing bigger and heavier trucks on highways. Our law firm agrees that this growth needs to be stopped in order to prevent accidents, reduce costs, and keep all motorists as safe as possible behind the wheel.

Our Chicago truck accident attorneys at Levin & Perconti understand that truck accidents can result in life altering consequences. If you have been seriously injured, or lost a loved one in a truck accident due to a negligent driver, please contact us to learn about what rights and compensation may be available to you.

Gridchicago.com recently released a report detailing the death of a bicyclist last Friday after he was struck by a semi truck in Chicago. Our attorneys learned that the accident occurred around 9am on Wells Street, just north of Oak Street, when the bicyclist was in the southbound lane and turned suddenly to avoid a parked car’s open door. As a result, he was hit by a passing semi truck, falling underneath the front wheels of the truck’s flat-bed trailer. Police worked all morning at the scene to remove the body from under the truck.

The report states that an accident similar to the one above occurred in 2009 when a college graduate was bicycling north in LaSalle Street, was doored, thrown into another lane of traffic, and run over by an oncoming truck, killing him upon impact. According to statistics from the Illinois Department of Transportation, 577 “doorings” have been reported from 2009 through September of this year, the majority on the North Side of the city. These accidents are said to most commonly occur on diagonal streets and intersections.

As a result of these accidents, individuals inside and outside the Chicago community are discussing how to best prevent them in the future. Some believe that an increase in protected bike lanes in the city would prevent doorings, while others aren't sure that a protected bike lane would make much of a difference, and that alertness on the part of bikers and drivers would do the most to prevent accidents. One community member stated, “This bike lane design is obsolete and deficient as it causes bicyclists to ride in highly unsafe situations.”

From the perspective of our law firm, bicyclists and other vehicles share Illinois roadways each day, and it is important that all motorists truly “share the road” in order to avoid serious accidents and personal injury. This means that truck and passenger vehicle drivers should make every attempt to yield to bicyclists and give them the space they need while riding on or near roadways. In relation to the accidents above, take caution while opening your vehicle’s door near bicycle lanes in the case that a bicyclist is approaching. In general, it is important that all motorists and bicyclists travel attentively and responsibly to prevent collisions.

Though bicyclists are considered as motorists and have every right to use the roadway like any other vehicle does, they are commonly disregarded and as a result too commonly become victims in serious accidents and collisions. Because of the potential injury and life altering consequences that can come from bicycle accidents, it is encouraged that all victims seek quality legal representation. Our Chicago personal injury lawyers are prepared inform you of your rights and ultimately offer you the resources you need to seek legal action.

If you have been seriously injured, or lost a loved one in a bicycle accident due to a negligent driver, please contact our law firm to learn about what compensation may be available to you.

Chaos erupted in California this Monday afternoon when an Amtrak train carrying about 169 passengers derailed in a collision with a semi truck. Suntimes.com released that the accident occurred when the driver of the semi tractor-trailer failed to yield and hit the train. The impact caused the train to travel about 600 additional feet before hitting a switchback and pushing two passenger cars and the locomotive off of the tracks, according to a local highway patrol officer. Officials have not determined how fast the train or the truck were traveling, but the average speed for Amtrak through the area is 70 to 80 mph, while the speed limit on the roadway where the truck was traveling is 55 mph.

After the accident, metal pieces from the truck could be seen inside the train, and passengers’ belongings were scattered around the area. "Right after it happened I see all these people with a terrified look on their faces, all trying to get to the front of the train," a passenger told authorities. “I tried as best I could to try and calm people down and help them get off that train.” The report states that at least twenty passengers suffered injuries ranging from bumps, bruises, scrapes, and broken bones. Thirteen of the injured passengers, in addition to the semi driver, were taken to nearby hospitals. Uninjured passengers were taken to an auditorium where they boarded another train and continued to their destinations or were picked up by family members.

Authorities stated that repair crews worked into Tuesday removing the derailed cars and locomotive and ultimately repairing the damaged railroad tracks. All train service throughout the area was stopped after the accident. BNSF Railroad Co., which operates the tracks, said the accident occurred at a crossing that was equipped with gates to stop traffic. Investigators will try to determine if the accident was caused by a malfunction of these gates, driver error, or something else.

In previous blogs, our attorneys have discussed the number and severity of train accidents in Illinois, as almost all of these accidents include property damage, personal injury, medical expenses, or fatalities. We would again like to urge the public to always be cautious when traveling near railroad tracks.

Railroad collisions have many causes, including improper installation of warning devices, improper sight lines that prevent drivers from seeing an oncoming train, failure to properly maintain crossing areas, or other types of negligence that may occur by either the train company or other vehicles involved. Surprisingly, nearly half of all collisions at railroad crossings occur when automatic warning devices such a flashing lights or gates are present and are functioning properly. Therefore, be aware of these warning devices and avoid train tracks when they are flashing. Be especially alert near train tracks that do not have these warning devices.

In addition, many people believe that if they ever crossed the train tracks at an inappropriate time, they would be able to avoid the train, or the train would be able to stop in time. However, most freight trains traveling at about 60 miles per hour take over a mile to stop. Therefore, if there is any possibility of a train coming nearby, avoid the train tracks and do not cross them until you are sure you can do so safely.

Our Chicago personal injury attorneys at Levin & Perconti understand that trucking accidents can result in life altering consequences. If you have been seriously injured, or lost a loved one in a train accident due to a negligent driver, please contact us to learn about what rights and compensation may be available to you.

Two serious chain-reaction collisions that occurred this past week have caused numerous fatalities and personal injuries, and both scenes have continued to be investigated by emergency crews. The first accident occurred at approximately 10:33am in Posey County near Mount Vernon and consisted of a collision involving two pick-up trucks and a commercial vocational flatbed truck, according to Poseycountynews.com. Police investigations reveal that a 73-year old man of Norris City, Illinois was driving his pick up truck west on State Road 62, approaching the Sauerkraut Lane intersection. His vehicle then traveled left of the centerline on the two-lane highway and struck an eastbound flatbed trailer, pulled by a 55-year old man of Evansville. The pick-up then continued traveling further into the eastbound lane and struck another pick-up truck, whose 49-year old driver of Evansville was following immediately behind the trailer. Both pick-ups were then forced from the roadway as a result of the impact.

A Posey County Coroner pronounced the driver of the first pick up truck dead at the scene, while the second pick up truck driver was transported to St. Mary’s Hospital in Evansville with non life-threatening injuries. The flatbed trailer driver was checked at the scene by emergency medical personnel and did not suffer substantial physical injuries. State Police and Fire Departments are currently assisting in investigation of the scene.

The second traffic pile-up, detailed by Theindependent.com, included a succession of crashes beginning at 4:30am near the Illinois and Iowa border. A 27-year old of Big Lake, Minnesota was killed when his semitrailer truck slammed into the back of another semi in the westbound lane of I-80, who’s 66-year old driver of Oak Park, Illinois had stopped because of mechanical problems.

While police investigated this accident, traffic backed up and a second fatal crash occurred. A 25-year old driver of River Grove, Illinois was driving a semi truck that crashed into a car, which struck another car, which was pushed under another truck. Both drivers of the cars and their passengers were killed on impact. The County Sheriff’s Office and the State Patrol closed a stretch of I-80 for most of Sunday and vehicles traveling west were rerouted on U.S Highway 30.

From the perspective of one of our Chicago truck accident attorneys, chain reaction collisions similar to those described in the above reports can happen in a matter of seconds and cause serious injury to those involved. When these collisions include semi trucks or other large commercial vehicles, the likelihood of a serious injury greatly increases. If another motorist suddenly brakes or there is a stall in traffic, keeping a safe distance from the vehicles in front of you, as well as properly maintaining your own vehicle, will not only help to keep you safe, but will help to prevent accidents and injury to others on the road.

If you or a loved one has suffered serious injuries, medical expenses, or property damage as a result of a trucking accident, contact our law firm at Levin & Perconti to find out if legal recourse may be available to you.

When it comes to semi trucks, trailers, or other large commercial vehicles, our Illinois truck accident attorneys can all agree that driving trucks attentively and responsibility is crucial for the safety of the driver and all motorists on roadways, and that negligent driving may result in serious injury or fatalities. However, many truck accidents are caused by issues with trucks themselves, such as weight, size, or potential equipment malfunctions. This was the case last week when a semi trailer struck an overpass due to its height in East Peoria, Illinois. Mortontimesnews.com released that a 37-year old driver was traveling eastbound on Interstate 74 at the Pinecrest overpass around 8pm. Police say he was driving a truck tractor semi-trailer transporting a number of sport utility vehicles. His cargo was over the legal height limit and as a result struck an overpass, causing extensive damage to three of the vehicles being transported on the truck.

The driver did not suffer serious injuries, but according to preliminary information from the Illinois State Police District 8, he was issued a citation for having a semi trailer/auto hauler that was over its legal height. The Illinois Department of Transportation (IDOT) inspected the bridge for structural damage after the accident and determined it was safe.

In addition to this accident, our Chicago truck accident attorneys learned about two fatal accidents that occurred when trucks that had their hydraulic lifts raised slammed into overpasses. According to IDOT, statistics show such accidents are on the rise. Although some states maintain a variety of standards governing bridge clearances and truck height, most accidents are the result of stacking cargo too high, improperly marking low clearance bridges, or raised hydraulic lifts. The frequency of these accidents is a cause for concern and many believe that examining truck safety requirements is necessary for Illinois drivers, as well as truck drivers throughout the country.

The American Society of Civil Engineers agrees that these accidents are increasing and have proposed a bridge bumper system to decrease the impact of such collisions. According to Tribtoday.com, they have indicated that investing in this system would compensate for the losses in bridge repair, road closure, property damage, and personal injury.

As far as equipment malfunctions go, our Illinois truck accident lawyers believe it is important that truck companies are doing what they can to help drivers remain safe behind the wheel. These safety precautions include alarms sounding when seatbelts aren’t fastened, tilt bed warning lights being used to warn truck drivers when their lift is not secured, and specifically relating to the above reports, having trucks automatically shut off after reaching certain speeds with their hydraulic arms deployed to avoid accidents caused by height problems.

Accidents caused by equipment malfunctions or safety hazards should not be increasing in Illinois; truck accidents caused by negligent motorists are already too common and can result in life altering consequences. Those who have been injured an accident due to a negligent truck driver have the right to seek compensation for their injuries. Our Illinois truck accident lawyers represent those who have suffered personal injury medical expenses, or property damage as the result of a trucking accident. We are prepared to inform you of your rights and ultimately offer you the resources you need to seek legal action.

If you or a loved one has suffered injury from an accident due to a negligent motorist, please contact our Illinois accident lawyers at Levin & Perconti to learn about what compensation may be available to you.

As of recently, a number of trucking companies have been attempting to find ways to prevent truck accidents from happening on Illinois roadways and throughout the country. Our Illinois truck accident lawyers read that these companies are specifically targeting speeding, a very common, yet preventable cause of semi truck and tractor-trailer accidents. To reduce speeding, truck companies have begun installing “speed limiters” on their commercial vehicles.

A speed limiter is used to prevent a vehicle from exceeding a predetermined maximum speed, usually about 65 miles per hour for trucks. While some are skeptical about the efficiency of the speed limiter, a recent study completed by Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration shows that the device really does work. The purpose of the study was to identify and assess the impacts of implementing speed limiters in large commercial vehicles. This was done through focusing on truck accidents that could have been avoided with an active speed limiter installed. The study’s sample consisted of data from 963 accidents that were collected across 24 site locations in 17 states. Results showed that trucks equipped with speed limiters were 50% less likely to be an accident than trucks that did not use the devices.

Our Chicago truck accident lawyers learned that The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) and the American Trucking Association (ATA) both strongly support the use of speed limiters. This support, in addition to positive research and investigation results, has led many safety advocates to strengthen their calls for a nationwide speed limiter requirement. The NHTSA has recently stated that it would grant petitions from ATA and Road Safe America to require manufacturers to install devices that would limit heavy truck speeds to 68 miles per hour.

Though many truck drivers drive attentively and professionally on Illinois roadways, others, including those who speed, are considered negligent and are often held accountable for causing serious accidents and personal injury to those involved. Speed limiters may be proven to decrease the number of truck accidents on roadways; however, accidents do continue to happen as a result of truck driver negligence.

Those who have been injured an accident due to a negligent truck driver have the right to seek compensation for their injuries. Our Illinois truck accident attorneys represent those who have suffered personal injury, medical expenses, or property damage as the result of a trucking accident. We are prepared to inform you of your rights and ultimately offer you the resources you need to seek legal action. If you or a loved one has suffered injury from an accident due to a negligent motorist, please contact our Illinois accident lawyers at Levin & Perconti to learn about what compensation may be available to you.

Early last week, our Chicago truck accident attorneys read a report about a female bicyclist who was struck and killed by a semi-trailer truck in the Fuller Park neighborhood on the South Side. Chicagotribune.com reported that the semi was entering the Norfolk Southern facility in the 300 block of West 47th Street around 1:40pm on Monday when it struck the bicyclist. Authorities said the unidentified woman, believed to be in her 40’s, was dead at the scene. The Cook County medical examiner’s office was then notified.

After striking the bicyclist, the semi truck driver immediately fled the scene of the accident. Though officials were not available for comment, the semi truck driver is not in custody. According to the Chicago Sun-Times, the Major Accident Investigation Unit is handling the collision and is seeking the driver of this hit-and run-accident.

From the perspective of an Illinois truck accident lawyer, many serious bicycle accidents unfortunately involve inattentive or negligent motorists. Semi trucks or large commercial vehicles are commonly responsible for striking bicyclists due to the truck’s large weight, height, and number of blind spots present, in combination with extreme vulnerability of the bicyclist. Often times, drivers fail to yield to bicyclists, don’t give bicyclists the space they need while riding on roadways, do not follow the rules of the road, or are simply distracted while driving. In the above report, the driver of the semi-truck couldn’t even stop to check the bicyclist after hitting her or report the accident, and instead fled the scene. Bicyclists are considered as motorists and have every right to use the roadway like any other vehicle does; yet, they are commonly disregarded and as a result too commonly become victims in serious accidents and collisions.

It is important that all truck drivers drive attentively and responsibly to ensure the safety of other motorists on Illinois roadways, especially bicyclists. Because of the potential injury and life altering consequences that can come from a truck and bicycle accident, it is encouraged that all victims seek quality legal representation. Our Chicago truck accident lawyers are prepared to inform you of your rights and ultimately offer you the resources you need to seek legal action.

If you have been seriously injured, or lost a loved one in a bicycle accident due to a negligent truck driver, please contact our Illinois accident law firm to learn about what compensation may be available to you.

An Illinois truck accident attorney at our firm recently read a report about a collision involving a semi tractor-trailer and a Madison County Transit bus in Granite City on Tuesday evening. Kmov.com reported that the bus was stopped at a light going northbound on Route 3 at the intersection with Chain of Rocks Road, just south of Interstate 270. A semi truck then rear-ended the bus, sending it into a pick up truck in front of it. As a result, the bus skidded about seventy-five yards into a ditch, while the semi swerved to the right side of the rode and struck a set of overhead traffic lights. The cab of the truck then fell on its side into a ditch, while the trailer remained upright.

The report states that emergency crews quickly responded to the scene, including the Granite City Police and Fire Department, Illinois State police, the Madison County Sheriff, Alton, Edwardsville, Abbot, and Collinsville ambulances, and ARCH rescue helicopters. The driver of the semi truck was extricated from the cab of the truck and airlifted to an area hospital, later being transferred to St. Louis University Hospital. His status is not yet known. The driver of the pick up truck was taken to Alton Memorial Hand is in stable condition. The driver of the bus, in addition to five passengers on the bus, was transported to Gateway Regional Hospital, all six individuals in stable condition. Authorities closed the roadway following the accident and reopened it a few hours later.

In previous blogs, our Chicago truck accident lawyers have discussed the severity of accidents that occur between semi trucks or large commercial vehicles and smaller cars or motorcycles. The risk of individuals in smaller vehicles sustaining personal injury after an accident with a larger vehicle is very high, often due to the vulnerability of the smaller vehicle in combination with the much taller and heavier vehicle like a semi truck, tractor-trailer, or bus. Even more, accidents that occur between two or more of these large vehicles can be just as dangerous. Accidents with semi trucks can result in turnovers or large swerves onto other vehicles, truck cabs disconnecting from the trailer, or even trucks spilling their loads onto the roadway. Furthermore, accidents with buses can lead to not only damage to the bus and surrounding areas, but all passengers traveling on the bus are at risk of injury or death. It is important that all drivers of large commercial vehicles do everything they can to prevent accidents with other motorists in Illinois roadways, ultimately preventing injury to those involved.

Though the above report does not specify which driver was responsible for causing the accident, in addition to whether anyone planned to seek legal action, individuals who suffer serious injuries as a result of careless or negligent motorists may be able to file a claim in civil court against the drive. Our Chicago accident attorneys at Levin & Perconti understand that accidents involving semi trucks or other large commercial vehicles can result in personal injury and life altering consequences. If you have been seriously injured, or lost a loved one in an Illinois trucking accident due to a negligent driver, please contact our team of Illinois truck accident lawyers to learn about what rights and compensation may be available to you.

According to an online news report by Htrnews.com, five members of an Illinois family were injured when their car collided with a large farm tractor north of the state border on Monday. Our Chicago truck accident attorneys learned that around 4:30pm, a tractor unit was attempting to turn east off of state Highway 42 onto county Highway VV when a car trying to pass the tractor struck it. The collision caused the tractor to spill a large amount of diesel on the roadway. In addition, authorities say the car struck and downed a utility pole, causing scattered power outages in the Two Rivers area. The car then stopped in a ditch on the side of the road and emergency crews rushed to the scene.

The Lieutenant of the Two Rivers Fire Department said the driver of the car was transported by ambulance to Aurora Medical Center. His wife, the front-seat passenger of the car, was airlifted by helicopter to Theda Clark Regional Medical Center. One of the three back seat passengers was transported to Aurora Baycare by ambulance, while the other two were taken to Holy Family Memorial in Aurora, also by ambulance. The extent of each passenger’s injuries was not immediately known, as well as if the driver of the tractor was injured. State patrol continue to investigate the accident, while Water and Light Department crews from Illinois and Wisconsin worked to clean up the fuel that spilled from the tractor.

From the perspective of our Illinois truck accident attorneys, accidents caused by negligent drivers of semi trucks, tractor-trailers, and other large commercial vehicles are causing an increasing amount of personal injury and fatalities throughout the state of Illinois and surrounding areas. However, it cannot be assumed that the tractor driver was to blame in this particular incident, as the car involved was responsible for hitting the tractor while trying to pass it. Even so, due to the larger size and weight of tractors and trucks in combination with the smaller size and vulnerability of other vehicles, accidents become much more destructive and likelihood of serious injury occurring during a collision greatly increases.

Although the above report does not confirm whether anyone planned to seek legal action as a result of the accident, when individuals do suffer serious injuries as a result of careless or negligent motorists, they have the right to take action. Our Illinois truck accident lawyers understand that accidents involving semi trucks or other large commercial vehicles can result in life altering consequences. If you if you or someone you know has suffered injuries, medical expenses, or property damage in an Illinois trucking accident due to a negligent driver, please contact our team of Chicago personal injury lawyers at Levin & Perconti to learn about what rights and compensation may be available to you.

