Chicago Truck Accident Lawyer Blog

A woman who says that she was struck by a truck pulling a flatbed trailer is suing the city of Beaumont for personal injury. Juanita Burdge says the truck accident aggravated an already existing injury she had to her left wrist and also caused her to experience shoulder pain, neck pain, and mental trauma.

Burdge is seeking an unspecified judgment for her medical expenses, physical disfigurement, and resulting impairment. Following the truck collision on November 7, 2007, she says she experienced limited motion in her wrist, in addition to pain.

Burdge says the truck accident happened as she and the truck, which was in the lane next to her, attempted to turn left at an intersection. According to Burdge, because the truck driver did not keep the truck steady in its lane, the large vehicle struck the motor vehicle she was in.

Illinois Truck Accident Cases
Proving that a trucking company or a truck driver was liable is not a task to attempt without the help of an experienced Chicago truck accident law firm representing you. Your Illinois truck crash lawyer will know what documents, logs, truck data, and other evidence to obtain and what kind of questions to ask to increase the chances of you receiving the maximum injury recovery for your truck crash lawsuit.

There may be multiple parties that should be held liable for Chicago personal injury or wrongful death. If you have been seriously injured, your Illinois truck accident lawyer can work with medical professionals to assess the extent of your injuries and determine how much time/it will cost for you to get the care you need to recover.

Woman sues city over truck crash, The Southeast Texan Record, November 11, 2009

Related Web Resources:
FMCSA

Center for National Truck and Bus Statistics-CNTBS, UMTRI

Five people were hurt last Wednesday when a tractor-trailer crashed into the caretaker’s home at a rest stop. The truck driver was killed in the truck collision, which occurred at around noon.

It is not clear at this time why the big rig drove off I-10, through a backyard wall, and into the caretaker home at the Burnt Wells Rest Stop. The five people who got hurt were in the backyard when the large truck came through. They are: 12-year-old Nicholas Gonzales, 42-year-old Sharon Gonzales, 53-year-old Carlos Gonzales, 36-year-old Jamie Beltran, and 70-year-old Adolfo Sedillo, who sustained serious injuries during the truck collision.

18-wheeler trucker Edward A French was pronounced dead at the tractor-trailer accident site.

Truck crashes can cause serious injuries for victims. Possible truck accident lawsuit defendants can include: the trucker, the trucking company, the truck owner, the trailer owner, the entity that leased the truck, the truck manufacturer, a tire maker, the brake manufacturer, the truck shipper, the truck loader, another motorist, the entity responsible for maintaining the road where the truck crash accident happened, or other liable parties.

An experienced Chicago truck crash attorney can help you recover your truck collision injury or wrongful death compensation. Do not attempt to negotiate a settlement with the liable party unless you’ve consulted with an experienced Chicago injury law firm that has experience in representing clients with truck crash cases.

Arizona 18-wheeler accident - Semi-truck slams into Arizona, Justice News Flash, November 23, 2009

Trucker Dies in Crash into Rest Stop, My Fox Phoenix, November 18, 2009

Related Web Resource;
Truck Accident Overview, Justia

Continue reading " Semi-Truck Crash Injures Five When Tractor-Trailer Crashes into Rest Stop Home " »

A semi-truck driver has been cited twice for his involvement in an 8-vehicle collision on Friday that left one man dead and injured two others. Joel Moskowitz received citations for improper lane usage and failure to reduce speed to avoid a crash.

The 49-year-old trucker wasn’t able to stop his vehicle in time to avoid hitting the vehicles in front of him. In an attempt to avoid colliding with the vehicles ahead, he sideswiped another auto, which hit another motor vehicle, causing a chain Illinois motor vehicle crash involving 8 autos. The Illinois semi-truck crash occurred around 8 pm in south Monee on Interstate 57. State police report that traffic wasn’t moving at the time because of two other motor vehicle crashes that had occurred earlier.

