Chicago Truck
Accident Lawyer

Chicago Truck Accident Lawyer

The Chicago truck accident lawyers at Malman Law will fight for maximum compensation.

If you have been injured or lost a loved one in an accident involving an 18-wheeler, tractor trailer, or other commercial vehicle, the personal injury attorneys at Malman Law will fight for maximum compensation.

How a Truck Accident Attorney Can Help?

If you were involved in a trucking accident, it is essential that you contact an experienced Chicago truck accident lawyer immediately. Your attorney can ensure that no crucial evidence “disappears” following your accident, and that you are not bullied by a large trucking corporation and their army of lawyers. Highly skilled Chicago truck accident attorneys can additionally do the following for victims of a trucking accident:

• Interview witnesses and get statements from those witnesses soon after the accident;
• Secure all evidence related to the truck accident, and ensure that the black box evidence is properly preserved;
• Subpoena the trucking company’s safety and personnel records of the driver;
• Bring in experts to recreate the accident or the scene of the accident;
• Obtain all maintenance records related to the truck involved in your accident;
• Determine whether there were violations of federal or Illinois state laws concerning driving regulations;
• Discover any past history of trucking company violations;
• Secure and review the police reports pertaining to your trucking accident;
• Thoroughly review your medical records, interviewing medical personnel when necessary, in order to build a solid case on your behalf; and
• Secure the driver’s log books in order to determine whether the driver had driven more than the allowable hours.

Truck Accident Statistics

The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety reports that:

• In a recent year, over 4,000 people died in big truck accidents. 16 percent of those who didn’t survive were truckers, whereas 67 percent were drivers and passengers of regular cars and SUVs, and 15 percent were bikers and pedestrians.
• Of two-vehicle collisions that year, 97 percent of those who did not survive the crash were occupying the smaller vehicle (not the truck drivers).
• Commercial truck drivers can legally be behind the wheel for 11 hours straight without stopping, according to federal regulations.
• Over the past ten years, the number of people killed in semi-truck crashes rose by 1/3.
• Tractor-trailers (a.k.a. semi-trucks) cause 3/4 of big truck accidents. Single-unit trucks, like delivery vehicles without trailers, cause about 1/4 of those crashes by comparison.
• A fully-loaded semi-truck can take up to 40 percent longer to reach a full stop than a passenger vehicle. If the roadway is wet or icy, that figure is even greater. Poorly maintained brakes on commercial vehicles can also be a factor contributing to longer stop times.
• The most dangerous roads when it comes to truck accidents are highways and main thoroughfares. These types of roads account for more than half of truck crashes. 34 percent of truck crashes in a year were on freeways, and 15 percent were on side streets.

Causes of Truck Accidents in Illinois

Not long ago, the U.S. Court of Appeals upheld the rule that allows truck drivers to drive eleven hours at a stretch, as opposed to the ten hours that safety groups – as well as many drivers – advocated for. If you have ever taken a long trip, you know how difficult it is to remain alert after driving for eleven hours straight. Truck drivers do this on a daily basis. As a result, nearly half of all truck drivers admit to falling asleep behind the wheel at least once within the previous twelve months, and 65 percent admit to being chronically over-fatigued while driving. In light of the fact that approximately 4,000 people are killed annually in trucking accidents, with another 100,000 being seriously injured, many are questioning the Court’s decision to allow truckers to continue to drive such long, uninterrupted hours. Even with the allowable eleven-hour limits, tight deadlines and slim paychecks lead many drivers to exceed those rules. Since a large number of fatal truck accidents can be tied to an overly fatigued truck driver, it appears that the economic profits of the trucking industry are being given more importance than the safety of the American public. There are a number of causes of trucking accidents, however, some of the more common causes include:

• Driver fatigue;
• Distracted driving;
• Inexperienced truck drivers;
• Defective or poorly maintained truck brakes and tires;
• Poorly secured cargo;
• Swinging turns;
• Trucker blind spots;
• Lack of underride guard;
• Negligent hiring practices; and
• Defective truck parts.

Find The Best Truck Accident Lawyer Near You

At Malman Law, we have represented numerous truck accident victims since opening our doors in 1994. Our truck accident lawyers have the experience necessary to handle complex truck accident cases, and we are committed to ensuring that our clients receive maximum compensation for their injuries and losses. If you have been injured or lost a loved one in a truck accident in the Chicago land area, we will conduct a thorough investigation to determine the cause of the accident, and then we will aggressively pursue claims against all of the responsible parties.