Articles Posted in Chicago Truck Accident

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There are a significant number of tractor-trailers on the road at any given time of the day. These tractor-trailers play an important role in our economy. Yet, with all these tractor-trailers on the road, the number of tractor-trailer related accidents is fairly high.

Recently, in Champaign County, Illinois, a 26-year old driver was hospitalized and charged with a DUI after he caused a three-vehicle accident. This particular accident happened on I-72 east, mile marker 179. The at-fault driver was speeding when he crashed into the back of a tractor-trailer, bouncing off of the truck’s trailer and then crashing into another vehicle. The 26-year old driver was life-flighted to a nearby hospital and his injuries are unknown at this point.   

As you know, being involved in an accident with a tractor-trailer can cause serious bodily injury or even death. As it turns out, there are certain dangers associated with these tractor-trailers that you should be knowledgeable of. Being aware of said dangers will best allow you to drive safely when a tractor-trailer is traveling nearby.

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Driver fatigue is an ongoing issue and danger on our roads that needs addressed. It is far too often that truck drivers get behind the wheel when exhausted thereby creating an extreme danger for all others on the road with them. Our attorneys file lawsuits to punish wrongdoers like these and prevent future incidents of recklessness through our legal action. We encourage our readers to also take a stance against this important safety issue and spread the awareness to their loved ones and friends. Driver fatigue is a serious issue, so it is important to raise awareness of tragic events linked to fatigue to help put a stop to these dangerous behaviors.

According to a recent article by ABC, truck driver fatigue was a major factor in a recent Stevenson Expressway crash in which six people were injured. The accident occurred on the Stevenson Expressway near 1st Avenue. The driver of a semi-truck fell asleep at the wheel and crashed into 13 vehicles. Not only did the crash occur on a busy Chicago highway, but this was also in a construction zone and around 5 a.m. on a weekday when commuters are hitting the road. As a result, six people suffered personal injuries, and all inbound lanes of I-55 at 1st Avenue were shut down. The truck driver admitted to state police that he fell asleep at the wheel. Charges have not been filed, but the investigation is still ongoing.

One commuter was on her way to work at the time when her vehicle was hit by the semi. She suffered a broken neck and clavicle as a result of the accident and has ongoing pains in her side. A car in the accident was ejected into the air, flew over, and landed directly on top of this victim’s car.
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It is always saddening to learn about local lives lost in car and trucking accidents caused by negligence. It is especially tragic when the victim was very young and had a lot of potential and life yet to live. That is why our attorneys believe it is so important to remind community members that when they are behind the wheel of a vehicle, they have a responsibility toward others. Their actions as a driver can take the lives of their passengers and others on the road if they do not practice safe driving.

According to a recent article by the Chicago Tribune, a Brighton Park woman died after the friend that was driving her crashed into the side of a semi-truck. The accident occurred in the city’s Lower West Side community in the early morning in the 3100 block of South Damen Avenue where the road passes over the Stevenson Expressway. The car hit the passenger side of the trailer of a semi-truck that was making a left turn to enter northbound Damen. The driver of the car also suffered serious injuries. The accident is still under investigation by the police department’s Major Accident Investigation Unit.

When we share the roadways with large vehicles like trucks and tractor-trailers, it is especially important to exercise caution. There is no room for negligence around large trucks. Because of the extreme size, both in height and weight, of these vehicles, a collision is extremely dangerous and often results in serious personal injuries and fatalities. Common serious and permanent injuries can include broken bones, nerve damage, or loss of limbs. Injuries like these are life-changing and may even take away one’s ability to work or go about their daily lives the same way.
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It is no surprise that pedestrian accidents are extremely dangerous and cause serious personal injuries or death, but these accidents should not occur as frequently as they do. Unfortunately, in a city like Chicago where many people rely on traveling by foot or public transportation instead of driving, our lawyers read about pedestrians being injured as a result of driver negligence all too often. With proper precautions and abiding by the law and traffic signals, fewer accidents could happen. With a high number of pedestrians, Chicago should be a place where people feel safe and trust that they are not in danger when they walk to various locations.