According to an online news report by TheSouthern.com, a Franklin County truck driver was seriously injured last week after his truck ran off of the roadway and crashed. Our Illinois truck accident attorneys read that the accident occurred at 1:24am on Friday along Raleigh Road in Saline County. Illinois State Police say the 32 year-old driver was injured after the truck and trailer filled with coal he was hauling veered off the roadway, struck two utility polls, and rolled on its side. The trailer spilled its entire load of coal in the accident.

The driver was taken to Ferrell Hospital in Eldorado by ambulance, later transferring to Deaconess Hospital in Evansville, Indiana. Police say he was wearing a seatbelt at the time of the crash, but was cited for improper lane usage and texting while driving.

Our Illinois truck accident lawyers understand that accidents involving semi trucks, trailer trucks, or other large commercial vehicles can result in personal injury and life altering consequences for not only drivers, but also other motorists and pedestrians on the roadway. Though the accident described above was fortunately a single-vehicle accident, it could have easily been prevented. It is important to note that the accident occurred in the middle of the night, when driver exhaustion and fatigue commonly become a cause of distracted driving and failing to drive attentively on the roadway. Despite this already large risk for the driver, he was irresponsibly texting while driving, presumably becoming the cause of the accident by leading to even more distraction. Even worse, the driver was hauling an entire load of coal when the accident occurred. Accidents with cargo involved have the potential of causing very serious injury to the driver and other motorists if the cargo is detached or spills as a result of the accident.

Though truck drivers face many regulations before driving, such as ensuring they are well rested and all of their equipment is working properly, accidents do continue to happen as a result of negligent drivers. Because of the great amount of energy and force associated with trucks, truck drivers need to be extremely cautious at all times, even at low speeds. Doing so will help to greatly reduce the number and severity of trucking accidents on Illinois roadways. If you or a loved one has been injured in a trucking accident, please contact our Chicago personal injury lawyers at Levin & Perconti to find out what rights may be available to you. We are willing to assist you in determining if legal recourse is available to you, and are prepared to offer you the resources you need to seek legal action.

According to an online news report by McCraken.kfvs12.com, a vehicle that stalled out in the middle of the road caused a serious four-car accident last week. A Chicago truck accident lawyer at our firm read that the vehicle, driven by a 33 year-old man, stopped on the I-24 bridge in McCracken County around 4pm because of an empty fuel tank. A car traveling westbound, driven by a 41 year-old woman of Golconda, Illinois, spotted the stalled vehicle and swerved to avoid hitting it. After swerving, the woman’s car was hit from behind by a semi trailer, pushing it right into the stalled vehicle. To make matters worse, the 52-year-old driver of the semi trailer then swerved, and as a result struck another semi trailer.

The McCracken County Sheriff’s Department was called and responded to the stalled vehicle, but did not reach the scene in time to prevent this accident. Police say the driver of the second semi trailer was the only person who suffered injuries and was taken to an area hospital for treatment. The road was closed for an hour and a half in order to properly investigate the accident.

From the perspective of one of our Chicago truck accident attorneys, chain reaction collisions are very serious and can cause life-threatening injuries to those involved. If these collisions include semi trucks or other large commercial vehicles, the likelihood of serious injury greatly increases. The primary cause of the chain reaction described above was a stalled vehicle due to an empty fuel tank. Many drivers often postpone filling up their gas tanks until it is too late, potentially causing danger to themselves and others on the roadway. It is suggested that drivers fill up their gas tanks when they are about halfway empty to prevent the level from getting too low before finding the time to fill them up. Be sure your vehicle and its accessories are always working correctly by routinely checking your tires, brakes, lights, windows, and windshields. If there is a malfunction with your vehicle or you are involved in an accident, use your signals properly to move to the side of the road, or at least turn on your hazard lights to warn approaching vehicles.

Other chain reactions more commonly occur due to tailgating and failing to maintain a safe distance from others on the roadway. Thus, it is important to always keep your eyes moving to remain aware of other motorists, bicyclists, motorcyclists, pedestrians, and street signs. You should allow a distance of ten feet in between you and the vehicle in front of you for every ten miles per hour you are traveling. For example, if you are traveling at 60 miles per hour, this distance would be sixty feet. Heavier vehicles like semi trucks and trailers require longer distances, and distance should also be increased between all vehicles while driving in poor weather conditions. Rule of thumb, if you know you wouldn’t be able to stop your vehicle within the distance you are following another, then you are most likely driving way too close.

Chain reaction accidents can happen in a matter of seconds and cause serious injury, especially if they involve semi trucks. If another motorist suddenly brakes or there is a stall in traffic, keeping a safe distance from the vehicles in front of you, as well as properly maintaining your own vehicle, will not only help to keep you safe, but will help to prevent injury to others on the road. Our Chicago personal injury lawyers at Levin & Perconti are willing to assist you if you or someone you know has suffered serious injuries, medical expenses, or property damage as a result of a trucking accident. To find out if legal recourse may be available to you, contact one of our Illinois truck accident lawyers. We are prepared to offer you the resources you need to seek legal action.

Sj-r.com recently released a report detailing the current examination of an unexplained accident two months ago that claimed the lives of two drivers on Interstate 55. Our Chicago truck accident attorneys read that at 11pm on the night of May 8th, a driver on I-55 called the police after noticing a car stopped in the right southbound lane of the highway near Logan County. The report states that the vehicle, driven by a 21-year-old woman of Chicago, was at a dead stop with no lights on and was causing a traffic hazard for other motorists.

Illinois state troopers later arrived to the scene and were shocked by what had occurred. A tractor-trailer, driven by a 67-year old man, had plowed into the back of the stopped vehicle at about 65 miles per hour. It is reported that the truck was hauling a load of Caterpillar counterweights, causing his truck and his entire load to stop so suddenly that the cabin was crushed forward. Police say the semi ran over most of the car and then went out of out control, traveled into the median of the road, fell off of a bridge, and landed in a creek bed. Both drivers were ejected from their vehicles and were pronounced dead at the scene. In addition, the car the woman was driving had later been reported stolen.

Our Chicago truck accident lawyers read that as a result of the accident, a Logan County Coroner scheduled an inquest into the deaths this week. After being asked to describe the scene of the accident, the coroner stated, “It was really destroyed. The car was just a pile of rubble, and the semi wasn’t much better either. I’ve never seen a semi torn up like that. It’s just a sad thing, a really, really sad thing.” He said toxicology reports will be released soon, potentially yielding more information. The Illinois state trooper who investigated the incident is expected to testify. Family members of the victims hope to find out more about the unusual accident.

One important thing to note regarding the above report is that the accident occurred in the middle of the night. A huge concern for most truck drivers is driver exhaustion into the late hours of the night, which can result in distraction and failing to drive attentively on the roadway. Night driving frequently presents significant problems of determining how fast other vehicles are going on the road, in that many truck drivers don’t realize if other vehicles ahead are stopped until it is too late, as described in the above report.

Truck drivers face many regulations before driving to ensure they are well rested, all of their equipment is working properly, and they are not drinking and driving. Because of the great amount of energy and force associated with trucks, truck drivers need to be extremely cautious at all times, even at low speeds. Doing so will help to greatly reduce the number and severity of trucking accidents on Illinois roadways.

Despite the many regulations truck drivers face before driving, accidents do continue to happen as a result of negligent drivers. If you have suffered personal injury, medical expenses, property damage, or have lost a loved one due to a negligent semi truck driver, please contact our Chicago truck accident lawyers at Levin & Perconti. We are prepared to offer you the resources you need to seek legal action. Find out what rights may be available to you.

TimesDaily.com released a news report earlier today detailing a negligence lawsuit that has been filed on behalf of a 71 year-old man who was killed in a truck accident late last year. According to the report, the accident in question transpired on October 25 when a pickup truck towing a large trailer was traveling on an interstate highway when it became detached from the vehicle. As a result of the trailer detachment, the trailer proceeded to collided into a passenger vehicle driven by the plaintiff.

Upon collision, the accident victim’s vehicle plunged into a nearby creek – causing the almost immediate death of the driver’s 71 year-old father who was a passenger in the vehicle. The lawsuit names both the driver of the trailer, as well as, his employers, as defendants in the accident lawsuit.

According to court papers, the lawsuit asserts that the defendants were negligent and that the truck driver was “towing a dangerous trailer without a locking device and chain hook in a wrongful and/or negligent and/or wanton manner, causing the trailer to become detached and untethered while moving at a high rate of speed, causing it to veer and careen into the oncoming lane of traffic, striking and colliding with a motor vehicle driven by the plaintiff and his father.”

Our Chicago truck accident attorneys learned that the defendants deny that they are guilty of any wanton conduct on the occasion in question and deny that they wantonly caused damages to the plaintiffs. However, the truck accident lawsuit asks for punitive, as well as, compensatory damages from the defendants with the amount to be determined by a jury.

If you or a loved one has suffered severe personal injury or a tragic loss as the direct result of an Illinois trucking accident, you and your family may be entitled to compensation for damages sustained. These damages may include compensatory damages which seek to provide the accident victim compensation for a particular loss or injury that was sustained as the direct result of the unlawful conduct of another.

Compensatory damages may include lost wages, medical expenses, as well as, physical and emotional pain and suffering. Additionally, in certain situations punitive damages, which intend to punish the wrongdoer’s negligent conduct, may be awarded.

Please contact our Chicago trucking accident lawyers as soon as possible for a free consultation to help determine what legal rights and relief may be available to you.

Earlier this morning, CBSNews.com reported a devastating semi truck accident that took the lives of seven individuals and sent an additional four to the hospital. A minivan carrying ten occupants was traveling along a state toll road when the vehicle was rear-ended by a semi tractor-trailer traveling behind it. While exact accident details remain unclear, witnesses at the scene state that the minivan had began to slow down in the eastbound lane after striking a deer prior to being rear-ended by the large commercial vehicle. Seven occupants of the minivan were pronounced dead at the scene while the remaining three passengers, as well as, the semi truck driver were immediately hospitalized. The accident currently remains under investigation.

When a large commercial vehicle travels too closely behind a passenger vehicle, such as stated in the article, the results can be tragic. In a study conducted by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, it was determined that aggressive driving, such as following too closely, is the second leading violation committed by drivers of commercial vehicles. Due to the sheer size and weight of semi tractor-trailers, the amount of time it takes to stop these 80,000 pound vehicles substantially increases. In an addition study conducted by the NHTSA, it was found that the average stopping distance for a fully loaded large commercial vehicle traveling at 55 mph is 196 feet – compared to 133 feet for passenger vehicles. Our Chicago truck accident attorneys know that when you combine a semi trucks weight and size, in addition to, close traveling distances with passenger vehicles – accidents involving injuries and fatalities are likely to occur.

Our Chicago semi truck accident lawyers at Levin & Perconti maintain extensive knowledge when handling all types of motor vehicle accidents, including those involving large commercial vehicles. Victims of Illinois semi truck accidents may be able to obtain legal relief from the damages they have incurred as a result of another’s negligence or carelessness. Types of damages that may be obtained include: cost of medical expenses, loss of wages, as well as, physical and emotional pain and suffering. If you have been involved in a semi truck accident or have lost a loved one at the hands of negligent semi truck driver, please contact an Illinois personal injury lawyer. Our experienced accident attorneys will provide a free initial consultation to help determine what legal rights may be available to you.

Earlier today, our Chicago truck accident attorneys read a report on TireReview.com detailing a fatal semi truck accident caused by an improperly secured semi truck cargo. The driver of a passenger vehicle was killed when a semi truck cargo containing a tire/wheel assembly became unsecured and collided into the 27-year-olds vehicle. The truck driver stated that the cargo assembly had been placed on the back of the truck’s flatbed trailer and was only being secured by one single strap. The truck driver disclosed that he noticed that the strap had become unhinged but could not pull over in enough time. The accident is currently still under investigation and no charges have been filed against the semi truck driver.

Each year, thousands of semi truck accidents are caused directly by improperly secured cargo. When a semi truck’s cargo is improperly secured, it is a direct violation of regulations provided by the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration. To protect against shifting and falling cargo, the FMCSA requires that trucking companies, drivers, and/or loaders secure cargo in a matter which prevents articles from shifting on or within, or falling from the commercial vehicle. All vehicle structures, systems, parts and components used to secure cargo must be in proper working order when used to perform that function with no damages or weakened components that could affect the vehicle’s performance.

The article does not state if whether the family of the deceased wishes to seek civil legal action against the truck driver and his company. Looking at this case, from our experience as Illinois truck accident lawyers, the family may have a cause of action for a wrongful death suit. Wrongful death suits are claims on the basis that the wrongful or negligent conduct of another caused a premature death. Failure to properly secure cargo is a direct violation of FMCSA regulations, therefore constituting a negligent act. The family of the deceased may be able to obtain damages including medical, funeral, as well as, burial expenses.

If you or someone you know has been involved in an Illinois semi truck accident, please contact an Illinois truck accident attorney. Our experienced lawyers will provide a free consultation to help determine what legal representation may be available to you. Harm resulting from another’s negligence should never be dealt with alone and our attorneys will help you receive fair compensation for injuries sustained, as well as, hold wrongdoers responsible for their negligent conduct.

Our Illinois semi truck accident attorneys recently read a report detailing a fatal semi truck collision that resulted in felony criminal charges against the commercial vehicle driver. The accident, which occurred early last year, resulted in the death of the 47-year-old female driver of a passenger vehicle –according to RecordPub.com. The semi truck, which was hauling a triple trailer, was traveling through a construction zone on a toll road when the driver fell asleep behind the wheel – subsequently colliding with the motor vehicle in front of him. The collision caused the passenger vehicle to in turn collide with the semi truck in front of it.

The driver of the motor vehicle was pronounced dead at the scene. The vehicle’s passengers, the woman’s two sons, were critically injured as a result of the accident. The 12-year-old son suffered critical head trauma that has left him incapacitated for life. Additionally, the 16-year-old son sustained a broken pelvis and facial fractures along with other injuries. The 49-year-old driver of the semi truck pleaded not-guilty to three felony charges. These charges included: one count of aggravated vehicular homicide and two counts of vehicular assault. The prosecutor in the case stated that the charges were filed as a direct result of an extensive investigation into the accident.

We frequently discuss in our blogs the severe dangers that are associated with semi truck driver fatigue. Driver fatigue is one of the leading causes of semi truck accidents. According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, more than 55,000 driving fatigue accidents occur in the United States each year. Of that number, 1,550 deaths and 71,000 injuries result each year from driver fatigued collisions.

Many of these fatigued-related accidents occur as a direct result of drivers being encouraged by trucking company’s demanding and impractical schedules for transporting shipments as quickly as possible. For this reason, semi truck drivers travel long hours without sleep or use stimulants such as energy drinks or coffee. Unfortunately, a recent study conducted by the American Psychological Association found that these types of stimulants do more harm than good and can actually decrease a driver’s response time.

The operation of large commercial vehicles is rigorously regulated through state and federal laws. These laws strictly prohibit the negligent operation of semi trucks – especially operating while drowsy. Fatigued driving is a severe violation of a driver’s standard of care that they are required to adhere to in order to safely operate a large commercial truck. In civil trucking litigation, a semi truck driver and their trucking company may be held legally liable for any harm or fatality that results from a negligent trucking accident. If you or a loved one has sustained serious harm as a result of a trucking accident, please contact a Chicago accident attorney to see what legal rights may be available to you.

Our Chicago trucking accident lawyers just learned of a fatal accident involving a tractor trailer truck and a tour bus that occurred early this morning. Reports from CBS News indicate that at least one person, the semi-truck driver, was killed, and over thirty other people sustained injuries. The Spectator reported that the accident occurred when the semi-truck struck the back of the bus, which was pulling back onto the highway from the side of the road. Following the collision, both vehicles became engulfed in flames. It is being reported that all 46 passengers on board were able to get out, but at least thirty of them were hospitalized.

We will continue to monitor reports to learn more about the potential causes and consequences of this tour bus accident. It comes just five days after two people were killed in another crash involving a tour bus. That rollover crash, which occurred just 45 miles from today’s accident, is said to have been caused by a tire blowout in the bus.

Forbes.com cites a statistic from Advocates for Highway and Auto Safety that says that since January, 32 people have already been killed in tour bus accidents. That’s already two more than the number killed in tour bus accidents in all of 2010. With statistics like these, it is important for both passengers and tour bus operators to start thinking of ways to reduce these numbers to help ensure the safety of future passengers and others on the road. Unfortunately, despite increases in the number of these types of vehicles on the roads, the government does little to regulate them.

Currently, tour bus passengers are not required to wear seat belts, thereby increasing their risk for injury or death in the event of an accident. There is also little monitoring of tour bus drivers or the vehicles themselves. Our Chicago personal injury lawyers were shocked to learn that many tour companies do not perform background checks on drivers, and all they need is a commercial driver’s license to operate these large vehicles. Additionally, as with truck drivers, tour bus drivers run the risk of accidents caused by driver exhaustion because little is done to police driver hours.

Although what caused this accident is not clear at this point, our Chicago semi-truck accident lawyers hope that the 2011 increase in tour bus accident deaths will motivate state and federal lawmakers to consider new regulations to protect the safety of tour bus passengers and other drivers on the road. Due to the size of these vehicles, the risk for catastrophic personal injury and death increases greatly when an accident involves a tour bus. Therefore, tour bus operators and drivers must ensure that their vehicles are in safe operating condition at all times. Operators must thoroughly screen their drivers to make sure they have proper experience and an understanding of how to safely operate their vehicles. They should also take measures to limit their drivers’ hours of service to ensure that they do not drive distracted or fall asleep behind the wheel.

The negligence of a truck driver led to a truck accident involving a semi and a school bus carrying students, reports Oregon Live News.

According to published reports, the trucking accident stuck around 7:40 am on Tuesday, as the bus was bringing students to the school in the morning. The southbound bus had stopped on Wapato School Road to pick up several children. The bus’s warning lights were engaged at the time. The semi-truck was headed in the opposite direction on the road. After rounding a curve the truck driver saw the stopped school bus, and attempted to slow his truck.

However, the driver did not brake in sufficient time. The tractor-trailer fishtailed, went into a ditch, and then swerved around to hit the front of the school bus. Eye witnesses explain that it appeared he truck was going around the curve at too high a speed. Police officers ultimately gave the truck driver a citation for careless driving.

The bus driver, two high school students, and seven elementary school students were taken to the hospital following the accident. Fortunately, none of the victims suffered life-threatening injuries.

Continue reading "School Bus Collides With Semi-Truck, Sending Ten to the Hosptial" »

An Illinois truck driver has been hit with a lawsuit after a truck accident in Pennsylvania that killed two women.

The wife of the plaintiff was sitting in her minivan with a passenger around 5:30pm. The women were stopped in traffic. While immobile, the minivan was slammed from behind by a box truck. The impact sent the minivan barreling forward into the vehicle in front of it. The woman and her passenger were both killed in the collision—four other people were also injured.

The suit alleges a slew of problems leading up to the crash. For one thing, the Illinois truck driver was driving recklessly, speeding, and inattentive. In addition, the truck crash lawsuit claims that the driver did not possess the ability to communicate in English, which is necessary to earn a CDL license. The driver may also have been keeping improper logs, driving more consecutive hours than legally allowed, and insufficiently fit to drive a commercial truck.

