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Chicago Truck Accident Lawyers
Chicago Truck Accident Lawyers
Truck accidents, particularly ones involving large semi-trailers, can be among the most destructive events on the road, leading to over 130,000 injuries annually across the United States. About 5,000 American truck crashes result in death each year, but even non-fatal truck injuries can be physically, emotionally, and financially devastating, something we at GWC Injury Lawyers know all too well.
When you need answers to all of your questions and a plan of action after a truck accident in and around Chicago or throughout Illinois, contact our Chicago truck accident lawyers. During your free consultation, we will determine the best course of action based on the specific circumstances of your situation.
For more than four decades, the truck accident lawyers at GWC have helped thousands maximize their settlements and verdicts, having recovered more than $2.5 billion on behalf of our clients. Our semi-trailer injury attorneys will work tirelessly to help you get your life back on track if you have been hurt in a truck accident. We our committed to getting you the justice you deserve.
How Much Will It Cost To Hire A Truck Accident Lawyer?
It will cost you nothing upfront to retain GWC as your truck accident lawyers because our firm works on a contingency fee basis. Only when we successfully resolve your case will we receive any reimbursement for our expenses and payment for our services, usually as a percentage of the final settlement or verdict.
At GWC, we never get paid until you get paid, and the more you get paid, the more we get paid. This mutually beneficial arrangement incentivizes our attorneys to get you the most compensation possible and takes away any additional worries and costs when you can least afford them so that you can focus on getting better.
How Much Will It Cost To Hire A Truck Accident Lawyer?
It will cost you nothing upfront to retain GWC as your truck accident lawyers because our firm works on a contingency fee basis. Only when we successfully resolve your case will we receive any reimbursement for our expenses and payment for our services, usually as a percentage of the final settlement or verdict.
At GWC, we never get paid until you get paid, and the more you get paid, the more we get paid. This mutually beneficial arrangement incentivizes our attorneys to get you the most compensation possible and takes away any additional worries and costs when you can least afford them so that you can focus on getting better.
Why Hire a Chicago Semi Truck Accident Lawyer from GWC?
A qualified attorney will be able to advise you on everything you need to do to construct a compelling claim for damages. This may be your first truck accident, but it won’t be the first for the defendant’s insurance company, which will count on your inexperience to minimize the compensation you receive, if any. Having a practiced lawyer on your side from the very beginning can mean the difference between victory and defeat.
The truck accident attorneys at GWC will work tirelessly to protect you and your legal rights. We will gather all of the evidence needed for your claim, including treatment records and bills, employment documentation, police reports, traffic camera, dash cam, and private surveillance footage, information from the truck’s event data recorder (EDR) or “black box,” the defendant’s driving record, the trucking company’s business practices, and the disposition of all citations issued, including any guilty pleas or verdicts. If necessary, GWC will also commission reports from expert witnesses, such as accident reconstruction specialists, medical practitioners, and trucking industry veterans.
Once we have assembled a rock-solid case, our truck accident attorneys will work to negotiate a generous settlement from the at-fault parties and their insurers. If we do not receive a reasonable offer, we are not afraid to take the matter to trial, unlike far too many of our competitors, who regularly settle for less in the face of the slightest pushback from insurance companies and defense lawyers. Moreover, as our thousands of satisfied clients over the past four decades can tell you, we will strive to get you the maximum compensation possible.
How Long Will A Truck Accident Claim Take?
If you are considering legal action for your injuries, it is only natural to wonder how long it will take to resolve your claim, but the truth is that every truck accident is unique. It is impossible to know upfront how long it will take for your attorney to settle your claim, if at all, or if you will have to file a lawsuit if that suit will need to go to trial, or what the outcome of that trial would be.
Understanding Statute of Limitations
The statute of limitations, which is the period under the law in which a plaintiff has to file suit, has some bearing on the timeline for a truck accident claim. The statute of limitation in Illinois is usually two years after the date of injury in cases against private defendants, or one year in cases against government entities (with some exceptions).
A lawyer may try to settle a claim before the statute of limitations runs, but given the extent of the damages that may be incurred and the complexities that are often involved in truck accidents, a plaintiff’s attorney will frequently need to file suit. If a truck accident claim is not resolved or a lawsuit is not filed before the statute of limitations expires, the victim may be forever barred from financial recovery.
While a lawsuit needs to be filed before the statute of limitation runs, it does not mean that a truck accident claim will take that much time. Some claims may settle before the statute elapses, while others may be settled or adjudicated many months or years after that deadline (provided that a lawsuit has been filed). A number of elements may influence the timeline of a case, including legal merit, the available insurance coverage, the total medical bills, and other related damages, and the extent and permanency of the plaintiff’s injuries.
For this reason, never take what others may tell you about their own claims as the final word on how long your truck accident claim will take because each one is different. However, while you may not definitively know the duration of your case in advance, you can learn more about what you may expect and how you can increase your chances of success by scheduling a free, no-obligation consultation with GWC’s truck accident attorneys.
Important Truck Accident Information
Causes of Truck Accidents
With its unique status as a large population center located in the middle of the country, the Chicago area is a major hub for commercial shipping in the United States. While airplanes, trains, and boats all play their roles, large trucks are essential to moving the millions of tons of cargo that pass through Chicago and its neighboring cities and towns each year. With so many trucks traveling on our roads, truck accidents are bound to happen and, given the massive size of these vehicles, likely to be catastrophic when they do, inflicting significant property damage and serious injuries.
If you have been hurt by a large truck, you might be able to recover compensation for your injuries. However, as any capable truck accident lawyer will tell you, you must prove that the truck was responsible for the crash in order to have a viable personal injury claim. But how do truck drivers cause accidents?