A recent article by the Chicago Tribune relayed the news that a mother and her two children were killed by a semi-truck when crossing a Chicago intersection. On Friday evening at 5 P.M., the mother and her children were crossing Ashland Avenue and 43rd Street when they were run over. The truck driver has been cited with failing to yield to a pedestrian at a crosswalk and for making an improper left turn on a two-way road. He has a later court date scheduled regarding the accident. After hitting the three victims, the truck driver continued down the road, unaware he had hit the three people. The friends and family of the victims are especially sorrowful over the fact that they were all very young, including the 30-year-old mother. Had the driver followed traffic laws, these three people could still be safe and sound and alive with their family and loved ones.
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It is all too often that our attorneys read about truck and motor vehicle accidents occurring on Chicago area interstates. Accidents that occur on these roads can be extremely dangerous as the roads are often congested with vehicles travelling at high speeds. Some of the most dangerous accidents are those that involve large trucks.

According to recent reports by CBS Chicago, three people suffered personal injuries after a semi-truck flipped on top of their car on the Chicago Dan Ryan expressway. The accident occurred on the inbound Dan Ryan Expressway near 47th Street. The three victims were hospitalized, and the accident caused traffic to up to 95th Street. According to a police report, the northbound car swerved and struck the semi-tractor-trailer truck that was also heading northbound. This caused both vehicles to strike the median, and the semi rolled over, spilling some of the dried concrete it was transporting. The driver of the car was cited with improper lane usage.
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As you know, the summer is a statistically high time for truck and motor vehicle accidents. With the weather being nice and many people on vacations heading to local events in the city, there is a higher number of both pedestrians and vehicles out on the streets. Chicago has also become an especially popular place to bike, both for leisure and commuting, with the additions of bike lane and Divvy rental bicycles. However, when combining increased numbers of bikers with increased numbers of drivers, who many are unfortunately negligent, accidents occur.

According to recent news by DNA Info Chicago, a truck collided with a cyclist on Chicago’s northwest side, killing the cyclist. In the neighborhood of Portage Park, a 28-year-old woman was killed in a crash with a truck. She was an avid cyclist who took her bike everywhere, and had been riding for four years. While she was riding north on Cicero Avenue, a cement truck turned right onto Belmond Avenue hitting her. She was rushed to the local hospital but died later in the day from multiple injuries. According to the Chicago Police, it is still unclear whether the truck driver did not see the cyclist or whether she had been coming up quickly while he made a turn. The accident is still under investigation, as detectives are talking to witnesses and looking over surveillance footage.
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One of the most negative consequences of truck accidents is when they lead to simultaneous and sequential truck and motor vehicle accidents. As you know, highways and interstates are often crowded with many vehicles all traveling at high speeds. When accidents occur on highways, especially those involving large trucks of great size and weight, it is easy for successive collisions to occur. For that reason, it is especially important that all drivers be alert and safe. Avoiding negligent driving practices will not only prevent accidents from happening, but prevent multiple accidents on our Illinois highways as well. One accident is bad enough, but additional negligence that causes more collisions puts even more lives at risks than initially.

According to recent articles by the Chicago Sun-Times and ABC, a truck driver struck another semi-truck driver who was standing outside of his vehicle taking pictures after a minor crash near the Chicago Kennedy Expressway in the Noble Square neighborhood. The collisions occurred in the 1300 block of West Division Street. The driver who was hit died at the scene.

Victims of pedestrian accidents are at greater risk for suffering serious injuries and even death due to the difference in size between a person and a vehicle weighing several tons traveling at high speeds. When pedestrian accidents are not fatal, they are often severe and life altering. Victims often suffer serious personal to vital areas of the body such as the head, neck and spine, which can lead to paralysis. Victims also often suffer broken and dislocated limbs, which can lead to lost use of a limb, or may even lose the limb entirely due to the severity of the injury.