The husband of the victim who filed the lawsuit explained, “It’s really not about settlements or money. At the very least, this guy needs to be off the road…I absolutely don’t want anyone else to have to go through what my family has done through.”

Continue reading "Illinois Truck Driver Lawsuit Filed Following Deadly Accident" »

Occasionally truck crashes are products of true accident, with no one to blame. However, negligent actions by one or more people is actually at the core of the incident in more cases than many realize. A trucker’s poor driving ability is one of the most obvious, and egregious, forms of potentially harmful negligence. It remains self-evident that no one should be behind the wheel of one of these machines if they are incapable of safely driving the semitrailer.

However, poor truck drivers continue to take up space on our roads. One of them caused a truck accident yesterday according to reports from WHPTV News. Two semitrailers were parked alongside Interstate 81 as overflow from the full rest stop nearby. As they stopped there a third semi was traveling along the highway. As the third truck came upon that point on the road the truck swerved to the shoulder and clipped both stopped machines.

The driver of the erratic semi was taken to the hospital for his injuries. Fortunately, no one else was hurt in the truck crash.

Fellow truck drivers explained that the crash was only a matter of time, because they had previously noticed the erratic traveling of the driver. Talking to one another through CB radios, they reported comments, “Look at this guy. He’s swerving all over.”

One explained, “I would stay away from him. He would speed up and slow down. Around bends he had trouble negotiating turns.”

Continue reading "Three-Semi Accident Caused By Erratic Truck Driver" »

A new truck accident lawsuit was filed recently in connection with a tragic crash that took two lives last summer. Knox News is reporting on the latest filing made by the husband of a woman killed along with her 3 year old granddaughter. The truck crash was similar to so many others in that it was caused by stalled traffic on a backed up highway.

A previous wreck had stopped the victim’s small Mazda 5 car behind a long line other vehicles. It was then that the truck driver was traveling behind them in a company flat-bed truck after finishing dropping off a load of cargo. There was a two-mile straightway before the line of cars—meaning that the truck driver should have seen the road situation up ahead. Unfortunately, the driver failed to recognize that cars were stopped ahead. As a result he smashed into the Mazda at around 55 miles per hour. The woman and her granddaughter were killed and the woman’s husband was also seriously injured in the wreck.

The state’s Highway Patrol has already issued statement claiming that the crash was the fault of the truck driver.

Continue reading "Trucking Firm Sued After Deadly Crash" »

One of the preeminent safety risks related to truckers and semi-transportation is that of driver fatigue. History has shown clearly that trucking accidents occur with startling frequency with the weariness of the driver at least a partial cause.

The risk is not a new or unknown danger. It is common knowledge that extended periods of time behind the wheel leads to slowly deteriorated driving ability with less acute reaction times and weakened ability to recognize potential dangers. The most obviously damaging form of driver fatigue involves falling asleep behind the wheel. In those cases, the semi becomes a deadly object, out-of-control, and barreling down the roadway preparing to crush whatever is in its path.

It is a truly terrifying scenario.

Yet, even though the consequences of failure to get appropriate rest are clear, it still happens all the time.

KCRA News reported on another truck driver that fell asleep in a big rig earlier this month. Shortly after 5 a.m., the driver of a semi fell asleep behind the wheel on a southbound stretch of freeway. When he nodded off, the truck sped down an embankment, overturning the semi and causing damage. Fortunately, the driver survived the trash crash. It was also only blind luck that other drivers were not caught in the crosshairs of this out-of-control machine.

Continue reading "Truck Crash Causes By Driver Falling Asleep Behind the Wheel" »

The Charleston Gazette posted earlier this month on a deadly coal trucking accident that took the life of the driver. The haulage accident occurred near Cabin Creek at the Massey Energy surface mine.

The accident occurred around 5:35 in the afternoon on a Saturday at the fork of Carbon Road and Cabin Creek Road. The driver lost control of the truck while traveling downhill, causing his vehicle to overturn, killing the driver. Authorities believe that brake failure on the truck and the icy road conditions contributed to the accident.

Unfortunately, trucking accidents of this type are not rare. The same coal company lost another driver in a similar manner earlier last year. In that case a 70-year old driver lost control of his truck when he tried to drive up a short embankment while traveling downhill on a paved road. His truck overturned and he was thrown from the car, dying while pinned underneath the cab.

Following the two deadly trucking accident, trucking officials claim that they are doing everything in their power to ensure that haul roads are safe.

Continue reading "Brake Failure And Icy Roads Leads To Coal Truck Accident" »

Safety Research & Strategies, Inc.—a group focused on investigating the best practices to keep consumers safe while behind the wheel—recently posted a blog story that raises doubts about the usefulness of underride guards installed on many tractor trailers.

These devices are built on the back of many large trailers as a way of preventing other vehicles riding underneath the truck in a read-end collision. However, new research from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration suggests that the currently mandated guards do little to nothing to improve safety for car and truck drivers.

Since 1998, the guards are required to meet a strength test when installed on certain trailers. Six years later the NHTSA began testing the usefulness of the strength requirement to determine if the strength requirements did in fact prevent certain deadly accidents. The results of that investigation reveal that the guards had little to no effect on safety improvement. The presence or non-presence of the guard had no statistical influence on car accident deaths or serious injuries. Conversely, factors like whether the collision occurred at a corner of a trailer versus directly behind it did statistically influence the seriousness of the accident.

A large factor in the problem may be that the Administration did not do enough to improve standards when it made strength requirements in 1998. The agency decided not to push the Truck Trailer Manufacturer Association’s too much, mandating only a very small increase in the product strength requirements.

Independent researchers have tested a much better product than the one currently required. Compared to underride guards in the U.S., these alternative guards do a much better job of protecting small cars from underride.

These superior safety devices have been tested literally for decades. Researchers have known of their improved effectiveness since the 1970s, but the changes have not been required on many vehicles in the U.S. While the trucking industry may benefit from not having to make changes to its vehicle fleet, the vast majority of drivers suffer a higher risk of potential injury if caught in a rear-end crash.

Continue reading "Rear Underride Guards On Trucks May Be Ineffective" »

The News Tribune reported this weekend on a strange truck crash involving two semi-trailers. Apparently the driver of a large truck carrying coffee products was on small side streets making a delivery to a local business. While moving slowly attempting to park his truck, the vehicle accidentally backed into another parked semitrailer. For reasons that investigator are still uncovering, the truck carrying the coffee burst into flames upon impact.

The fire was very intense and spread quickly. One firefighter explained that the cab itself “disintegrated and burned to the ground.” It was too late to save the driver, and he was found dead in the driver’s seat of the vehicle upon arrival of emergency personnel.

The bizarre circumstances of the accident were initially very suspicious to authorities. It seems intuitively unlikely that a semi fire would erupt in so intense, quick, and damaging a manner caused only by one vehicle backing into another. However, officials have indicated that the crash was accidental.

Continue reading "Bizarre Trucking Fire Kills Driver" »

St. Louis Today reported on a deadly truck crash in southern Illinois that struck on Monday night.

A young 18-year old woman was driving a 1998 Pontiac Grand Am on Interstate 70in Madison County. She was near the Silver Lake rest area when, for reasons still unknown, she made a sudden lane change from the left lane into the right. The quick car movement caused her Pontiac to hit the rear driver’s side of a Chevy Impala that was being driven in the right lane.

The Impala slid off the road into a drainage ditch. The young driver’s Pontiac also slid, but it flipped over while sliding. The careening, overturned vehicle did not stop until it struck a large tractor-trailer parked on the shoulder of the exit next to the rest stop. The woman suffered serious injuries and died shortly after. The Impala driver was not injured in the wreck.

Continue reading "Illinois Woman Killed in I-70 Truck Crash" »

Several drivers education teachers from a city high school recently became the first to participate in a new federal safety program aimed at minimizing truck accidents. According to Arizona Central News the purpose of the program is to educate instructors who will in turn better explain to their students the unique safety concerns involved with sharing the road with semis. The program is better known as a “Train the Teacher” session.

Specifically, a major focus of the program was to emphasize the prevalence of blind spots and the differences between braking in a truck and a regular vehicle.

Truckers often attempt to calculate their maneuvers like lane changes and entering/exiting highways in advance. When cars make speed changes and lane changes, truckers often make mistakes and fail to account for the changes. One recent study explains that 65% of crashes between cars and trucks take place at those “contact” points—when cars are changing lanes and entering/exiting the freeway.

It is important for both car and truck drivers to better understand these different dynamics. When these two vehicles collide, serious injury and death is all too common. Depending on the circumstances both the cars and truck drivers are occasionally at fault.

Continue reading "Drivers Education Teachers Participate In Truck Safety Pilot Project" »

A woman was killed last week after a run-in with a tractor-trailer sent her SUV over the highway bridge on which she’d been traveling. Shortly before 10pm last Monday, the victim was driving an SUV on U.S. 30. A large semi was driving in front of her, and the woman attempted to pass the truck.

Witness claim that the SUV entered the southbound lane to pass the truck but the woman clipped the front of the semi as she was attempting to get back into the northbound lane in front of the semi. However, it is unclear whether the impact occurred in the middle of the merger or if the truck hit the back of the SUV after it had already merged.

The driver of the SUV lost control as a result of the crash and the car ultimately flipped over the guard rail into the Black Fork of Mohican River below. The female driver was killed. The driver of the semi truck sustained minor injuries, and none of the cattle he was hauling died in the truck crash.

Initially emergency crews were not sure if the SUV had any passengers. However divers had not found any other victims after combing the river area near the crash.

As this accident makes clear, any crash involving a large semi often includes the most devastating injuries. Our Chicago truck crash attorneys at Levin & Perconti repeatedly warn all drivers to maintain care when traveling around these machines. It is particularly important to be very careful when passing a semi while on the highway. Of course those traffic maneuvers occur frequently because trucks typically have a lower speed limit than other vehicles. However, the risk of crashing increases at those moments, so increased care is warranted.

This week represents a renewed effort by many enforcement officials nationwide to step up safety measures against owners of unsafe trucking fleets, truck drivers, and cars that act negligently around large semi trucks. As reported in Trucking Info, The effort is part of Operation Safe Driver, a project organized by the Commercial Vehicle Safety Alliance and the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration. Our Chicago trucking accident attorneys at Levin & Perconti fully support these efforts to improve the safety of large vehicles on the road. Our attorneys have been involved with too many semi accidents that have caused immeasurable damage to countless families. The need for improved truck driving safety is obvious. Every year nearly 5,000 people are killed in truck accidents involving large commercial vehicles.

One safety expert puts the figures into perspective, “This is equivalent to a 737 airplane crashing every two weeks. Could you imagine if we experienced 26 planes crashing in a year? That would never be tolerated, and we should have no tolerance for these deaths on the highways either.”

This year the safety driving program involves targeting 261 motor carriers with a history of problematic practices including hiring unsafe drivers and operating even after being put out of service. Those carriers will then be given “aggressive compliance reviews” to determine if the improvement steps have been taken to curb the problematic behavior.

Other components of the program include a “Teens and Trucks” training program to help educate young drives about the challenges of driving around trucks. Inexperienced drivers in particular often fall victim to these trucking accidents. On top of that, program organizers are spreading a distracted driving education package that includes public service announcements, handouts, presentations, and an educational DVD.

Please Click Here to learn more about this trucking safety program.

A man was killed last week after his Jeep crashed into a semitrailer in an early morning accident, reports the Brattleboro Reformer.

The man was driving his 1996 Jeep Cherokee at high speeds, over 80 mph, on Virginia’s Route 5. Near the exit ramp to Interstate 91, the man’s SUV crashed into a Freightliner tractor trailer. The truck was stopped at the end of the off ramp as he was making a left-hand turn.

The size of the vehicles and the speed at the time of the accident severely increased the damage in the collision. The Jeep went so far underneath that its front end was protruding out of the other side of the trailer. The Jeep driver was eventually pinned under the semi truck for over an hour before rescue crews could completely extricate him. He was rushed off to a nearby hospital but died from his injuries.

The police in this case were able to reconstruct the accident using a measurement of the skid marks on the road, noting that the car was likely traveling at about 81 miles per hour on impact (the speed limit in the area is only 40 mph). However, that estimate does not include how fast the driver was traveling before the brakes were applied in an attempt to stop—likely around 90 mph.

Our Chicago truck accident attorneys have been involved in the aftermath of many fatal truck accidents like this one. We have decades of experience understanding the legal issues involved in these crashes from understanding the causes of the accident, the weather conditions, the possible impairment of drivers, and the liability of trucking owners and companies. Please contact our truck crash lawyers if you are ever involved in a crash with a big rig.

The Salt Lake Tribune reported last week on the death of a local man killed following a semi crash shortly before sunrise.

The 47-year old man was riding his bike to work along a highway. Just as the bicyclist was going through an intersection a big rig semi turned directly into him. The truck driver claims that he did not see the bicyclist, but he did hear something contact his truck. After the impact the bike rider became wedged underneath the truck. The semi drove with the man underneath for nearly 130 feet before coming to a stop.

The victim suffered severe pelvic wounds, and he was rushed to a local hospital by emergency crews. Unfortunately, he died at the hospital later that day. He leaves behind eight children, ranging in age from 25 to 9, as well as two grandchildren.

Our Chicago truck accident attorneys at Levin & Perconti understand the complex driving issues involved in accidents with semi-trailers. The driver of the vehicle sits at a higher position and his view in a variety of angles is often blocked. For that reason, we encourage all drivers to remain particularly careful when driving or biking near these trucks. That risk is compounded when visibility is poor, like in the predawn hours.

As was the case in this accident, the individual hurt or killed in truck accident represents only one of many people whose lives are damaged by the crash. There are now 8 children, a wife, and two grandchildren grieving the loss—as well as countless extended family and friends. The cost of these accidents is truly too high to calculate.

Chicago Breaking News Center recently reported on an accident involving an SUV and a semitrailer in the far western suburbs of Chicago. The semi accident occurred late Thursday evening on Interstate 88 (Ronald Reagan Memorial Tollway) near the town of Elburn.

From what police have been able to piece together since the crash, two women in their 20s were driving a Honda CRV east on Interstate 88, just west of Illinois 47. Around 10:30pm the SUV—for reasons still unknown—crossed the median and started driving into oncoming traffic. It wasn’t long before the SUV struck an oncoming semitrailer. The Honda hit the truck on the rear axle, sending both vehicles out of control.

Upon arriving at the crash scene, one woman had to be extricated from the SUV. A helicopter was called in to transport the more severely injured woman to a local hospital. Both women suffered several broken bones, but fortunately none of the injuries appear life-threatening. The truck driver escaped without any major injuries.

Any time that a crash involves a semitruck—especially one that is hit by oncoming traffic—the consequences are usual severe. Our Chicago truck accident attorneys at Levin & Perconti continue to see the often deadly effects of these crashes. Whatever caused the accident here, whether it was vision problems in the night, speeding, or some other malfunction, it is imperative for all drivers to remain alert for possible trouble on the road. Drivers remain at the mercy of one another’s actions while sharing our roads and highways. Please take care while on the road-- for all our sakes. If you’ve suffered at the hands of a driver who has failed to take appropriate precautions, please contact a truck accident lawyer to learn more about your rights.

A unique truck accident that struck in Oregon last night claimed the life of an SUV driver reports Fox News 12. The crash occurred around 10pm yesterday evening. Richard Clay, an Illinois truck driver, was stopped in a trucking park area at that time after a long day on the road. He was sitting in the sleeper berth portion of the vehicle watching a movie when he felt a sudden jolt. Apparently, a still unidentified driver of a Honda SUV had slammed into the bed of the parked semi. The collision caused a fire to erupt almost immediately. The flames engulfed the SUV and part of the semi. Clay was able to get out of the sleeper berth, but he could not help the SUV driver. That driver died as a result.

The specific cause of the unfortunate accident is still unknown and authorities are asking anyone who may have been in the area to contact them with information. Whatever the case, the truck crash is another example of the hazards that exist while traveling, both on the road and near it. Those dangers increase in the evening, when the sun disappears and visibility is limited. When a driver loses the ability to clearly see everything in front of him, even basic circumstances pose risks. For example, it is likely that the SUV driver would never have run into a parked semi had it been light outside—but that all changed when darkness obstructed his view.

No matter what the specific cause, there is a good chance that this truck crash involved a breach of driving care. The only way to ensure that our roadways remain as safe as possible is to hold all negligent drivers accountable for their errors. Abiding by that basic standard protects both the negligent drivers themselves and those who they risk on the road. If you have suffered at the hands of a bad driver, please contact a truck accident attorney today.

The News Tribune recently wrote about a traffic accident that involved six cars, including several large semitrailers on Illinois interstate 80.

Kevin Haeffner was driving a semi truck at about 2:20 in the afternoon when he lost control of the vehicle while traveling eastbound on I-80. While out of control the truck slammed into another semi that was stopped and disabled on the side of the road. The accident caused the semi driven by Haeffner to overturn and spill its meat cargo.

The truck crash backed up traffic for several miles around the scene of the accident. Only twenty minutes after the crash, another semi was pulling up to the slowed down traffic area and was unable to stop in time. This semitrailer driven by Rex Davis hit three other vehicles that were stopped in traffic. This second accident caused severe damage to the vehicles hit by the truck. The local fire chief indicated that one of the cars was still stuck underneath the semi when they arrived. Rescue crews were forced to conduct extensive extraction maneuvers to free two passengers trapped in their vehicles.

All told the driver of the initial semi, Kevin Haeffner, the driver of a vehicle in the second crash, and his fourteen year old daughter were all injured in the accident and were still in the hospital at the time of the report.

As this situation suggests, some of the most dangerous locations on our highways are the areas where high speed traffic is forced to slow down quickly. Our truck accident attorneys at Levin & Perconti are all too familiar with the damage that is caused at these locations, especially by large vehicles like semitrailers. If you have been involved in an accident with one of these machines, please contact our truck crash attorneys today to learn more about your legal rights.

This weekend saw a vicious three vehicle crash outside of Chicago, after a semitrailer crashed through a sound barrier wall. The trucking accident clogged traffic for hours and sent seven people to the hospital. Considering the size of the vehicle and the dramatic manner it which it careened off the highway, it is fortunate that the number of injuries remained even that low.

Shortly before 10 o’clock in the morning, the driver of the semi came upon slowed traffic on I-80/94. The driver failed to stop in time, causing him to hit the back of an SUV and begin veering toward the right side of the interstate. Another SUV was struck afterwards as the driver lost control. The trucker was unable to handle the vehicle following that initial collision, leading to the trailer continuing to move until plowing into the large sound barrier wall on the right side of the road. A fire started in the truck’s engine, but fortunately it was quickly extinguished.

The seven victims obtained a variety of injuries, including serious being facial lacerations. Luckily, a 14 month old child in one of the SUVs was uninjured. The driver had just finished emptying his cargo in the city. If his vehicle has been loaded, the damage would have likely been much worse.

This trucking accident is another example of the chain reaction that often occurs when these large machines are out of control. Observers at the scene noticed that oil and physical parts of the semi were strewn 25 feet around the scene, acting as dangerous barriers to other drivers. Any vehicle accident affects cars, drivers, and passengers that are anywhere close to the initial collision.