The Will County Coroner says Harvey driver Cristobal Murillo, 23, died from his injuries. Another man sustained serious injuries and had to be airlifted from the crash site. A third Illinois truck crash victim, a woman, sustained minor injuries. She was treated at a hospital and later released.

Truck Crashes
Nolo says that most truck accidents occur because of errors made by truck drivers. Drowsy driving, speeding, drunk driving, distracted driving, driving with an improperly loaded truck, texting while driving, talking on the cell phone while operating a motor vehicle, not looking at blind spots, violating hours of service rule, driver inexperience, depowering the front brakes, and driving while medicated are some negligent driving actions that can lead to catastrophic Illinois truck accidents.

Truck driver cited in Monee crash that killed 1, injured 2, Chicago Sun-Times, November 22, 2009

1 Dead, 2 Injured In 8-Vehicle Crash In Monee, CBS2 Chicago, November 21, 2009

Trucking Accidents, Nolo

Related Web Resource:
Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration

Continue reading " 1 Death and 2 Injuries in Monee, Illinois Semi-Truck Accident Involving 8 Vehicles On Interstate 57 " »

Crystal Little is suing two drivers for the injuries that she and her two young children sustained during an Illinois tow truck accident on I-255 on November 2. Little’s minor children are Dylan Little and Zachary Anderson.

The plaintiff contends that at around 10am at milepost 24 in Collinsville on Interstate 255, Little’s car was struck by a wheel lift that had fallen off the tow truck driven by Shawn P. Reese for Bills Wrecker Service. The wheel lift was on the road when another auto, driven by Herbert R. True, struck it, pushing it into Little’s motor vehicle.

Crystal is accusing Reese of failing to secure his cargo to his vehicle, driving his two truck too fast, and driving in a way that caused the cargo to fall from the truck. She claims that True neglected to properly apply his brakes, did not keep a proper lookout, was driving too fast, did not have adequate brakes on his vehicle, and did not slow down even though the wheel lift posed a hazard on the road.

Little says that she and her children sustained Illinois personal injuries and disabilities and were made sick, lame, disordered, sore, and disabled. Injuries included shoulder injuries, neck and back injuries, leg injuries, and ankle injuries.

She is seeking over $750,000 for the truck accident injuries.

A vehicle carrying any kind of cargo must properly secure the load so that it doesn’t fall off the auto and accidentally land on another vehicle or become dangerous debris on the road for other vehicles to collide in. Tow trucks must also be careful that any vehicle that they are towing behind them is properly secured.

Mother sues tow truck driver in I-255 accident, The Record, November 19, 2009

Related Web Resources:
Illinois Department of Transportation

What to do after a car accident, MSN Money

A jury has awarded David Falkenstein $5.1 million for his wife’s wrongful death. 67-year-old Ingrid Falkenstein died instantly after the minivan she and her husband were riding in was struck by a tractor-trailer that was fully loaded on May 1, 2006. David sustained injuries, including a fractured pelvis.

While the defendants claimed the county was to blame because it neglected to replace rumble strips that were worn out and there was poor signage at the intersection, David’s lawyer argued that truck driver Christopher Angland ran a stop sign.

The jury found the trucker 60% liable for the tragic tractor-trailer crash. It found McMaster Sod LLC to be 40% liable.

The Falkensteins who were married 33 years had just retired when the deadly semi-truck crash happened.

A truck crash claim can be difficult to prove without the help of an experienced injury lawyer that knows how to successfully settle and win cases against large trucking companies. Obtaining financial recovery can help cover accident-related costs and provides some comfort to the victim and/or his/her family while holding the liable party or parties accountable.

In another truck accident lawsuit, a jury awarded a motorcyclist almost $ 2 million against a dump truck driver. Levon Babakhanian was fractured his pelvis, left hip, and left leg, while also sustaining multiple arm, hand, and facial injuries during a truck accident on an October 4, 2006. Trucker William Edgington was working for Cedar Point Construction.

The jury found Babakhanian 20% at fault for the crash and the defendants 80% at fault.