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Shopping and motor vehicle accidents are not two things that we normally associate with each other. Normally, crashes occur on the roads where we are driving, not in the local stores where we are doing our errands. However, according to recent news, one woman was the victim of a truck accident while shopping at a local Chicago store.

According to an article by ABC, the woman, who was buying a lottery ticket, suffered personal injuries when a pickup truck came crashing through the store’s wall. The vehicle collided with a vending and ice machine and pushed the victim between the machine and a wall. Luckily, she only suffered minor personal injuries, although she was within mere inches of being crushed by the truck. The accident occurred after the pickup truck hit two other cars at an intersection outside, according to the same article. Thankfully, the store manager who normally would have been standing at the counter was injured.. Had he been in his normal station of the store he would have almost definitely been in harm’s way.

Our attorneys use this forum to remind drivers, pedestrians and others about the dangers of accidents involving trucks, however in instances like this there is nothing that the victim could have done to anticipate this danger or keep herself out of harm’s way. Thankfully for her she walked away with minor injuries, but we know that some victims in these types of accidents are not so lucky. The news coverage did not expand on why the truck driver lost control of his vehicle or what other factors may have led to these events, but having worked with victims of car and trucking accidents for over 20 years, our lawyers know that reckless behaviors such as speeding, aggressive driving, driver distraction or intoxication often play a role in serious accidents.

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As we have emphasized before, accidents involving trucks can cause life-altering injuries to those involved. However, the risks for serious injury or death increase when trucks and other large vehicles collide with pedestrians.

The Chicago Tribune reported that a pedestrian died after being hit by a pickup truck on Chicago’s West Side at Van Buren Street and Polaski Road. The victim was crossing the street when the truck struck him. Police cited the truck driver for failure to yield to a pedestrian, driving without insurance, and driving on a suspended license. As of right now, this accident is still under further investigation by the Chicago Police Department’s Major Accidents Investigation Unit.

In Illinois, especially in Chicago where many people travel by foot, pedestrian accidents are all too common. For those pedestrians who survive collisions with trucks, the injuries can be debilitating and require years of therapy and medical treatment for recovery. These can often include injuries to vital areas of the body such as the head and neck, nerve damage, and spinal cord paralysis. Even though these accidents are not the fault of the victim, the victim suffers greatly, not just from physical pain, but from many other stresses, such as financial hardship as well. Medical bills from such severe injuries are often extremely costly, and recovery means that a victim cannot work and therefore has lost wages. Oftentimes, the victim may become so disabled after the accident that he/she cannot return to their line of work either, and thus their earning potential has become permanently diminished.

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Truck accidents, whether the truck be a large tractor trailer or semi, or a common tow truck, are dangerous yet common. No matter who is at fault, these accidents can be extremely dangerous, resulting in serious personal injuries or death. Trucks are large vehicles, and when a smaller vehicle collides with them victims may face life-long disabilities and permanent injuries.

This Monday, a two –vehicle accident on the Dan Ryan killed a woman, according to reports by the Chicago Tribune. The article states that a woman’s vehicle collided with a tow truck on Interstate 94 near 89th street. According to preliminary investigations by the police, she was driving in the middle lane at a high speed and lost control. This caused her to veer to the right, resulting in striking the left side of the tow truck in an accident. Her car then rolled over to the left and hit a concrete median. After the impact, the tow truck also veered left and struck the median as well. The woman was also not wearing a seat-belt at the time. The Chicago Fire Department pronounced her dead at the scene.

As our readers know, wearing a seat belt in Illinois not only keeps you safe, but it is in fact the law, per ILCS 5/12-603.1. The law requires that all drivers and passengers over the age of 8 to wear seat belts. Those under the age of 8 must be in an appropriate child seat. This law is in place to save lives of Illinois drivers and passengers. In fact, according to CyberDriveIllinois.com, using seat belts can reduce the risk of fatal injury to those in the front-seat by 45% and the risk of moderate-to-critical injuries by 50%.

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