Police are still investigated the causes of the accident. Slowed zones on interstate have always been some of the most dangerous areas to drive. All too often drivers fail to make the speed adjustment to accommodate for traffic build up. The consequences can be deadly. Our trucking accident attorneys at Levin & Perconti encourage all drivers to remain extremely vigilant when on the highway, especially when traffic begins to slow. It is important to keep a close eye both on traffic in front of you and behind you to ensure that emergency steps can be taken to avoid accidents.

A truck crash that occurred on the morning of July 31st on I-80/I-94 left seven people injured. The accident occurred when a car was slowing down for traffic and a semi-truck struck the back of the passenger car. Another passenger car also became involved in the accident, and in all seven people, including the truck driver, had to be taken to local hospitals for treatment of their personal injuries. Luckily, everyone involved in the accident is expected to be okay, but according to WGN TV, one of the passenger cars as well as the truck were totaled in the accident. To read more about this weekend trucking accident, please click on this link.

Accidents like this occur all the time, when drivers fail to pay attention to other cars on the road and do not allow themselves enough time or space to slow down behind traffic. This accident shows the importance of always maintaining an appropriate distance behind other vehicles, so when you do need to slow down quickly you will have enough space to slow down without striking another car. In addition to this being important to keep you from getting into an accident, usually when accidents occur for a slowdown in traffic, they lead to a chain reaction crash due to the close proximity of other cars. Illinois injury attorneys ask drivers to always make sure to leave adequate space between your car and the car in front of you and to always stay focused on the road so you will be immediately aware of a quick slow down in traffic.

An Illinois man was involved in a horrible traffic accident on I-70 early this morning, and then proceeded to flee the scene and attempted to steal another vehicle to get away from the scene. The police were able to catch the fleeing man and when they took him out of the cop car, a packet of cocaine fell out of his pocket onto the ground. The Illinois man was then charged with driving under the influence, endangerment, and leaving the scene of an accident where there was property damage. In addition to these charges, the driver received citations for driving with a suspended license and for unsafe lane movement. According to Chicago Breaking News, the accident occurred when the driver attempted to move to the off-ramp of the highway by cutting across the section of highway separating the ramp from the lanes of traffic. As the driver attempted to make this risky maneuver, he struck the side of a semi-truck and caused the truck to jackknife and hit a large concrete barrier which then caused the semi to roll onto its side. Luckily, the truck driver was not injured but the Illinois man, as well as his highly intoxicated passenger, were taken to a local hospital following the accident. To read more about this Chicago crash, please click on this link.

Illinois accident attorneys remind drivers to never flee the scene of an accident, even if you believe you will get in trouble if you stay. Fleeing the scene is a very serious offense and considered a class four felony in Illinois It is important for all parties involved to remain at the scene to assist injured drivers and passengers and help police determine what caused the accident.

A trucking accident occurred on the I-65 on July 23rd in which all the northbound lanes of the highway, in the section where the accident occurred, had to be shut down for several hours. The accident only involved one semi-truck that other drivers on the highway reported was swerving for some time before the crash. When the police caught up with the swerving truck, the truck was already overturned in the middle of the highway lanes. The truck had been transporting cars and a couple of them rolled out of the truck in the midst of the trucking crash and further obstructed the highway lanes. According to WLFI, no one was injured in the crash but the roads had to remain closed for awhile to clean up the crash load and the overturned semi-truck. The truck driver was issued a citation for improper lane movement in connection with the driving that caused the truck accident. To read more about this I-65 trucking accident, please click on this hyperlink.

At this time it is unknown what caused the driver to be swerving prior to the accident and what it was that actually caused the truck driver to crash. However, many truck drivers drive when they are too fatigued to be behind the wheel and it leads to unsafe driving and often times can lead to trucking crashes. Truck drivers often times take certain measures to try to stay awake, whether it be taking excessive amounts of caffeine or of drugs to try to keep them alert, however this usually does not result in keeping a person that is overly tired alert and ends up being a danger to the driver and to others on the road. Illinois injury attorneys ask all truck drivers to keep in mind themselves and others that they will encounter on the road, and to always make sure to not get behind the wheel when they are overly tired or do not feel like they are alert enough to safely drive at the given time. Given the huge size of semi-trucks, a truck driver falling asleep or failing to pay attention poses a much bigger threat and risk to other drivers than the a driver of a passenger car likely would.

While a recent study of Chicago accident deaths shows improvement, there is still a long way to go. Around 300,000 accidents occur each year in Chicago and the surrounding areas, and about one fatal accident occurs each day. Of these accidents, many were trucking accidents. Certain safety features that have been added to roads in recent years, are believed to account for the reduction of close to 200 less deaths each year in the area. One of the safety features that has led to less fatal accidents are the addition of cable median barriers in certain areas. These barriers are high-tension steel cables that are aimed to prevent vehicles that are out of control from traveling into other lanes or flipping over into oncoming traffic. These barriers are especially useful for out-of-control trucks because a flipped over truck blocking the roadway can not only lead to many accidents and often fatalities, but can also block traffic for a long stretch of time. These barriers have helped keep trucking accidents much more contained and less dangerous than they would have been in areas without reinforcements. The areas that have these barriers are mostly in more densely populated areas and the number of fatalities in these areas is decreasing more dramatically than in areas with more rural roads that lack these types of safety features. Additionally, areas where the crash rates are reducing at an even higher rate, have added more highway dividers and pavement markings that also aim at keeping vehicles in their own lanes. These improvements are especially useful for trucks which often lead to such dangerous conditions when they flip over for crash into another lane of traffic.

One of the factors that the study cites as still being a big problem for Chicago drivers is the high incident of late-night driving accidents. This is especially relevant for trucking accidents because of how many truckers drive on overnight trips. According to Chicago Breaking News, the reasons that the study cites as leading to more late night crashes are things like impaired drivers, tired drivers, faster speeds because of less traffic and slower reaction times when driving at night. Chicago accident attorneys remind truck drivers of the danger of driving late at night when you are overly tired. Tiredness is the cause of many traffic accidents and whenever you feel like you need more rest of the road, please make sure to pull over and rest before getting back on the road. This is one way that individual drivers can help reduce the number of tragic accidents, and if everyone does their part to make sure they do not driver when impaired, tired or distracted, the number of traffic accidents each year will greatly decrease. To read more about this reduction in traffic accidents study, please click on this link.

An Illinois trucking accident that occurred on July 15th on I-57 in Southern Illinois resulted in the death of two truck drivers. The truck crash involved a total of seven vehicles, including four semi-trucks, a Jeep and two pickup trucks. According to The Pantagraph, Illinois State Police have reason to believe that the accident was related to a slow-down in traffic due to construction in the area. Two of the semi-truck drivers were killed as a result of the personal injuries they suffered in the accident, one other person involved was airlifted to a local hospital, and one other person involved had to be taken to the hospital in an ambulance. Other people were also involved in the crash but did not have to go to the hospital because any injuries they had were minor enough to leave untreated or were able to be treated at the scene. Following the accident, several fires started because of the semi-trucks that were involved in the trucking accident. The local firefighters had to be called and it took awhile to get all the flames under control, and there were even explosions resulting from the accident. The Hazmat team also had to be called to the scene, because two of the semi-trucks were carrying loads of hazardous material that spilled onto the road at the time the trucking accident occurred. Given the immensity of the accident and the commotion it created, the entire section, all lanes in this section of the road way, of the I-57 were shut down for around 57 hours. To read more about this disastrous trucking accident, please click on this link.

We often see accidents that are caused when traffic slows or comes to a stop suddenly because of accidents, construction or other stoppages. In this case, one of the semi-trucks failed to come to a stop fast enough, initiating a chain-reaction crash. This case illustrates the importance of paying attention to the road at all times in order to protect your safety and the safety of those around you. Staying alert will help to give you ample time to slow down when traffic slows. By slowing down early, you also warn drivers behind you that a slow-down is occurring, giving them time to slow down or stop as well.

A trucking accident lawsuit has been settled and the mother of the victim of the accident will receive a settlement of $5 million dollars in connection with the wrongful death lawsuit. The trucking accident that is the reason for the lawsuit allegedly occurred when the trucker driver, who suffered from diabetes, failed to test his blood sugar and blacked out while driving his truck and crashed into the young victim's truck, killing her and one other young man. The truck driver previously had pled guilty to vehicular manslaughter in the criminal case involving this accident, but the lawsuit currently being settled is the civil wrongful death lawsuit that the family of the victim filed against the trucking company that owned the truck the driver was driving and that employed the driver. The family of the victim wanted the trucking company to have some accountability for their drivers, however initially the trucking company refused to support legislation to make companies held more responsible for their driver's mistakes, but have since been able to come to an agreement somewhere in the middle. The company agreed to pay the victim's family $5 million dollars as well as have the settlement recorded as a judgment rather that a confidential settlement. The reason that this is an added plus to the victim's family is that the judgment is public record and any other family of a victim from an trucking crash involving the same company would be able to look up the settlement and it paves the way for that family having an easier time reaching a settlement. This added plus, aside from the money, was important to the victim's family because they wanted the company to take some responsibility for what happened and wanted to help make sure that other families did not have to go through what they went through to put the awful tragedy behind them. To read more about this trucking lawsuit settlement, please click on this hyperlink.

A trucking accident occurred earlier today in which a semi-truck crashed into the side of a Metra train at the extremely accident-prone intersection of Nagle and Avondale. This exact intersection has been the location of five train accidents over the course of four years and has been named one of the most accident prone intersections in northeast Illinois. The cause of the accident, according to Chicago Breaking News, was that the semi was struck in traffic passing through the intersection and when the truck driver realized the train was coming he was unable to move forward and was also unable to back up because of the traffic behind him. Luckily, no one suffered any serious injuries as a result of this train-truck accident. To read more about this Illinois trucking crash, please click on this link.

Interestingly enough, this specific intersection had just been named one of the most dangerous in Illinois, and the article was published shortly before this accident occurred. Chicago Breaking News, earlier this morning and prior to the accident, posted an article discussing the most dangerous railroad stops in Illinois and specifically discussed how dangerous the Nagle and Avondale crossing had become. The main reason that many believe this intersection is so accident prone is that traffic is often stopped, waiting for a light next to the intersection to change to green, in the middle of the tracks. While this seems like an obvious danger and not something drivers would subject themselves to, many drivers are found waiting on the tracks all the time. A better system for traffic in this area, or at least stronger deterrents against waiting in the intersection, are not only greatly needed but would hopefully prevent more of these types of truck crashes in the future.

A trucking accident occured on July 7th in Troy, Illinois which resulted in the closure of Illinois Route 162. The trucking crash occurred when a truck was traveling on the I-55/70 which then crossed under the bridge, and the truck then struck the outside edge of the bridge, causing damage to the bridge itself and to the road that crossed over the bridge. According to The Telegraph, the reason the bridge has to be closed following the truck crash is because the trucking accident loosened some concrete and the Illinois Department of Transportation wanted to inspect the damage to insure that it was still safe for cars to drive across without any additional repairs. Work is currently underway on the bridge to replace the damaged areas and to make sure the bridge is back up to the appropriate safety standards before reopening the road. To read more about this Troy trucking accident, please click on this link.

The Department of Transportation makes it their goal to close roads after accidents in cases where drivers could be placed in danger if they remained open. This includes situations, like the one mentioned above, where the roadway itself may have suffered some structural damages as well as other types of disruption such as a spill on the road resulting from a commercial trucking accident. Illinois accident attorneys point out how helpful and important these preventative measures are, because if a potentially dangerous stretch of road is left open following a car or trucking accident it is far too likely that another accident will occur in that same spot. Department of Transportation workers also realize how much of a delay closing the roadways can be and do their best to fix the issue and reopen the road as soon as possible.

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.

An Illinois man is behind bars after causing a car accident that resulted in the death of one man on June 29th. According to NBC News, the trucking accident occurred when the driver of a passenger car crashed into another passenger car while trying to avoid emergency triangles placed on the road by the truck driver whose truck had broken down. The reason that the truck driver is being charged for the man's death is because he should not have placed the triangles in the road to show that his truck was broken down on the highway, but rather they should have been placed behind the broken down truck on the shoulder of the highway. The reason for this specific placement requirement is so the emergency triangles will hopefully not cause more cars to be placed in danger and risk getting into accidents, and will hopefully provide them adequate warning of a broken down vehicle in the vicinity. Please click on the link to read more about this tragic trucking accident that resulted in one man's death.

This trucking accident shows the importance of truck drivers being aware of the rules of the road and the safety precautions that are to be taken in order to alert other vehicles, but also keep them safe in the event of a broken down vehicle on the highway. In this case, had the truck driver known the correct protocol, the man would likely not have been killed and the truck driver would not be taken in on these charges in which be could face serious jail time under the criminally negligent homicide charge. Illinois accident attorneys remind truck drivers that even when a safety precaution may not make sense to them or may not seem important enough to follow exactly as it is supposed to be, that there is a reason for all of these measures and that following them exactly may make the difference in saving a life.

A recent study conducted by the Large Truck Crash Causation Study found that about 13 percent of all trucking accidents were the result of the truck driver being overly tired, or fatigued, at the time the accident occurred. It is very dangerous for truck drivers to be driving when they are too fatigued to be on the road and it ends up being a danger to other drivers on the road as well as to the drivers themselves. The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration has several tips that can help insure that drivers are not too tired to be driving. The first recommendation that is offered is to make sure to always get enough sleep before going on a long trucking trip. While this may seem like an obvious point, many people overlook this very important tip and do not actually get the appropriate amount of sleep they need in order to function properly behind the wheel. A second tip, that may be overlooked often, is the importance of having a healthy well-balanced diet before embarking on a long truck trip. The reason for this is that eating healthy meals at the appropriate times can actually help a person stay less fatigued, meaning you should never skip meals or have too heavy on a meal before setting out on a trip. The third tip is to take a nap whenever you do start to feel too tired or not alert enough to drive. This can help restore your energy when you do feel better to get back on the road, but make sure to give yourself around 15 minutes to get back to normal after the nap before driving. Additionally, never rely on caffeine, turning the radio up loud, or opening the window as a method to stay awake when you feel too tired to be driving. These tricks are not likely to help if you really are fatigued and you need to stop driving until you feel alert again. Similarly, do not drive on long trucking trips when you are taking a medication that is known to lead to drowsiness. One of the best tips to remember is to know what the signs are that you are too tired to be driving and should stop in order to avoid a trucking accident. These signs may be different for different people, but often include symptoms such as yawning, having blurred vision and a feeling that your eyes are starting to get heavy. Illinois accident attorneys remind drivers that these rules are not only useful to truck drivers to help avoid accidents, but to all drivers. Please click on this link to read more about truck driving fatigue and ways to avoid trucking accidents.

A common cause of trucking crashes are truck drivers driving at speeds which are too fast given the road and weather conditions. Trucks are much larger vehicles than passenger cars and often times need to travel at a slower speed in order to maintain control of the truck at all times. A recent study conducted by the Large Truck Crash Causation Study found that 23 percent, or in other words almost a fourth of all trucking crashes, were caused by truck drivers driving at a faster speed than the conditions called for. Examples of conditions that might require a truck driver to need to travel more slowly than usual could be weather issues, such as wet roads or low visibility, or road work, such as construction zones which may have large equipment near the road or uneven roadways. These are just a couple types of conditions that would make a lower speed necessary, and if truck drivers are aware of the need to slow done in any kind of changed condition, the number of trucking accidents that occur each year would probably decrease dramatically.

The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration has come up with five useful tips for truck drivers to always keep in mind and that can help them remember when they need to slow down and be extra cautious of their speed. The first tip is to reduce speed in the event of any adverse weather conditions. Even if the weather does not seem to be bad enough to affect one's ability to drive, it is always best to err on the side of caution and remember that on slick roads, or in hard to see conditions, a truck driver can easily lose control on the truck if going too fast. The second tip offered is to enter all curves slowly. The reason this is so important is that trucks are such big vehicles, and if a truck driver takes a curve too fast it is very easy to lose control of the truck and cause a trucking accident. Similarly, the third tip offered is to always reduce your speed when entering or exiting a highway and this is because these ramps are a very likely place for a truck to rollover if the truck is traveling at too fast of speeds. The fourth tip is to always drive more slowly when driving with a loaded trailer because trucks with loaded trailers have a shifted center of balance and are up to ten times more likely to rollover than a truck with no trailer or an unloaded trailer. The final tip that is suggested is to always slow down in work zones. The reason for this is that work zones often result in sudden slowdowns or stops and if a truck is traveling at too high of a speed, the driver may not be able to stop in time to avoid a trucking accident. To read more about the importance of maintaining an appropriate speed while driving a truck in order to avoid a trucking accident, please click on this link.

The administrator for the estate of a woman that died from the personal injuries she sustained in a trucking accident in May, has filed a lawsuit against the driver of the truck that caused the accident, as well as the trucking company that he drove for. The truck accident complaint alleges that the truck driver was driving too fast, was driving on the wrong side of the street, and was not in control of his truck at the time that he caused the accident. According to the State Journal, the truck driver fled the scene of the accident and did not call any help to assist the victim whose car he had just struck. The truck driver was charged with leaving the scene of a trucking accident that resulted in death, and also faces criminal charges in connection with this fatal trucking accident. To read more about this truck accident lawsuit, please click on this link.

This lawsuit is an example of the fact that trucking companies are often sued as additional defendants in addition to the truck driver that caused the accident. Illinois accident attorneys remind trucking companies of the importance of insuring that all drivers are adequately prepared before getting on the road and are fully aware of the safety precautions they should always take when driving trucks, and to keep track of drivers and make sure they are in fact driving safely all of the time. The importance of this is not only to help keep trucking companies from getting sued in the event of a trucking accident, but also to help reduce the number of victims that die, or are injured, each year as a result of truck driver's not driving safely and not being fully aware of their surroundings.

A truck accident lawsuit has been filed against a truck driver who allegedly crashed into a passenger car while the truck driver attempted to change lanes. The plaintiff in the lawsuit was the driver of the passenger car that was involved in the accident. The complaint alleges that because of the truck driver's negligence the plaintiff has suffered serious and permanent personal injuries of which she is suing for compensation. The truck driver apparently failed to keep his truck under control, was driving at too fast of a speed, was not keeping a proper lookout, was not maintaining a proper distance between other cars on the road, as well as multiple other driving infractions that the plaintiff alleges were what contributed to the trucking accident. According to The Madison Record, the complaint is seeking over $100,000 in damages in connection with the accident. To read more about the Madison County trucking accident and the lawsuit that has been filed in connection, please click on this hyperlink.

All of the allegations that the Plaintiff makes against the truck driver in this accident lawsuit stem from the driver not being cautious or aware enough while behind the wheel. It is extremely important for truck drivers to not only know all the safety precautions that they should take while driving, but also to actually follow through and make sure they are driving in the safest manner possible. Illinois truck accident attorneys remind all truck drivers of the importance of being an alert aware driver, always obeying safety rules in all circumstances. Aside from the fact that these rules are created for a reason and should be followed because of that, trucks are such large and potentially dangerous vehicles in the event of a crash that this provides drivers extra-incentive to stay safe while on the road. Additionally, it is good for truck drivers to be defensive drivers because even though the truck driver may follow all safety laws, other drivers they encounter may not, and if the truck driver is prepared they can hopefully avoid an accident that another unsafe driving may have been about to cause.