There are many ways that negligent and distracted truck drivers contribute to and cause catastrophic Chicago truck accidents that victimize individuals and their families.
Unfortunately, the majority of these collisions are the result of dangerous driving practices or simply due to the negligence of the driver and could have been prevented.
Some of the most common causes of truck accidents include:
Mechanical Failures
- Poor brakes
- Defective tires
- Trailer malfunctions or jackknifing
- Improperly loaded cargo
- Broken signals
- Broken lights
Driver Error
- Traveling too fast for conditions
- Fatigue
- Cell phone use
- Texting
- Intoxication
- Over-the-counter drug misuse
- Distraction
- Unfamiliarity with the area
- Road hazards
- Inclement weather conditions
It’s also important to note that truck drivers, especially those who are on a long haul or who happen to be distracted by smartphones, are much more likely to cause a truck accident than drivers of other types of vehicles.
According to the most recent study, the average American drives about 51 minutes each day. A long-haul trucker, on the other hand, has to spend essentially all of his or her waking day driving, often for several days in a row to complete a cross-country trip. While they are only legally allowed to work for 14 hours a day, only 11 hours of which can be spent behind the wheel, the pressure of earning a living often force truck drivers to push themselves beyond what is legal or safe. This can only increase the likelihood of truck driver error, and when truck drivers make mistakes, innocent people can get hurt.
If you happen to be one of these people, contact an experienced lawyer to help you pursue a Chicago truck accident injury claim. A capable attorney will know how to prove that the truck driver was the one at fault for the truck accident and has the means to obtain information that might demonstrate that he or she was driving beyond the legally permissible limits.
Specific Types of Truck Accidents
18-Wheeler Accidents
Accidents involving 18-wheeler trucks can result from unsafe driving, oversized loads, and other improper practices that put everyone on the road in danger. While these types of truck accidents can happen for a number of reasons, there are three main causes
Jackknifing
Semi-trailers can jackknife when their loads shift as they come to a sudden stop. If they do, there may be few options for nearby vehicles to avoid a truck accident. A jackknife can result in multi-vehicle pile ups that can cause many fatalities.
Unsecured Loads
If cargo loads or equipment are improperly secured, they can shift or fall from a truck, which creates an obstacle course of debris that could place innocent people in harm’s way.
Blowouts
When the tire treads on a truck become old or worn, a blowout can result, which could cause the truck to fishtail, flip, roll over, go airborne, or stop suddenly, inflicting significant damage on others.
Delivery Truck Accidents
Because of their size and shape, delivery trucks frequently have obstructed views, which can limit their drivers’ ability to see other vehicles.
They also regularly pull over in restricted areas or double-park on city streets in order to make deliveries, which can create obstacles for traffic and result in accidents. This can prove fatal for pedestrians because the view from oncoming traffic may be restricted, leading a vehicle to fail to stop until it is too late.
Common Truck Accident Injuries
Truck accident victims can experience anything from mild to severe injuries.
Oftentimes, because of the size discrepancy between a truck and a car, the injuries and the damages are significant. Whether or not the trucks involved have attached trailers, the impact is often just as devastating, sometimes inflicting serious injuries that can be financially ruinous both to the victims and their families. To avoid the worst economic outcome, the injured parties may want to seek out the advice of proficient truck accident attorneys to see if compensation may be available.
Truck accident victims frequently suffer from:
- Fractured bones
- Internal bleeding
- Spinal cord damage
- Traumatic head injury
- Neck strains
- Shoulder, arm, and hand injuries
- Knee, leg, foot, and hip impairment
- Deep lacerations
- Abrasions
- Contusions
- Burns
- Scars
- Disfigurement
- Organ damage
- Herniated discs
- Amputated limbs
- Paralysis
- Fatalities
- Psychological distress
- Emotional trauma
- Loss of consortium
Aside from the personal injuries that victims may suffer, truck accidents may cause environmental devastation and road damage, including fires, hazardous chemical spills, flying debris, and car and truck rollovers.
Many of the injuries sustained in a truck accident will require years of medical treatment and chronic pain management, and may also lead to lost wages and the inability of the injured victim to return to the occupation he or she held before the incident. As such, any settlement that a victim’s truck accident attorney obtains should reflect all of the costs of the injuries.
The expense of this ongoing treatment can far exceed what the typical household can afford to pay. Most Chicago residents, like most Americans, live paycheck to paycheck, struggling to put food on the table and a roof over their family’s heads. A major medical event like a truck accident injury can easily wipe them out, particularly when it is coupled with a permanent loss of income. To make sure you get well while protecting what you already have, reach out to a seasoned Chicago truck accident lawyer who will ensure that the ones who are responsible for your injuries are the ones who pick up the tab.
Other Truck Accident Damages
In addition to physical injuries and lost wages, there are a number of other damages for which truck accident victims may seek compensation. For example, a skillful attorney could help ensure that any settlement or verdict would take into account the additional out-of-pocket expenses the plaintiff incurred because of the truck accident, including the cost of childcare and the price of transportation to and from medical appointments.
If the conduct of the responsible party in a truck accident was especially egregious or involved illicit actions such as fleeing the police or driving under the influence, a victim’s attorneys might be able to recover punitive damages, which Illinois courts sometimes permit in order to discourage similar misdeeds from future drivers. The amount of punitive damages ordered can depend upon the severity of the defendant’s transgressions and the extent of his or her assets. The truck accident lawyers at GWC will always work to maximize punitive damages if the facts of a case warrant them.
If a victim dies in a truck accident, his or her surviving family members could pursue a wrongful death claim against the parties responsible to compensate them for the personal and economic burdens they have taken on because of the loss of a loved one.
To learn more about the types of compensation you could receive as the victim of a truck accident, contact GWC today to schedule a free, no-obligation case evaluation with an attorney.