An Addison, Illinois trucking accident that happened on June 16th near I-290 left the tollway shut down for about an hour and a half in the location where the accident occurred. The accident occurred when a semi-truck and a box truck collided, causing the box truck to roll onto its side and spill the load it was carrying. The spilled load is what caused the lanes to have to be shut down following the accident, so the clean up crews could make the roads drivable again. According to ABC Local News, the semi-truck driver was ticketed for improper lane usage, which in turned resulted in the trucking crash. Luckily, neither driver suffered any major personal injuries in the accident. If you want to read more about this two truck Illinois accident, please click on this hyperlink.

This accident occurred in a construction zone, which likely means that the truck driver's citation was for more money than if the accident had occurred on a normal stretch of the road. The reason that the fines can be significantly higher in construction zones is to further deter drivers from behaving in risky or illegal ways when driving, because of the higher danger present in construction zones. Often times there are construction workers present or dangerous construction equipment present in construction zones that create a more dangerous environment for drivers. Illinois accident attorneys encourage all drivers to remember this and always obey any signs in construction zones, whether they warn you of workers, remind you of increased fines in the area, or create a temporarily reduced speed limit for that area. Following these rules can help keep you from getting high penalty fines and will make driving safer for you as well as for any construction workers that may be present in the construction zone.

More and more states are joining the fight against distracted driving by making texting while driving illegal for all drivers including truck drivers in order to try to reduce the number of automobile accidents. At this point 28 states, plus Washington DC, all have anti-texting laws for all drivers on their books. As many as 32 states have included a distracted driving section in their driver license education manuals, showing that even more states realize the importance of educating drivers about the dangers of distracted driving. According to Trucking Info's website, 35 states are working with state agencies and other companies within the state to help address the problem of distracted driving and to try and reduce the number of car and trucking accidents that occur as a result of this problem. For example, the state of Illinois has created the Distracted Drivers Task Force which was created in order to learn more about the growing issue of distracted driving and to try to find a solution to this problem. To read more about the efforts that different states are making to try to make a difference in the number of trucking accidents that occur each year by addressing the distracted driving accident problem, please click on this link.

Distracted driving does not only mean texting while driving but also any other form of using a cell phone, eating or drinking, talking to other passengers, reading a map, changing the radio, or doing anything else that takes your eyes and focus off of the road while you are driving. According to the government's statistics on driver distraction close to 6,000 people were killed in accidents caused by distracted drivers in 2008, with the percentage rising significantly from several years before, and the most common driver in these types of accidents were inexperienced drivers under the age of twenty years old. Illinois accident attorneys hope all drivers realize the prevalence of this problem and take it upon themselves to always pay attention to the road and not allow distractions while driving, so everyone gets where they are going safely!

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.

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.

Sleep apnea is a serious problem for truck drivers and may be an underlying cause of many trucking accidents. According to Trucking Info, around three out of every ten truck drivers suffers from some level of sleep apnea, which leads to high rates of truckers driving while tired. Given the prevalence of this disorder among trucking drivers, many believe that sleep apnea will become a factor in proving negligence in trucking accident lawsuits. Plaintiffs attorneys could even use health reports to show that the trucker had symptoms of sleep apnea to help further their clients case against the trucking companies. Chicago injury attorneys remind companies that this could be a major problem for them and encourages letting this information lead them to address the severity of the problem and implement some kind of testing or regulation to ensure that their drivers are not on the road overly fatigued. One company that has taken this problem into their own hands reports that in a study done before and then after a fatigue management system was put into play, the percentage of crashes went down thirty percent. The way that this company handles the issue is by screening all applicant drivers and it they test positive for any level of sleep apnea to get them treatment and follow up with them for up to ninety days, if that amount of time is necessary given their issue. To read more about the connection between sleep apnea and trucking crashes, and what can be done to help fix this unnecessary problem, please click on this link.

Holiday weekends can easily be a time in which many more car and trucking accidents than usual may occur. According to The Chicagoist, one of the main reasons for this is the huge increase in traffic, especially during this holiday weekend because it is the first three day weekend of the summer and many people are taking road trips out of the city. In Chicago this weekend, there is added congestion because the President is in town and a great deal of construction is going on since the weather is warming up. It is important for all drivers to remember that there will likely be an increase in traffic and plan accordingly, and to be extra cautious and alert to avoid any accidents on your holiday weekend.

In addition, a recent study shows that Chicago is home to three of the top ten worst bottlenecks, including the actual top two worst. A bottleneck is an area of highway where the lanes get smaller and this inevitably causes a huge amount of traffic congestion and back up. This leads to a great deal of truck congestion in the Chicago area and can lend itself to a higher amount of trucking crashes. The number one worst bottleneck in the country is the junction between the Eisenhower Expressway and the Dan Ryan Expressway in downtown Chicago. To read more about the bottleneck problems and other congestions problems that can lead to higher number of car and trucking accidents, please click here.

These congestion issues can make Chicago driving more prone to accidents even at times other than holiday weekends. Chicago accident attorneys ask you to please make sure to always allow yourself plenty of time to get to your destination and never to rush or drive unsafely to try to get somewhere on time.

A trucking accident that occurred on May 22nd has left one young woman dead. The accident occurred when a semi-truck driver attempted to make an illegal u-turn and struck a passenger car. The truck driver has been cited for making the unsafe and illegal u-turn and may face additional charges in connection with the fatal trucking accident once more investigation has been conducted. According to The Quad-City Times, the victim was the front seat passenger in the car that was struck by the semi-truck, which was then rear ended by another car. The driver of both the passenger car and the second passenger car, as well as the backseat passenger of the original car were fine and only suffered minor personal injuries. The truck driver that was responsible for the fatal accident has been linked to previous accidents in which he was driving in an unsafe manor. To read more about this tragic trucking accident, please click on this link.

Illinois accident attorneys remind truckers and trucking companies the importance of always being alert and driving safely and obeying the laws of the road. Even minor accidents with semi-trucks can have devastating results, so it is important to always make sure to be driving as safely as possible. Trucking companies can be sued when their drivers are involved in accidents, so trucking companies need to ensure that their truckers understand the importance of taking all safety measures and being extra cautious while driving trucks. Being a little more aware and cautious while on the road can make all the difference in saving a life!

The truck involved in a tragic trucking accident that occurred in March of this year and resulted in the death of the driver and of 10 other people was found to have had no electronic recorder on board at the time the tragic trucking accident occurred. According to The Courier Journal, the reason this is significant is because these recorders are a way of determining how long a driver was on the road, letting investigators know if a violation occurred. This driver kept a handwritten log which was unfortunately destroyed in the fatal accident. To read more about this tragic trucking accident, please click on this link. Electronic recorders are not required but there is a big push for them to help regulate and control truck and driver safety, because they create a better way to ensure that drivers do not go over the required amount of hours that the law sets out as safe. According to Trucking Info, a new requirement was just recently enacted by the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Commission which will require that trucking companies who have been found to be in violation of the hour requirement at least ten percent of the time will be required to install electronic monitoring systems. Chicago accident attorneys remind trucking companies that this law will not go into effect until June 1, 2012 allowing the nearly 5,700 trucking companies that are affected to comply with this new law. The goal behind this new law is to increase safety by making it much more difficult for trucking companies that may lie about or be unclear about their driver’s hours to do this. An electronic recording system, as opposed to a handwritten system is much more precise and does not leave room for driver or trucking companies to change their actual hours.

A fatal truck crash occurred near Chicago earlier this week and tragically killed a 21 year old married man who had a young daughter. At this point the cause of the accident is still under investigation, however it appears that the car that crashed into the back of a tractor-trailer never tried to stop. Both cars were moving at the time of the accident but the passenger car was moving at a much faster speed when the accident occurred. According to My Fox Chicago, the accident occurred when the passenger car drove into the back of the truck which resulted in the death of the driver instantly. While it is unknown why the driver never stepped on the brakes, it is believed that he was distracted from something at the time of the crash. The evidence shows that he was not on his cell phone at the time of the crash, because it was found in his pocket following the accident. It is a possibility but still unknown if there may have been a medical condition or issue that caused the driver to be unable to stop the car to avoid the fatal accident. To read more about this fatal trucking accident, please click on this link.

Illinois accident attorneys want to remind drivers the importance of staying focused while driving and to make sure to keep the distractions away and always keep your attention on the road. This can be done by making sure never to use your cell phone to search for numbers, send texts, read texts or do anything else that will take your attention off the road.

A truck crash where a truck driver slid out of his lane and crashed into 22 cars that were waiting at the Chicago Skyway Toll Plaza was found to be the result of the driver falling asleep at the wheel. According to My Fox Chicago, toxicology tests revealed that the driver tested positive for having cocaine in his system at the time the trucking accident occurred. To read more about this trucking accident, please click on this link.

After reading this report, we felt it was necessary to address the issue of substance abuse among truck drivers. A recent study by the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration suggests that some truck drivers depend on drugs to help them stay awake and cope with the stress of the long trips on their own. Many trucking companies are beginning to take steps to combat this problem by requiring drivers to submit to drug-testing before getting behind the wheel.

Unfortunately, not all trucking companies have drug-testing currently in place. The company that employed the driver involved in the previously mentioned crash is one of the 120 Illinois trucking companies that have been found to fail to conduct these required drug tests. In addition to the 120 that fail to comply with mandatory drug testing for truck drivers, 55 other trucking companies failed to test new drivers before sending them out onto the road. A study which looked at 120,000 large trucking crashed between 2001-2003, identified about 3,000 crashes caused by truckers using illegal drugs and about 1,000 caused by truckers who had been drinking when the trucking accident occurred. Our Chicago accident attorneys hope that more companies in Illinois and throughout the country will take steps to implement mandatory drug-testing for drivers. These tests will help to protect the lives of truckers and passenger-vehicle drivers alike.

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.

Recently, many have wondered if the structure in which trucking drivers are paid encourages them to drive beyond the amount of hours that is safe and could actually be responsible for more trucking accidents. The way truck drivers are paid is by mile as opposed to by how long they are working, which leads drivers to often times drive more miles and longer hours than what may be safe for them to be driving. Additionally, drivers are not paid for the as many as 30-40 hours per week that it takes to load and unload their trucks. According to The Rolla Daily News, many people within trucking organizations and truck drivers feel that a change in the structure of paying trucking drivers would not only be more fair to the drivers but would also increase overall safety within the entire trucking industry. However, on the opposite side of the debate from the people that feel that truckers should be paid for the hours they work, many say that if truckers are not paid for miles driven it could encourage drivers to lose the incentive to get a lot of miles in and instead cause them to relax possibly too much on the job. So while there are two sides to this issue, it is pretty apparent that something likely needs to be done to increase safety among trucking drivers. There are new hour limits being put into place to try to encourage safe driving, but since these restrictions are pretty new it is still hard to tell how successful they will be in increasing safety and reducing truck crashes. If you would like to read more about the issues facing truck drivers and the way in which they are paid, please click on this link.

A trucking accident that occurred in March of this year in which eleven people were killed has been connected with the truck driver using his cell phone. The truck driver that was one of the people killed in the trucking accident was driving over the speed limit and did not have his truck in control and crossed the median and struck a van going in the opposite direction. According to Google, the report created during the accident investigation says that the truck driver was using his cell phone at the time of the accident and that this distraction is partially what caused the fatal accident. The report does not specify if the driver was using the phone at the exact moment of the crash but it is known that he was at least using it right before he crossed the median. To read more about this fatal trucking accident, please click on this hyperlink.

Cell phone usage has proven to be a very dangerous distraction to drivers and it is important to be aware of just how distracting phones can be while on the road. Many states have made it illegal to talk on the phone while driving unless you are using some type of hands-free system and recently many states are also making it illegal to send or read text messages while driving. The city of Chicago currently has banned talking on cell phones while driving as well as texting while driving. This is an important step to take in cutting down on the number of unnecessary traffic accidents caused by distracted drivers.

A trucking accident lawsuit has been filed by a truck driver following an accident that he was involved in. The plaintiff claims that the trucking company negligently allowed a truck to be driven that had a defective wheel, because the wheel detached from the back of the tractor-trailer he was driving and then hit the front of the truck. The Illinois accident occurred on Illinois Route 127 in Bond County back in 2008. The driver and his wife filed the lawsuit seeking damages for medical bills as well as pain and suffering damages. The lawsuit is against the trucking company for failing to properly inspect the truck before allowing it to be used by their employees. According to The St. Clair Record, the trucking crash lawsuit seeks over $600,000 in monetary damages.

Trucking companies are often held liable when their truckers get into car accidents. Even if the truck itself has defective parts, the trucking company that employs a driver that gets into an accident may face a lawsuit for failing to properly inspect and perform the proper safety tests on the trucks they have for their drivers to use. Trucking companies need to not only insure that their drivers receive proper safety training and follow certain safety precautions, but also need to insure that the trucks they are using are safe and okay to be driven under the conditions that these trucks are often forced to undergo. To read more about this Bond Country trucking accident lawsuit and the trucking accident itself, please click on this link.

An Illinois trucking accident occurred on May 3rd when a semi-truck crashed on the highway. The trucking accident occurred on I-55 near Springfield, Illinois and the Illinois State Police were required to close down all but one southbound lanes while the truck’s load was cleaned up from the road. Luckily, the truck was not carrying hazardous materials so the accident spill was not as dangerous as it could have be been. According to The Pantagraph, the accident did not leave anyone with any serious personal injuries and no one had to be taken to the hospital following the Springfield area trucking accident.

Trucking accidents are often more disruptive that other types of car accidents because of the load that the truck is carrying. When trucking are carrying hazardous materials and get into a trucking accident it can be extremely dangerous if those materials spill. In situations where hazardous or other dangerous materials are spilled, the hazardous materials (Haz-Mat) team will be called in to clean up the spill immediately because of the danger that is created when hazardous materials are unintentionally released. Even when dangerous materials are not spilled in a trucking accident any spill can hold up the traffic. In this accident the spill has of aluminum coils, and while these were not dangerous they blocked the highway and required the highway to be almost entirely closed while the spill was cleaned up. To read more about this Illinois trucking accident and the road closure caused by this accident, please click on this hyperlink.

Given all the construction that is done during the warmer summer months, it is important for drivers to be aware of all the workers present and to obey all posted signs that are intended to keep the workers and the drivers as safe as possible. According to Trucker News, there are certain tips for truckers and trucking companies to keep workers safe as well as save the company time, money, and help to avoid trucking accidents. One trucking company loss prevention director says that for their company they teach this safety in initial training, in refresher courses, and have signs and newsletters and other reminder handouts to help keep the truckers aware of the importance of construction zone safety and how to best insure this safety.

One big safety issue for truckers is to make sure to keep the speed at the construction zone speed limit. These limits are posted and are lower than the usual speed limit in the area and our intended to keep the area safer for workers. Speed is the biggest safety issue for truckers in construction zones and if truckers would obey the construction speed limits many accidents could be avoided. Additionally, truckers need to lookout for signage, workers and equipment. Being in a truck it can be hard to see all of this, so drivers need to make it a point to be constantly looking around and watching out for construction equipment. Another tip for drivers is to plan driving times to stay out of known construction areas during the prime time they are being worked on. This can be done by choosing to drive through that area during off peak hours. Following these simple tips can safe lives and avoid fatal accidents. Please click on this link for more information on how truckers can avoid construction 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.

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.

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 crash that occurred several weeks ago was caused by road rage and left two men facing attempted murder charges. The incident involved a dump truck and a passenger car and got so dangerous that the passenger car driver ended up firing shots into the truck. While the exact details are unclear, at this point multiple witnesses of this rush hour road rage incident report that the truck driver began intentionally hitting the car and pushing it into the guardrail on the side of the highway. According to The Washington Post, the incident occurred over the course of 20 minutes with the rage in the drivers rising and shots eventually being fired. While luckily no one was hurt, both drivers are being charged with attempted murder. The driver of the passenger car is also being charged with reckless use of a firearm, shooting a missile into an occupied vehicle, and child endangerment because the driver’s two year old daughter was in his car while he participated in this horrific incident. To read more about this road rage trucking accident, please click on the link.

Aggressive driving or “road rage” is a very dangerous condition that can greatly endanger both the driver and others on the road. Aggressive driving occurs when a driver gets so upset at something that occurs while they are driving that they take out their rage on other drivers and act irrationally on the road. According to AAA’s Foundation for Traffic Safety, over 1,500 people are injured in car accidents that are caused by aggressive driving each year. It is important to remember how dangerous it can be to let your anger get the best of you. If another driver is provoking you, ignore them and do not retaliate. Remember that giving in to road rage cannot only hurt you, but other people on the road as well.

The Comprehensive Safety Analysis (CSA 2010) is a new federal truck safety program that will be introduced nationally this summer. The new program aims to use trucking safety data in a more productive way that will hopefully improve safety regulations in trucking companies throughout the country. This new change has been in the works for several years, with the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration creating a system that will make safety regulations more streamlined and effective, hopefully reducing the number of trucking accidents. The way that safety regulations for truckers currently works, and the reason this new system is needed, is that compliance reviews which are the main component to truck safety systems are being done in a way that allow only less than two percent of all trucking carriers to be tested each year. Given this small percentage of carriers that can be checked each year, and the importance of maintaining safety standards among trucking companies on a federal level, a new system and more effective way of regulating trucking companies was definitely necessary.

According to Trucking Info.com, this new program has been tested in several states prior to the introduction of the program this summer. The reason for this early testing is to understand how the program will actually work and how effective it can be. So far the test states have reported that the truck drivers involved in the test programs have been getting prepared and are using the new program as a way to increase driver safety awareness. No test state has said that there has been any negative feedback so far and those involved feel that this program is definitely a positive thing and will hopefully reduce truck crashes nationally. To read more about this new trucking safety program, please click on this hyperlink.

A tragic trucking accident that occurred on March 26th resulted in the death of eleven people. The accident occurred when a truck crossed over the highway median and crashed directly into a church van that was filled with a group of people on their way to a wedding. According to Boston.com, among the victims were the truck driver, and ten passengers in the church van. Two child passengers of the church van survived the terrible accident. To read more about this car crash, please click on the link.

The trucking company that owned the truck that was involved in this accident had repeatedly failed safety checks and had received poor safety rating from federal regulators of trucking companies. According to Google, a spokesman for the National Transportation Safety Board has stated that they will be investigating the trucking company as part of the accident investigation, looking at their safety culture, training, accident history, and how they handle driver fatigue. This accident serves as an unfortunate reminder of the importance of trucking safety and the reason trucking companies need to always be on top of safety for their trucks and drivers. To read more about the unsafe trucking company that caused the trucking crash, please click on the link.

Luckily, two children that were involved in this horrible accident did survive the crash. The evidence shows that that the children were riding in safety seats, which are required by law for all children under a certain age. This tragedy goes to show the importance of following these child safety laws and making sure that anytime small children are riding in a car, that the car is properly equipped with safety seats for the young children. While it is unknown at this time if the adults in the accident were wearing their seat belts, the safety precautions taken for the children were likely what saved their lives.

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.

On March 29th a trucking accident left one trucker dead and two others with severe personal injuries. The fatal trucking accident occurred on I-65 in the wake of another trucking crash that had slowed down traffic tremendously. While traffic was slowed one truck was rear-ended by another truck which was then struck by a third truck, which was then hit by a fourth truck. According to JC Online, this chain reaction crash left the driver of the fourth truck stuck in the cab of the truck and he had to be extricated by emergency workers. Unfortunately, the fourth truck driver’s injuries were so severe that he died of the injuries while at the hospital. The drivers of the second and third truck were hospitalized from their injuries, but the driver of the first truck was left unharmed. No one was injured in the earlier crash that slowed the traffic down leading to the four-truck crash. To read more about this fatal trucking crash, please click on this link.

It is very important to be alert and cautious at all times when driving. Traffic accidents often occur when traffic suddenly slows down due to an accident or a construction zone. While a sudden change in traffic can be startling and hard to prepare for, if you are always being alert and driving at the appropriate speed there should be enough time for you to react and avoid a car accident. To help prepare yourself for this type of situation make sure that whenever you are driving you are watching the cars around you The Illinois Department of Transportation website offers useful tips for driving in construction zones as well as general defensive driving tips, such as if you see cars up ahead seeming to be slowing down or you see brake lights ahead, start slowing your car down so you don’t have to slam on the brakes when it could be too late. Taking these small steps could be what keep a chain reaction crash from occurring.

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.

A Chicago trucking accident that occurred in the morning of March 23rd left four people with personal injuries. According to The Chicago Sun Times, the accident occurred on the Dan Ryan Expressway near the South Side of Chicago when a semi truck rear-ended a car and then another semi struck the back of the first semi. Luckily, even though this accident caused a fire, none of the people injured suffered any burns. Four people to taken to local hospitals following the truck crash, but all are expected to fully recover.

In this truck crash both semi drivers were at fault, the first for rear-ending a car that was stopped because traffic had slowed and the second for following too closely. It is important for all drivers to pay attention to the road whenever they are behind the wheel, so if the traffic patterns change they have an appropriate amount of time to react, hopefully avoiding accidents. In this case both semi drivers were likely not paying close enough attention and were unable to react quickly enough to avoid hitting another vehicle. To read more about this Chicago trucking accident, please click on this link.

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.

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 national trucking company has recently announced that in 2009 they saw a large reduction in their trucking accident rates, with about a 13 percent decrease in accidents from the 2008 rates. The trucking company also reports that over the past five years their safety records have gotten better with each year, with 2009 showing the safest numbers yet. In addition to the decrease in accidents over the past several years, the trucking company has received more than 70 safety awards in the last year. These number are a great improvement to the trucking world and show the commitment to safety that some companies are choosing to make and what a remarkable difference that choice can make. To read more about these trucking crash statistics, click on the link.

The Chicago trucking accident attorneys at Levin & Perconti are pleased to see this reduction in trucking accidents and the care that some companies are putting into their safety efforts. We hope that other companies will choose to follow this lead and make their safety standards higher, causing their trucking accident numbers to decrease as well. The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration website offers several ways in which trucking accidents can be avoided, such as assuring that drivers drive no faster than the posted speed, that drivers never drive while they are under the influence of drugs or alcohol, that drivers are always well-rested when driving and that drivers always where their seat belts when driving to protect themselves in the case of a trucking accident. If other trucking companies can take these precautions into their training and find ways to ensure that drivers follow these simple precautions, the number of trucking crashes should continue to decrease.

A recent article by Business Insurance magazine has roused attention surrounding the issue of sleep apnea among truckers. The article cites a study by the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration that revealed that the percentage of commercial truck drivers with sleep apnea is very high. The study showed that about a quarter of commercial truck drivers suffer from some type of sleep apnea, however many people do not know that they have this sleep disorder. According to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention sleep apnea is a sleep disorder in which a person’s airway is constricted while sleeping, which causes constant waking up during the night and interrupted sleep. The symptoms sound like snoring or gasping in one’s sleep. Sleep apnea is most common in people with a body mass index of over 30 and a neck circumference of higher than 17 inches and have other health issues related to weight, and is seen mostly in obese individuals. To read more about sleep apnea and trucking accidents, click on the hyperlink.

The reason that this high percentage of sleep apnea in truck drivers can be so dangerous is that a common effect of sleep apnea is daytime drowsiness, due to interrupted sleep during the night. Studies have shown that drivers suffering from sleep apnea are 2.5 times more likely to be involved in a car accident than drivers that are not suffering from this condition. Given the high number of truck drivers that are believed to have sleep apnea, this is clearly a problem with truck drivers, in that they need to be alert and aware when driving so as to avoid trucking accidents. Many trucking companies are not aware of the prevalence of sleep apnea among their drivers and therefore are not taking any actions to try to reduce sleep apnea among drivers.

According to USA Today, one way in which the trucking companies may try to curb this problem is by suggesting that truck drivers undergo a sleep study once they hit a certain weight. The goal here is to try to detect sleep apnea in drivers and get them treatment for the condition before allowing them back on the road. Treatment options range from surgery to certain types of devices that can clear the breathing passage while the person is sleeping. This is a problem that needs to be addressed in order to hopefully try to limit the number of truck crashes.

A Motor Carrier Transportation Truck Safety study that was conducted recently found that there are certain precautions that drivers can take when on the road with large commercial trucks to help avoid dangerous trucking accidents. The reason that it is so crucial for drivers of passenger cars to be aware and careful around trucks is because it is 15 times for likely for someone in a passenger car to be killed than it is for the truck driver to be killed.

In order to stay safe while on the road with trucks, our Chicago accident attorneys recommend that you always leave more space than you would behind a passenger car. Additionally, make sure to never cut off trucks and do not tailgate trucks. Also make sure to follow the speed limit because speeding is another leading cause of serious trucking accidents, as well as other types of traffic accidents. To read more about safety measures drivers can take to avoid truck crashes, please click on the link. Making an active choice to be cautious and around trucks can result in fewer trucking accidents and safer roads for passenger cars.

A trucking accident lawsuit has been settled in connection with a 2007 trucking accident that resulted in the death of a couple. The trucking accident occurred when a truck driver fell asleep at the wheel and struck an Illinois woman’s vehicle, causing a chain reaction in which the couple was killed along with the Illinois driver. The case required the jury to decide what damages couple's sons should receive, because the trucking company conceded liability early on in the wrongful death lawsuit. The jury awarded $4 million to the couple's sons. To read more about this trucking accident settlement, please click on the hyperlink.

According to Trans Scan, almost half of long-distance truck drivers interviewed admitted to nodding off at the wheel at some point in their career and about twenty percent of all truck-drivers interviewed reported either an accident or near accident due to nodding off at the wheel. Given these high statistics and the extreme danger caused by fatigued truck drivers, it is important for trucking companies to enforce maximum driving hours and have safeguards in place to help keep tired drivers off the road. In addition to the horrible accidents that can result from tired drivers, trucking companies have added incentive to keep their drivers alert because the companies can be held liable for accidents that are caused by their drivers.

A trucking accident lawsuit has been filed in connection with a December accident when a truck driver veered over the center line of the highway striking a passenger car head on. The family of the victim has filed a wrongful death lawsuit in connection with the accident against the trucking company, because it is believed that the company knew of the medical condition that caused the truck driver to black out at the time of the truck crash and kill the victim. According to Justice News Flash, the lawsuit alleges that since the company was aware of the driver’s medical conditions and had previous reports of his driving record, they should have respected these issues and should not have allowed him on the road alone. To read more about this trucking accident lawsuit, click on this link.

Wrongful death lawsuits may be filed against a person or corporation that can be held liable for the death of someone. Each state’s wrongful death claims are controlled by statute, laying out the requirements for filing a suit, but they are usually filed by a close relative of the victim. This is the appropriate recourse when a company is responsible for someone's death. In this case, the trucking company is being charged with wrongful death because they were aware of the driver’s condition that caused the fatal crash. To contact a Chicago wrongful accident attorney, please click on the hyperlink.

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.

The family of a man who was killed in a trucking accident has been awarded a $3.6 million settlement for their wrongful death lawsuit. According to About Lawsuits, the fatal trucking accident occurred in June of 2005, when the driver was crushed to death after a cradle of propane cylinders fell on top of him. The court found that the trucking company was negligent in allowing four layers of propane cylinders, when only three layers were safe. Another driver for the company testified that the company allowed for this dangerous load because they wanted to get the cylinders loaded into the truck as quickly as possible, and that the driver that was killed had no idea that these safety precautions were ignored. To read more about this tragic accident and the settlement, please click here. According to The Times Reporter, the trucking company is planning on appealing the verdict citing Motor Carrier Safety Regulations as their reason for fighting the case, specifically that the safety issue in question is supposed to be under the truck driver’s watch and is the driver’s responsibility. To read more about the trucking company fighting this claim, please click here.

It is important to remember that trucking companies can often be found liable for trucking accidents. It is important that companies take all appropriate safety precautions to keep their drivers and trucks safe for the road and to keep the number of trucking accidents to a minimum.

An Illinois man was killed when he was involved in a fatal trucking accident on February 10th, in which 50 vehicles were involved. According to WPXI, the trucking accident involved 30 tractor-trailer trucks and 20 cars and is believed to have been caused by the dangerous weather conditions in the area at the time of the accident, and started when one truck jack-knifed causing a domino effect on all the vehicles behind the truck. At this point it is known that at least 18 people were injured, but no more is known on the extent of the injuries. To read more about this multi-vehicle crash, please click on this link.

It is extremely important to remember that winter weather conditions can make the roads a much more dangerous place to travel. Even slight weather can greatly effect the conditions of the road and drivers ability to control their vehicle. Please always be aware of the road and extra cautious when driving in icy, snowy or even rainy conditions, and always drive a slower speed if necessary and leave plenty of room between you and other vehicles.

A trucking accident lawsuit has been filed by the family of a trucker who was killed this past October when the coal truck he was driving crashed. The trucking accident occurred when the truck went off the road, into a ditch, hit a tree and then rolled over. According to The Oak Ridger, the trucking accident lawsuit names the coal company as the Defendant, after investigations revealed that the independent contract driver that hired the trucker had not provided initial mine training and that the engine brake accelerator on the truck has not functioning properly at the time of the crash. The wrongful death lawsuit seeks $17 million dollars in damages. To read more about this tragic accident, please click on this link.

This type of trucking accident is completely preventable, and it is the responsibility of trucking companies to make sure that their trucks are completely safe and up to speed and that their drivers are prepared for the road. Trucking companies can be held responsible for their vehicles and drivers if it can be found, like in this case, that the trucking company was acting negligently in fulfilling the duties they owe to the driver. It is important for all employers, including trucking companies, to be able to ensure a safe and reliable environment for their drivers to work in.

The family of the victim of a trucking accident has settled their wrongful death lawsuit. The trucking accident occurred almost two years ago when a dump truck crossed the center line of the highway it was traveling on and crashed into a school bus, killing one teenager and injuring 10 other children. The lawsuit alleged that the dump truck driving was driving too fast on a curve, which caused the tragic trucking accident. According to the KY Post, the state lowered the speed limit by ten miles per hour following this accident as well as another fatal accident that occurred less than one month later. To read more about this trucking accident, click on this link.

Recently, a increase in the speed limit for truckers has been put into effect, with the intention that allowing trucks to travel at the same speed as other vehicles would be safer overall for all of the drivers. This law has been very controversial because while the uniform speed could have benefits, allowing large trucks to be traveling at a faster rate of speed could easily be very dangerous as well. While the law is new, it just went into effect at the beginning on this year, it is difficult to determine what the actual result will be. To read more about this new law and the different views on its enactment, please click on this link.

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.

Each year many crashes occur and lead to many deaths and many dangerous road spills. According to a compiled list of trucking crash statistics, in 2008, over 4000 fatal large semi-truck accidents were reported resulting in even more deaths than accidents. Close to 130,000 non-fatal accidents were reported in 2008. In that same year over 2,500 collisions involved Hazmat spills. To read more trucking accident , statistics please click on this link.

Given the high number of trucking accidents it is crucial to take steps to try to reduce these accidents and the dangers associated with them. Fatalities are so high in these types of accidents because of how big the trucks are compared to cars that the accidents often involve. The road spills can be very dangerous to people in the surrounding areas as well very difficult to clean up, often causing the road where the trucking crash occurred to be shut down for great lengths of time. Given the dangers that arise from these accidents, it is very important for truck drivers to be very cautious and for other drivers to also be alert when driving around large trucks. Hopefully, the recent bann of text messaging for truck drivers while operating their vehicles will reduce the number of injuries and deaths that occur on our roadways.

An Illinois woman was killed in a terrible trucking accident in Champaign County that occurred on February 5th. The trucking accident occurred when the pick up truck in which the victim was riding crossed the median of I-74 and crashed head on into a semi-truck that was traveling in the opposite direction. The semi-truck then crashed into another passenger vehicle. According to PJ Star, the only person that died in the accident was the passenger of the pick up truck that originally struck the semi-truck. To read more about this terrible accident, please click on this hyperlink.

The winter months can cause dangerous driving conditions, so it is important to always make sure to be extra cautious when driving when it may be either snowy or icy. It is always best to drive slower when the roads are icy because it can be very hard to maintain control if your vehicle hits a patch of ice.

Earlier this week the federal government passed a ban which forbids truck drivers (as well as bus drivers) from text messaging while driving. This ban goes along with the trend that many states are following that ban text messaging while driving in passenger vehicles. The reason for these bans going into effect is because how many car and trucking accidents have been directly linked to drivers not focusing on the road while being distracted from their cell phones. The intent of these bans is to cut down on the number of accidents that are caused by distracted drivers.

According to USA Today, this recent ban does not address passenger vehicles and only sets a federal ban for operators of vehicles carrying at least eight passengers. While many people feel that this is a definite step in the right direction, advocates of the texting ban feel like the federal government needs to go a step further. While many states individually ban passenger vehicle texting, there is no federal law against texting while driving on a passenger vehicle level. Some Senator advocates propose taking away up to a quarter of a state’s federal highway funds to states that do not impose a texting ban.

Texting while driving is a very serious problem and many car and trucking accidents are caused daily by this distraction. These avoidable accidents can be prevented by making sure not to use your cell phone for texting while you are driving, regardless of whether or not a law exists banning it where you are driving. In the city of Chicago, a texting ban went into effect at the beginning of this year. If you would like more information on this recent federal trucking texting ban, please click here.

A trucking accident occurred a couple of weeks ago in which four people were fatally injured. The fatal trucking accident occurred when a tractor-trailer was driving too fast given the current weather conditions, slid across the highway and crashed into a bus. According to The Washington Post, the bus driver and 3 of the bus passengers, which were residents of a special needs home, were killed and six more passengers were injured in this terrible accident. At this point it is unknown whether criminal charges will be filed or if the family of any of the victims will be filing wrongful death suits. To read more about this accident, please click on this link.

It is very important for drivers of both trucks and passenger cars to always remember to drive at a speed appropriate for the weather. When the weather is snowy and icy, drivers may need to drive much slower than the posted speed limit and want to make sure that they drive at a speed in which they can always maintain control of their vehicle. The added danger with ice and snow is that not only can it be more difficult to see what is around you but the road itself may become icy and dangerous to drive on. If the weather seems to be too unsafe for driving, or if you feel uncomfortable driving in the conditions, please do not drive until the weather clears up and if you need to drive be extremely cautious. Cautious driving can greatly reduce the number of car and trucking accidents and hopefully safe lives.

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 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.

The victim of a trucking accident that occurred in 2007 is suing the company he worked for as well as the individual that was driving the truck that struck him. The victim was a paramedic and was riding with a patient in the back of an ambulance when the trailer of a truck struck the ambulance after the ambulance driver attempted to avoid the truck with the trailer. According to The West Virginia Record, the victim is seeking over $30,000 in damages. To read more about this trucking accident lawsuit, click here.

The families of the victims of a fatal trucking accident have filed a trucking accident lawsuit against the driver of the truck. The trucking accident occurred in 2008 when the victim’s car struck the trailer of a truck that was stopped across several lanes of traffic while waiting for a traffic light. Both of the people in the front seat of the passenger car were killed and the backseat passenger suffered serious personal injuries. According to The Aspen Times, the trucking accident lawsuit is against the trucking company alleging failure to adequately prepare the rig safely. To read more about this trucking accident lawsuit, 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 lawsuit filed by one the people injured in a trucking accident in which a five people died, which occurred back in 2005, has been settled and will not be going to trial. According to Chippewa.com, many other people were injured when the semi-truck struck a motor coach that the Plaintiff was a passenger on. To read more about this truck accident settlement, click on the link.

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 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 in Champaign caused one lane of Interstate 57 to be closed for several hours on January 4th. The trucking accident occurred when the load of pigs that the driver was carrying shifted in the truck and caused the truck to trip over. The truck then slid into the road blocking both of the southbound lanes. The truck driver was not injured and the veterinary teaching hospital and several students from the University of Illinois program were called in to assist in helping the pigs. According to The News-Gazette, the rescue was rather difficult due to the freezing temperatures and the truck driver was cited for failing to reduce speed in order to avoid an accident. To read more about this Champaign truck accident, 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.

A one truck trucking accident occurred on December 21st when for unknown reasons a semi-truck caught fire and became completely engulfed. The trucking accident resulted in major traffic jams, closing off an entire direction of traffic. According to New York Injury News, local firefighters were able to get the fire under control rather quickly and the truck driver had been able to get out of the truck before it had caught on fire. To read more about this fiery trucking accident, click on this link.

A trucking accident resulted in the death of one young boy and injured his two siblings and their parents. According to Savannah Now, the fatal accident occurred on December 27th when the family’s van was struck from behind by a tractor-trailer carrying paper products that was going very fast. The victim’s car had just slowed down due to holiday traffic congestion and the truck had not responded to the slowing speed and when it hit the car, the car was pushed off the roadway. While the truck driver is suspected of driving too closely, at this time no citations have been issued and no charges have been filed at this point. To read more about this fatal trucking accident, click here.

A trucking accident that occurred on December 22nd left one woman dead. The tragic trucking accident occurred when a passenger car lost control, likely because of weather, and crossed into oncoming traffic causing a tractor-trailer to strike the vehicle. According to New York Injury News, the driver of the passenger car was rushed to a local hospital but succumbed to her injuries and passed away shortly following the trucking accident. Many similar Illinois trucking accidents occur in the dangerous weather conditions common at this time of year. To read more about this tragic accident, click here.

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.

A trucking accident lawsuit has been filed by the mother of the victim of a trucking accident that occurred earlier this year. According to the trucking accident lawsuit, the accident occurred when a truck smashed into the car the victim was riding as a passenger in while the car was waiting at a stop light. The lawsuit names both the truck driver and the trucking company as defendants in the lawsuit. According to Sunday Gazette Mail, the complaint alleges that the truck driver was drunk at the time of the trucking accident. The truck driver is currently in custody awaiting trial on drunk driving charges. Please click on the hyperlink in order to read more about this trucking accident lawsuit.

A truck accident that occurred on December 12th and left one woman dead is under investigation to see if the driver of the tractor-trailer that caused the trucking accident was using his laptop at the time that the accident occurred. According to Buffalo News, the state troopers found a laptop in the cab of the truck involved in the accident and tests are being run to see if the laptop was running when the accident happened. The trucking accident occurred when the truck struck the victim’s car causing the driver to die. The victim’s car was on the side of the road because the driver had just been in an accident with a deer and police were wondering why the truck was unable to stop in time to miss the car. To read more about this trucking accident, click here.

A truck accident lawsuit has been filed in connection with a January Maine Township accident. The Suit was filed by State Farm Insurance and alleges that a Maine Township Highway Department truck backed in a car at the intersection of Church Street and Greenwood and was the fault of the truck driver backing up suddenly as the car entered the intersection. According to Pioneer Local, the complaint seeks over $4000 in damages. To read more about this trucking accident lawsuit, please click here.

A trucking accident lawsuit has been filed in connection with a Kane County accident that occurred that spring in Sugar Grove Township. According to The Daily Herald, a Marengo man was killed after a pickup truck crashed into oncoming traffic and slammed into the victim’s van. The wrongful death suit is against the County because the driver that caused the truck accident had been pulled over just minutes before the accident for erratic driving but then was allowed back on the road. The truck accident lawsuit seeks more than $50,000 in damages and is scheduled for early next year. To read more about this Kane County wrongful death suit, click here.

Recently, a 26-year-old man was killed, and an 8-month-old baby was seriously injured after a tractor-trailer collided with their vehicle. Two other passengers in the SUV suffered critical personal injuries and the truck driver suffered minor injuries. According to Justice News Flash, the driver stopped his vehicle in the center lane of the busy interstate and turned on his flashers. He exited the car for a brief time, and the semi-truck slammed into the back of the SUV just as he was getting back in. The report did not indicate why he exited his car. To read more about this fatal trucking accident, click on the link.

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 Mettawa trucking accident injured a Lake Bluff woman who is now in stable condition at a local hospital. The accident occurred on December 3rd on Illinois Route 60 when the driver of the car failed to yield while turning in front of a semi. According to WBBM 780, the trucking accident caused the semi to careen off the roadway, but luckily the truck driver did not suffer any injuries. The accident is still under investigation. If you would like more information on the Illinois trucking accident, click here.

A trucking accident lawsuit recently concluded, resulting in a $1.5 million dollar settlement for the Plaintiff in connection with a trucking accident that occurred in 2005 in which the Plaintiff’s vehicle was struck by a tractor-trailer. According to The Morning Call, the complaint alleged that the truck hit the Plaintiff’s car while the Plaintiff was stopped at a light waiting to turn. The plaintiff’s trucking accident attorney sought damages for Plaintiff’s injured back, head, arms, neck and legs incurred in the trucking accident. If you would like more information on this trucking accident lawsuit settlement, click on this hyperlink.

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.

A young mother was killed in a trucking accident on November 30th on her way back from a Thanksgiving holiday in Illinois. The trucking accident is believed to have occurred when the young woman fell asleep at the wheel and a semi tried to avoid her but she hit the last set of his wheels and she was killed instantly. According to WNDU.com, the victim’s two children who were in the back seat were fine after the trucking accident and their lives are being credited to the child safety belts. The woman is also survived by her husband who could not go along on the family trip because of work. To read more about this horrible accident, please click on the link.

A trucking accident on November 30th left a bridge closed for several hours after hydrochloric acid was spilled all over the roadway. The trucking accident occurred when a tractor-trailer hit a barrier and turned over, spilling its load of about 400 gallons of hydrochloric acid. According to KansasCity.com, not only were road closures required but the area has to be evacuated because of the danger of the hazardous materials that had been spilled. The truck driver, two police officers and a construction worker were taken to a local hospital after they inhaled fumes but none of the injuries were life-threatening. At this point in the investigation, speed is believed to have been a contributing factor to the trucking accident. Click here to read more about the trucking accident.

A Belleville personal injury attorney wants a new hearing and monetary damages from an insurance company that the attorney feels bribed a witness in connection with a trucking accident in 2006. According to The Chicago Tribune, the trial has since ended, but the attorney claims that the witness that claims to have seen the driver swerving prior to the accident from her apartment could not have actually seen this because her lease started six months after the trucking accident occurred. If you are interested in more about this possibly fraudulent verdict, click on this 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.

A trucking driver has been cited for spilling 65 gallons of gasoline onto the Stevenson Expressway on November 27th. The trucking accident occurred near Pulaski Road and the Expressway was shut down in both directions for several hours so crews could clean up the spill. According to Chicago Sun Times, the spill was caused by a trucking accident in which the truck carrying the gasoline collided with a passenger car. The reason that the spill was so dangerous and lanes had to be shut down until all the gasoline was cleaned up was because gasoline is extremely flammable. The truck driver was issued citations for improper overtaking on the right and for disobeying a traffic control device. For more information on this Illinois trucking accident, please click on the hyperlink.

A trucking accident on I-57 near Kankakee on November 24th occurred after the driver of a truck fell asleep at the wheel. According to The Daily Journal, the truck driver lost control after falling asleep and the truck flipped over, causing traffic to be stalled for almost an hour while the truck was removed from the area. The driver was alright following the trucking accident and as of now no charges have been filed. For more on this Kankakee trucking accident, click here.

The Plaintiff in a trucking accident lawsuit has received $600,000 in damages. According to Lawyers and Settlements, the trucking accident lawsuit was initially problematic because the victim has extensive pre-existing conditions and difficult pre-injury medical records, however after it was revealed that the Defendant truck driver has destroyed certain documents in connection with the crash, the value of the case increased greatly. If you would like to find out more about this trucking accident lawsuit, click here.

A wrongful death lawsuit in connection with a 2006 trucking accident resulted in a $5.1 million verdict for the Plaintiff. The Plaintiff was involved in a truck accident in which his wife was killed when their car was struck by a trucker than allegedly ran a stop sign. According to staugustine.com, the Defendant tried to argue that the accident was due to poor signage and not his fault, however the jury found that the Defendant was 60 percent responsible for the accident, the trucking company was 40 percent responsible and the county was not responsible for any of the trucking accident. To read more about this trucking accident lawsuit, click here.

An eight-vehicle Monee trucking accident that occurred on November 20th killed a Harvey man and hurt two others. The truck driver that caused the trucking accident has been cited with failure to reduce speed to avoid an accident and improper lane usage. The trucking accident occurred while cars were stopped on Monee Manhattan Road from previous accidents and when the truck was unable to stop in time to avoid hitting the cars. According to The Chicago Sun Times, the victim that was killed was pronounced dead at the scene of the truck accident. For more information on this 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 Rockford trucking accident that occurred on November 20th slowed traffic at the 20 Bypass and I-90 and traffic had to drive slowly along the should to pass. According to WREX, the trucking accident occurred when a semi-truck flipped over and blocked both lanes for about 45 minutes. The trucking accident occurred near Kishwaukee River and luckily no injuries were reported. For additional information on this 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 truck accident wrongful death lawsuit resulted in a $5.1 million judgment for the victim’s family. The truck accident occurred in 2006 when a tractor-trailer ran a stop sign and stuck the vehicle the victim was riding in. The victim was killed in the trucking accident, and her husband was injured but has since recovered. The truck accident attorney for the trucker claims that the signage was bad and the rumble strips needed replacing. The jury found that the trucking accident was the driver was 60 percent to blame and the trucking company was 40 percent to blame. By clicking on the link, learn more about this trucking lawsuit settlement.

A four vehicle collision in the Naperville area earlier this afternoon occurred when a driver that was impaired by diabetes caused a three-car collision and then veered into traffic, hitting a semitrailer truck. The truck then struck an electric pole, causing a the power in the are to go out temporarily. According to Chicago Breaking News, Naperville-Plainfield Road was closed in both directions following the trucking accident. For additional information about this Illinois trucking accident, please click on the link.

A trucking accident lawsuit was concluded and a man that was involved in a trucking accident in 2006 with a dump truck was awarded close to $2 million dollars. The Plaintiff is this lawsuit was riding his motorcycle when he crashed into a dump truck. The Plaintiff suffered was severely injured with many fractured bones and other serious injuries and according to her attorneys, Plaintiff will suffer lifetime disabilities. The car accident attorney for the truck driver allege that the motorcycle driver failed to stop at a stop sign and therefore the accident was his fault. The jury found that the Plaintiff was 20% contributorily negligent in the accident and that the Defendants were 80% responsible for the accident. For more information on this car accident lawsuit and settlement, please click here.

A trucking accident in Christian County that occurred on November 11th resulted in no injuries. According to My State Line, a truck driver claims to have not seen a train coming as we waited on the track for traffic to clear the road ahead, and it was too late to get off the track once he realized and the train drove through the trailer of the truck. Luckily, while there was a mess following the trucking accident no one was injured as a result of the accident. There were apparently no lights or arms at the intersection to warn of possible oncoming trains. For more information on this Taylorville trucking accident, click on this link.

A lawsuit is underway in connection with a trucking accident that killed a teenage girl in May of 2008. The civil trucking accident lawsuit seeks $15 million in damages. According to The Daily Progress, the trucking accident occurred when the teenager’s car was struck by a tractor-trailer. The truck driver has already been convicted of involuntary manslaughter and reckless driving in a criminal lawsuit in connection with this fatal trucking accident. The civil suit filed by the family of the victim names the trucking company as the Defendant, claiming that the truck was not maintained properly and that the driving was not following the appropriate procedures at the time of the trucking accident. For more updates on this trucking accident lawsuit, please check back at this hyperlink.

A fatal truck accident occurred on November 9th and left a truck driver dead after his truck plunged over the side of a bridge and into an island. According to The Examiner, the highway patrol is claiming that investigators found that the fatal trucking accident was caused by the truck driver’s excessive speed. However the victim’s family is saying that the detour that is in place on the bridge, and that has resulted in 43 accidents in the past couple months, is to blame for the fatal accident. The actual cause at this time is not yet known, however the driver was going over the posted speed limit at the time of the accident. Information shows that most of the other accidents that occurred at this detour happened when drivers were going at excessive speeds. No trucking accident lawsuit has been filed at this time, and since the driver owned his own truck there is no trucking company that could be sued. Similar trucking accidents occur in Chicago and it is important to ensure that all safety precautions are taken by the city and also that truck drivers follow speed limits. For more in-depth information on the issues that come into play with this fatal 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 investigation into a trucking accident that occurred in April of this year, led to findings that other truck’s within the company were also unsafe. Four other trucks in the fleet were cited within the last 2 years. The trucking accident that triggered the investigation occurred in April resulted in the death of one person. According to Republican American, the trucking company says that they have an enviable safety record and that these trucking accident were not a result of unsafe trucks. For more information on this trucking accident finding, click here.

A verdict was been reached in connection with a trucking accident lawsuit in which the victim of a trucking accident, that suffered from severe brain damage, sued the trucking company and the driver of the truck that was involved in the 2006 trucking accident. The lawsuit found for the victim and rewarded the couple more than $18 million dollars. For more information on this trucking accident lawsuit from KRDO, 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 trucking accident trial is underway in connection with an accident that occurred in March of 2006 in which a woman was killed and her husband was seriously personally injured after their car was struck by a truck. According to News-Journal Online, the lawsuit is against the County and alleges that the County failed to warn the motorists of the “unreasonably dangerous” intersection. The cop testifying at trial, that observed the scene following the accident, says that there were no signs that the truck driver attempted to stop at the stop sign at the intersection. The truck driver claims that he did not see the stop sign until it was too late for him to come to a complete stop. The Plaintiff ‘s car accident attorney claims that the lack of rumble strip is another error on the county’s part, but the attorney for the County says that this was not relevant and that the truck accident was the driver’s vault. For more information on this trucking accident lawsuit, click here.

A trucking accident, in which a truck driver was killed on October 31st, occurred when his truck hit a tree on Indiana 157 after the tree had fallen and crossed the lanes of the highway. According to The Trib Star, the driver was a FedEx worker and was driving his FedEx truck when the accident occurred. The victim was pronounced dead at the scene of the accident. To read more about this fatal trucking 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.

A trucking accident occurred on October 26th at the intersection of IL 47 and Nelson Road. According to The Morris Daily Herald, the accident involved a semi-truck and a livestock trailer and was caused by the driver of the semi driver failing to stop and colliding with the pickup pulling the livestock trailer. The semi driver was ticketed with failure to reduce speed to avoid a trucking accident.

A rule in which truck drivers are allowed to drive up to 11 hours straight is being reconsidered, in response to the outcry by safety advocates who worry that this extended length of driving time may be the cause of many trucking accidents. The rule is relatively recent and added an hour of driving time to what was previously the maximum, as well as cut down on the minimum rest time at the end of each week. According to Google, the Transportation Department has agreed to try and develop a rule that maximizes safety. For more information on where the current rule stands and what the proposed changed for the rule to try and minimize trucking accidents, 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 trucking accident involving three semis occurred on the Kennedy Expressway in Chicago on October 23rd. The accident occurred early in the morning near Addison Street and the lanes near the accident were closed at least temporarily. According to the Chicago Sun Times, it is not yet known if anyone suffered any personal injuries in thisr Cook County trucking 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 trucking accident this morning left two lanes of the Borman Expressway (I-80/I-94) closed down. The truck caught on fire and traffic on the highway was backed up as a result. According to Chicago Breaking News, the fire was extinguished within a half an hour but the lanes remained closed as officials investigating the cause of the fire and the lanes were still shut down seven hours after the trucking accident occurred. Luckily, no injuries occurred as a result of this fiery truck accident.

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 trucking accident in Macomb early on the morning of October 11th led to a diesel fuel spill. According to The Peoria Journal Star, the semi-truck was heading northbound on US Route 67 when a deer ran into the truck’s path and the truck hit the deer. While minor damage was done to the front of the truck, the deer went under the truck, tearing a hole in the truck’s fuel line which caused the contents of the tank to spill. The spill was cleaned up by fire officials following this trucking accident.

A trucking accident lawsuit has been settled, in connection with a truck accident in which a college student suffered traumatic brain injury, for $49 million dollars. The plaintiff was rewarded for past medical expenses, future medical expenses, future lost wages and general damages. According to About Lawsuits, this is likely the largest single-plaintiff personal injury award for that court in the past ten years. The trucking accident that left the plaintiff requiring full time medical care occurred in 2007 when the car he was driving was struck when two tractor-trailers crashed into each other. For more information on this trucking accident settlement, click here.

A Morris trucking accident occurred on the morning of October 10th on a ramp on I-80. The driver of the semi-trailer was trying to turn from the westbound ramp into Illinois 47 when traffic was backed up on Illinois 47. The semi driver struck the back of a pickup truck that was headed northbound on Illinois 47. According to the Morris Daily Herald, no other information is known about this Morris trucking accident.

A trucking accident occurred this past weekend, on October 10th, in which a garbage-hauling truck failed to slow down with traffic and hit a pickup truck on I-65. According to the Post-Tribune, no one was injured and the truck accident occurred when the garbage truck driver temporarily fell asleep at the wheel. At this point it is unknown whether the garbage truck drive was issued any citations. For more information on this I-65 trucking accident, click here.

A trucking accident occurred in Towanda on October 8th when two police cars and two semitrailer trucks got into a crash. The cop cars were on a traffic stop and ended up sandwiched between the two trucks on I-55. According to The Pantagraph, the trucking accident is still under investigation and no information on whether citations have been issued at this point is known. Luckily, no one was seriously personally injured in the trucking accident, but the cars and trucks suffered serious damage. For more information on this trucking accident, click here.

An Illinois man was killed in a trucking accident in which a semi-tractor trailer hit two cars that were slowed down because of lane closures on I-43 in the Town of Belgium on October 8th. According to the Ozaukee Press, the driver of one of the passenger cars struck was killed instantly and his wife, a passenger in his car, was taken to a local hospital for treatment of her personal injures. The two people in the other passenger car that was struck by the truck were also taken a local hospital for treatment of their severe personal injuries. The driver of the semi that struck the cars said that he was distracted at the time of the trucking accident and failed to see that the cars were slowed down in front of him. The truck driver was not seriously injured and an investigation is ongoing to see if charges are warranted. For more information on this fatal trucking accident, click here.

The family of the victims of a tractor-trailer accident that occurred in June of this year have filed lawsuits against the driver and his employer. According to Google, the family members of the ten people killed in the trucking accident seek compensatory and punitive damages in excess of $10,000. The trucking accident attorneys could not be reached for comment. For more information on this trucking accident lawsuit, click here.

A garbage company faces up to five lawsuits following a truck accident in which one of the garbage company drivers sped through an intersection, flipping his truck and crashing into a car and a motorcycle. According to Courthouse News, this truck accident occurred last summer and resulted in serious injuries to two adults and the death of two children. Lawsuits are to being filed by the driver of the car in respect to her permanent personal injuries, a lawsuit filed by her husband for loss of companionship, a claim filed by each parent over the wrongful death of their children and a claim filed by the motorcycle driver for his serious personal injuries. For more information on these lawsuits in connection to the 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 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.

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 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 driver has filed a truck accident lawsuit in connection with a truck accident he was involved in back in 2007. According to the West Virginia Record, the complaint alleges that the truck driver was driving a truck that his company, Frito-Lay, knew had tires that were probably illegal and definitely unsafe at the time of the truck accident. Plaintiff is suing for costs incurred as a result of the personal injuries received due to the truck accident as well as compensation for any loss that workers’ compensation does not cover and well as other relief be may be entitled. The Defendant’s truck accident attorney claims that the Plaintiff is not entitled to any relief beyond what workers’ compensation is covering because there was no deliberate intent. Because the company is a Delaware Corporation (and the truck accident occurred in West Virginia) and the amount sought is higher than $75,000 the Defendant removed the case to federal court. For more information on this truck accident lawsuit, click here.

A Gallatin County truck accident occurred very early this morning and involved three tractor-trailers. For unknown reason a tractor-trailer crossed over into oncoming traffic and when another truck tried to avoid a truck accident he was unfortunately not able to get out of the way in time and the trucks collided. A third trucker tried to avoid the collision and ended up crashing into an embankment on the side of the highway. Luckily, no one was injured in this three-truck accident but all three trucks were very seriously damaged. For more information on this Gallatin County truck accident, click here.

A truck accident that occurred on September 19th left two with severe personal injuries. The truck accident occurred when a pick-up truck and car crashed and the pick-up truck flipped over, causing both passengers of the truck to have to be cut out of the vehicle. At this point the details of what caused the truck accident are unknown, but a witness mentioned that they believed that one of the vehicles involved in the truck crash had run a red light. For more information on this truck accident, click here.

A truck accident earlier today involving a car that crashed into a tractor-trailer caused severe personal injuries to one woman and left several of the highway lanes closed for several hours. The driver of the car lost control of the vehicle and hit the tractor-trailer truck from behind. The driver of the car was trapped in the car and had to be extricated from the car by the fire department. Luckily, her personal injuries were treated and she has already been sent home. For more information on this truck accident, click here.

The driver of a car that was involved in an accident with a truck was killed as result of the truck accident that occurred on September 17th. The driver of the car crossed over the center line of the road and hit the dump truck, causing the dump truck to overturn and slide over an embankment. The driver of the car suffered fatal personal injuries, but the truck driver was fine. The roads were rainy and wet at the time of the truck accident. For more information on this 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 formerly convicted felon was given a job as a truck driver, but immediately after starting was ticketed twice for driving for too many hours in a row, then immediately received another citation for running of the road and then one for lack of rest. Following the pressure he was receiving from the truck company, the driver ran a red light and got into a truck accident while he was trying to get his delivery done as quickly as possible. The driver now faces a truck accident lawsuit, brought by the daughter of the driver of the vehicle involved in the truck accident, for gross negligence. The truck accident lawsuit also names the truck company, stating that they rushed the driver onto the roads without adequate preparation as well as not assuring that he could actually comprehend the street signs due to a language barrier. The truck accident attorney for the Plaintiff states that the driver himself is not as big of a problem as the huge negligent mistakes that the trucking company is making in letting unprepared drivers make these trips. For more information on this truck accident lawsuit, 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 truck accident lawsuit was settled in favor of the Plaintiff and he was awarded $5.5 million. The truck lawsuit resulted from a 2005 truck accident in which the Plaintiff was walking and was run over by another trucker while he was out of his own truck inspecting his load. His car accident attorney was able to get him a settlement this high because of how severe his personal injuries were, including permanent brain damage, loss of sight, smell, taste, crushed facial bones as well as other horrible injuries. For more information on this truck accident settlement, 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 recent truck accident settlement resulted in the Plaintiff receiving over $1 million dollars for her personal injuries. The truck accident lawsuit was over an accident that occurred in 2006 when a gas tanker ran a red light, colliding with Plaintiff’s vehicle. Due to damage caps for non-economic damages the pain and suffering compensation that the jury awarded the victim will be reduced somewhat. Before trial, the truck company offered to settle for only $25,000.00 and the Plaintiff declined to accept that offer. For more information on this 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.

A Johnson County truck accident left the driver with minor personal injuries. The truck accident occurred after the driver fell asleep at the wheel, crossed the median and oncoming lanes and finally ended up crashing into an embankment. Another small truck was clipped during the truck accident, but the driver was not injured. For more information on this Johnson County truck accident, click here.

A Chicago truck accident that occurred on August 27th on the Dan Ryan Expressway left all northbound lanes of traffic closed for several hours. The reason for the closure was so the Illinois State Police and Illinois Department of Transportation could clean up the diesel fuel that spilled from the truck following the truck accident. Luckily, no injuries resulted and rain is believed to have contributed to the truck accident. For more information on this Chicago truck accident, click here.

A lawsuit over a truck accident that occurred last summer has been settled for over $18 million. The truck accident involved a truck driver who got distracted by his phone and then caused an accident that killed three and permanently injured another. The lawsuit was filed by the permanently injured victim and his wife after he was left unable to talk or walk as a result of the truck accident. The driver was originally cited for driving longer than the maximum hours allowed in eight days. For more information on this truck accident lawsuit settlement, click here.

Two people were killed in a truck accident on I-65 after their car blew a tire and hit a semi-truck. The truck accident occurred on August 29th and the police are still trying to figure out exactly what occurred, but it appears that the car blew a tire and then crossed the median and hit the truck. The truck then burst into flames. For more information on this truck accident, click here.

A tanker truck accident that occurred on August 28th left an Illinois man dead. The victim was killed when his car drove into the back of a tanker truck which was stopped for a train to cross. The truck accident occurred on US 41 and the highway was closed for a little while following the fatal accident. The truck driver was uninjured in the crash. For more information on this truck accident, click here.

An Illinois woman was killed on August 28th when the motorcycle she was a passenger on crashed into a tractor-trailer. The motorcycle driver was hospitalized following the crash but is expected to be fine. The truck accident is believed to have been caused by a trash can that was in the road that the motorcycle driver had to swerve to avoid, causing the bike to hit the truck. For more information on this fatal motorcycle accident, click here.

A truck accident on August 25th left a truck driver dead after his truck left the road and struck a concrete pillar. The one-vehicle accident occurred when a UPS semi-truck that was pulling two trailers crashed for unknown reasons, and the fatal crash is still under investigation. State Road 31 had to be closed for most of the day following the fatal accident. For more information on this Fulton County truck accident, click here.

A recent study shows that many motor carrier companies, that in total represent over 200,000 trucks in the United States, are currently violating safety laws in their operation which can lead to truck accidents. Some of the violations that have been found on trucks that are currently in operation are things such as defective brakes, bad tires, exceedingly heavy load and drivers with inadequate training or even dependency problems. All of the these violations are likely to be the cause of many truck accidents and are easily preventable. For more information on how these violations can be fixed and hopefully truck accidents can decrease, click here.

A Chicago truck accident on the Dan Ryan Expressway earlier this morning shut down the northbound local lanes, after a truck jack-knifed and spilled fuel on the roadway. The truck accident occurred when the truck driver lost control on the rain covered highway and then crashed. The reason that the lanes had to be closed following the truck accident was because of the diesel fuel spill and the danger that created. The lanes have since been reopened to all traffic. For more information on this Chicago truck accident, click here.

State police had to shut down the northbound local lanes of the Dan Ryan Expressway in Chicago, Illinois after a semi-tractor trailer truck jack-knifed and spilled diesel fuel following the truck accident. The truck crashed when the driver lost control in the northbound local lanes of the rain-slicked highway. No other vehicles were involved and no one was personally injured in the truck accident. The Chicago Fire Department responded to a hazardous materials alarm and had to put down sand to clean up the 50 to 75 gallons of spilled diesel fuel. To read more about the truck accident, please click the link.

A raised speed limit for trucks in Illinois is leading to questions as to what will result from this change. The goal is to create a smoother traffic flow, but many wonder if it will just end up leading to more truck accidents. The new law allows trucks to drive at the same speed limit as the cars. Many truck drivers already drive at these higher speeds, which leads to truck accidents with the trucks that obey the lower speed limit. The goal is that the uniform speed limit will help the traffic flow and keep the passing of vehicles down. For more information on this truck issue, click here.

An Illinois truck accident occurred this past weekend when a tractor-trailer collided with a car on I-95. The truck driver is in intensive care, and the four people that were in the car involved in the truck accident are in less serious condition. The truck accident occurred when the car was attempting to change lanes and hit the truck, causing the truck accident. The investigation is still being conducted and the police are asking for any witnesses of this 1-95 accident to please contact the local police. For more information on this Westbrook truck accident, click here.

An Illinois man was struck and killed by a semi-truck on the Northwest side of Chicago on August 22nd. The truck accident occurred when the pedestrian was crossing the street and was struck by a tractor-trailer. At this point no citations have been issued in connection with the truck accident. The truck accident is still under investigation. For more information on this Chicago pedestrian accident, click here.

A Chicago man died in a truck accident on Highway 142 on August 17th. The truck accident occurred when a semi-truck hit a four-wheeler and then crashed into a ditch. The victim that died as a result of the truck accident was the driver of the ATV and was from Chicago. The semi driver was trapped in his truck after the accident and had to be flown to a local hospital following the truck accident. For more information on this truck accident, click here.

A St. Charles woman was killed in a truck accident while she was headed back to the Chicago suburbs on August 19th. The truck accident involved three vehicles and also resulted in the death of two children and the driver of the car the children were riding in. The truck accident may have been caused by the weather and seems to have occurred when the Illinois woman lost control and crossed over the center line and struck a semitrailer. For more information on this three vehicle truck accident, click here.

One man was killed and three were injured in a Canton truck accident on Illinois Route 9 on August 9th. The victim was walking back to his truck and was struck by the driver of a van. The victim had gotten out of his truck to retrieve some items that had fallen out of his vehicle, and was walking back when the driver of a van failed to slow down in time and clipped another car and then hit the walking man, his friend and the victim’s truck. Both men were taken to a local hospital following the truck accident and one was pronounced dead while the other has been listed in critical condition. For more information on this Canton truck accident, click here.

A West Chicago truck accident that occurred on Route 59 on August 9th trapped the driver of the car in his vehicle until help arrived. At this point it is unclear whether the truck or the car was at fault for the truck accident. Airbags in both the car and truck were deployed, but both drivers still suffered minor personal injuries and were taken to local hospitals to be checked. The driver of the car had to be extricated from his vehicle following the West Chicago truck accident. The crash caused the road to be closed for about an hour. For more information on this DuPage County truck accident, click here.

A truck accident that occurred in Joliet on I-80 on August 12th resulted in the truck driver being cited with driving under the influence, improper lane usage, failure to reduce speed and failure to wear a seat belt. The truck accident occurred when the truck entered the entrance ramp at too high of a speed, causing the truck to overturn onto the shoulder of the road. The truck accident caused a closure of the westbound ramp for seven hours. For more information on this Jolliet truck accident, click here.

A two-vehicle accident occurred on August 11th in Illinois, injuring one person. The driver of a passenger vehicle was merging onto the highway and was moving slowly, when the car was hit by a semi-trailer. Luckily both drivers involved in the truck accident were wearing seatbelts, but the car driver did still suffer minor personal injuries. The truck driver has been cited with failure to reduce speed in order to avoid the truck accident. For more information on this truck accident, click here.

A truck accident earlier today left the driver of the truck with injuries. A local resident was able to free the truck driver from the cab of his truck following the truck accident. The truck accident occurred after the truck entered the I-80 and then rolled over onto its side. The trucker was taken to a local hospital for treatment of his personal injuries. The truck accident caused a leak, however the product that the truck was carrying was non-toxic. For more information on this truck accident, click here.

On August 3rd, a truck driver got into a truck accident when he lost control of his logging truck. He was trying to turn onto a highway but the truck flipped twice and landed upside down. The truck driver was killed from the truck accident and the truck was not equipped with seatbelts. For more information on this truck accident, click here.

An Illinois man was killed in a truck accident that occurred on August 6th in Illinois. The truck accident occurred when the driver of a passenger vehicle swerved across the center lane of traffic and collided with a tractor-trailer. The driver of the passenger car was killed in the truck accident and the truck driver suffered minor personal injuries and was taken to a local hospital following the accident. The highway was closed for several hours following the accident to clean up. For more information on this truck accident, click here.

A two vehicle accident occurred on Route 59 in the suburbs of Chicago on the morning of August 10th. The truck accident occurred when a passenger car and a box truck collided, causing the highway to be closed for close to an hour and a half to clean up the mess created by the truck accident. Both the car driver and the truck driver were taken to local hospitals for treatment of their personal injuries, and are considered in pretty good condition. For more information on this truck accident, click here.

A two vehicle accident occurred on Route 59 in the suburbs of Chicago on the morning of August 10th. The truck accident occurred when a passenger car and a box truck collided, causing the highway to be closed for close to an hour and a half to clean up the mess created by the truck accident. Both the car driver and the truck driver were taken to local hospitals for treatment of their personal injuries, and are considered in pretty good condition. For more information on this truck accident, click here.

An Illinois man was killed in a truck crash earlier today. The truck accident resulted from the victim crossing the center line and veering into the path of a semi-truck. The driver of the car suffered serious personal injuries including blunt force trauma to the chest, and died shortly after arriving at the local hospital. The victim was wearing his seatbelt at the time of the crash. The truck driver was also wearing his seatbelt at the time of the truck accident, and was taken to a local hospital for treatment of his personal injuries. For more information on this fatal accident, click here.

A settlement has been reached in a lawsuit relating to a truck accident in which a woman was killed. The wrongful death lawsuit is a result of a 2008 incident in which equipment fell off of a truck, killing a woman that was driving behind the truck when it crushed her car. The complaint stated that the load was not properly secured and the driver was not legally qualified to operate the truck at the time of the truck accident. A settlement of $16 million was reached during trial. For more information on this wrongful death lawsuit settlement, click here.

A truck accident occurred on August 2nd in Illinois in which an Illinois woman was killed when a pick-up pulling a trailer was struck by her vehicle after she crossed the center line. The driver of the car was an elderly lady that was not wearing a seatbelt at the time of the truck accident and later died of injuries sustained during the truck accident. The truck driver and the passengers in his vehicle did not suffer any personal injuries during the crash. For more information on this truck accident, click here.

A truck accident earlier this morning in Illinois caused road closures and the residents of nearby homes to have to be evacuated after it was discovered that the truck that had rolled over contained 7,000 gallons of gasoline. The truck accident occurred when the driver tried to turn onto a street and the truck ended up rolling over on its side, because either the driver was going too fast or the driver lost control. For more information on this truck accident, click here.

A battery truck accident occurred on August 1st in Illinois when the truck driver fell asleep at the wheel and lost control, causing the truck to roll over on the side and block both of the southbound lanes of the I-57. The driver was ticketed with driving while fatigued and was taken to a local hospital for treatment of his personal injuries. Once the truck was removed, the lanes were still closed for hours in order to clean up all the batteries that were spilled in the truck accident. For more information on this truck accident, click here.

A man who was killed in a motorcycle/truck accident on July 30th has been identified. The fatal accident occurred when the motorcycle driver lost control and struck the back of a truck. The motorcyclist was pronounced dead at the scene of the crime, as a result of his multiple injuries. For more information on this truck accident, click here.

An Illinois man pled guilty to three counts of aggravated driving under the influence and has been sentenced to 45 months in the Illinois Department of Corrections, of which he will have to serve at least 85 percent of that time. The truck accident occurred last fall when the victim was a passenger in her family’s pick-up truck which was travelling down I-90 and was crushed when it was struck by a semi. The truck driver had failed to brake and tested positive for marijuana in amounts that are shown to severely impair his judgment at the time of the accident. Chicago truck accident lawyers Levin & Perconti represent the family of the victim in the civil case against the driver. For more information on this fatal truck accident, click here.

A truck driver was killed earlier this morning in the Chicago suburbs, while he was standing outside of the truck attempting to reattach his trailer to the cab of his truck. There were no running lights on the rear of the trailer, and there is a report stating that the truck driver was trying to put out flares, but this report is not confirmed. The driver of the car that hit the truck driver swerved to avoid the truck accident but was not able to avoid the accident. The driver was pronounced dead at the scene of the truck accident. The driver of the car was not injured in the crash. For more information on this truck accident, click here.

A truck driver was arrested after fleeing from a crash that he allegedly caused on the morning of July 26th in Chicago. This truck accident injured three people, which were taken to local hospitals and at this point none of them seem to have life-threatening injuries. When the police apprehended the truck driver, he was charged with driving under the influence of drugs, possession of a controlled substance and leaving the scene of an accident with injuries. For more information on this truck accident, click here.

Excessive speeding by passenger car drivers leads to many truck accidents. Trucks’ blind spots are large and when cars are going fast and swerving in and out of traffic the chance of an accident is greatly increased. A recent truck accident on the 1-75 was due to speeding and swerving and left one person dead. While the car was attempting to pass the truck, the truck hit the car while it was in its blind spot and the car ended up underneath the truck. The driver was injured and has been charged with vehicular homicide by recklessness and driving with a suspended license, after the accident left his passenger dead. For more information on this truck accident, click here.

The driver of a passenger car was fatally injured when he crossed the median on I-90/94 and hit a semi-trailer truck that was heading in the opposite direction. The accident occurred early this morning and the truck driver was left uninjured. The car driver suffered serious head injuries and was trapped in this car following the truck accident and died shortly after the accident. At this point no citations have been issued, and it is unknown if the car driver had been drinking. For more information on this truck accident, click here.

An Illinois man was killed on July 22nd when his truck ran off the road and crashed, ejecting the driver from the truck. The truck caught fire and exploded after the truck accident. The driver was pronounced dead at the scene of the truck accident. For more information on this truck accident, click here.

Puppy missing after truck accident has been found safe. A truck accident occurred on the morning of July 14th when a semi-truck collided with a minivan in which a family and their puppy were traveling. The puppy jumped through the window after the truck accident and was missing for a few days. The puppy was found about a mile from the scene of the truck accident and returned to the family. Both the puppy and the family did not suffer serious personal injuries. For more information on this truck accident, click here.

A fatal truck accident occurred in which a sports utility vehicle entered the highway on the exit ramp, causing the driver to drive into oncoming traffic. The car struck the back of a truck and then the SUV went into the air and struck another semi-truck. The driver of the SUV was ejected from the car and was pronounced dead immediately. There is currently no information as to why the driver entered the highway going the wrong way and toxicology reports are still pending. Neither truck driver involved in the truck accident were injured. For more information on this fatal accident, click here.

A car collided with a semi-truck earlier this morning in Chicago, injuring six people including three children. The car involved in the crash did not merge properly as it entered the highway and was struck by another car, which was then struck by the truck. The truck accident blocked lanes for a short while but all of the lanes have since reopened. No one that was injured seems to have suffered life-threatening personal injuries. For more information on this Chicago truck accident, click here.

A truck carrying a load of vegetables crashed on the highway and burst into flames, killing the truck driver. The truck accident occurred when the truck struck into a construction divider, hit a concrete median and then a light pole. A witness pulled the driver from the truck, but the driver was already dead. At this point there is no evidence as to what caused the terrible truck accident. For more information on this truck accident, click here.

A semi-truck carrying a full load of beer crashed on the highway, causing the truck to turn onto its side and the beer and diesel fuel to spill out the back of the truck. No one was injured in the truck accident, but due to the blockage of three lanes of traffic, traffic was backed up for three hours. The driver has been cited for failing to control his speed. For more information on this truck accident, click here.

A semi-truck driver was killed following truck accident on I-80 early in the morning of July 18th. The truck accident occurred when the truck struck a construction barrier and light pole and then burst into flames. The truck driver was declared dead at the scene of the accident, and even though a witness pulled the driver from the flames he was already dead. For more information on this truck accident, click here.

An Illinois man was killed after being hit by a pick-up truck early in the morning of July 16th. The bicycle accident occurred when the victim was riding his bike and fell off, and the truck driver hit him. After the accident the truck driver drove around the block but then returned to the scene and submitted to a breathalyzer test. The test results were not available, however, the truck driver was arrested for misdemeanor driving under the influence. The truck accident is still under investigation and the truck driver is set to appear in court in August. For more information on this fatal bicycle accident in Urbana, click here.

A lawsuit has been filed against two individuals and a trucking company in connection with a Granite City truck accident that injured two women. The suit alleges that the truck failed to stop and that was the cause of the truck accident. The Illinois truck accident occurred on Route 203 in August of 2007 and is apparently the result of a truck and a tractor-trailer both failing to stop and colliding with the vehicle in which the women were traveling. The truck accident caused one of the women to suffer severe and permanently disabling personal injuries and both women suffered mental anguish. For more information on this truck accident lawsuit, click here.

A major truck accident occurred when a truck crashed and exploded on July 15th. The truck accident ignited a bridge that it was passing under when it caught on fire. At this point the police are not sure if something collided with the truck or what exactly caused the fiery accident. Luckily, at this point, it seems that all people involved have not been seriously injured and are being treated at a local hospital for their minor personal injuries. The damaged bridge overpass is not only wrecked but is blocking part of the highway. They cannot determine the extent of the damage until the firefighter have completely extinguished the fires. For more information on this truck accident, click here.

A Stockton truck accident killed one man on July 8. The victim was driving on US-20 when he lost control of his vehicle and entered the oncoming lane of traffic, causing his car to be struck by a tractor-trailer. The truck driver suffered minor injuries in the tractor trailer accident and refused medical treatment. At this point, no citations have been issued in connection with the accident. For more information on this truck accident in Stockton, IL, click here.

A two vehicle accident killed an Illinois man early this morning in Knox County, IL. The truck accident involved a flatbed truck that crossed into the passing lane and into the path of a box truck. The flatbed truck rolled over and the driver was killed. The box truck driver only suffered minro personal injuries. Reports show that both drivers were wearing their seatbelts and that the highway was closed for a couple hours for cleanup. For more information on this truck accident, click here.

A car rear-ended a semi-truck carrying 9,000 pounds of Chinese food, causing the food to spill out and block the southbound lanes of the Tri-State Tollway early in the morning of July 7th. The Chicago Tribune reports that two of the four lanes had to be closed temporarily for about 4 miles behind the truck accident. No one was injured as a result of the truck accident. For more information on this Chicago truck accident, click here.