Jury awards $5.1M in fatal Flagler crash, News-Journal Online, November 17, 2009

Flagler widower wins $5.1 million verdict in deadly truck wreck, Jacksonville.com, November 13, 2009

Bonneville County Jury Awards Man Nearly $2 Million, LocalNews8, November 16, 2009

Related Web Resources:
Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration

Truck Safety, AAA Exchange

Continue reading " Widower Awarded $5.1 for Wife’s Wrongful Death from Fatal Truck Accident " »

A woman whose daughter died from injuries she sustained during a rear-end collision with a tractor-trailer is suing Specialized Transport and one of its truckers for Illinois wrongful death. The truck crash occurred on I-55/70 on April 2, 2008.

Katrenia I. Travis was riding in the back seat of the vehicle that the large Freightliner truck, driven by truck driver Charles E. West Jr., allegedly rear-ended. Beverly J. Travis’s Illinois truck collision lawsuit accuses West of causing her daughter’s injuries and death when he crashed into the car she was in. Her complaint cites failure to keep a proper lookout, failure to reduce speed to avoid a crash, failure to exercise reasonable care, failure to properly activate the brakes, failure to yield the right-of-way, and driving too fast.

Katrenia leaves behind a son, as well her sister and parents. Her family is claiming loss of financial support, services, labor, affection, care, love, guidance, supervision of education, and moral training. They also say they were left with medical and funeral expenses. They are seeking over $100,000 plus costs.

In another Illinois truck accident case, this one involving a parked semi-truck, DeMarco Nicholson is suing both Affton Fabricating and Welding Company and Parrish Leasing Company for personal injury.

Nicholson says that he sustained bodily injuries and a skull fracture, in addition to being made sore, sick, disordered, lame, and disabled, when he hit a semi-trailer that was parked in the middle of Industrial Parkway on June 29, 2008.

Nicholson’s truck crash complaint accuses truck owner Parrish of illegally parking the semi-truck in the middle of the road and of neglecting to warn him that it was there. He contends that Affton let the leasing company park the car there.

Trucking company and driver sued over I-55/70 fatality, The Record, November 12, 2009

Driver strikes parked semi, sues leasing company, The Record, November 12, 2009

Related Web Resources:
Trucking Accidents, Nolo

Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration

At 3:30 am today, a truck driver died on the Bay Bridge S-curve when the vehicle dropped 200 feet onto Yerba Buena Island. Today’s motor vehicle collision is one of more than 40 traffic crashes to occur since the new detour opened on September 8.

The big-rig truck was moving at approximately 50 mph—about 10 mph above the speed limit. Police say that the large truck drove off the side of the Bay Bridge as the driver tried to negotiate the turn. The truck driver was pronounced dead at the truck accident site.

His death is the first fatality to occur in the bridge’s curved area. However, in just two months there have been over 42 motor vehicle accidents. Just last month, another big rig vehicle as involved in a truck collision when the large truck went across four lanes. Police say most of the auto crashes are fender-benders.

The speed limit is now 40 mph rather than 50 mph, but drivers still have a hard time maneuvering the sudden curve. Flashing lights and new signs have been put up to warn motorists to exercise caution, and Caltrans workers are scheduled to put in red reflectors for nighttime drivers.

Trucking Accidents Involving Truck Driver Victims
Our Chicago truck crash lawyers represent victims seriously injured in Illinois truck accidents. Our clients include truckers who have been injured because other parties were negligent. Most truck drivers are entitled to Illinois workers’ compensation. However, there may be third parties responsible for causing the Illinois truck accident, such as another motorist, the manufacturer of a defective truck, or the entity responsible for designing or overseeing a particular road.

Another crash on Bay Bridge S-curve, SF Gate, November 7, 2009

Big rig crashes through Bay Bridge S curve and plunges 200 feet, killing driver, Contra Costa Times, November 9, 2009

Related Web Resource:
Bay Bridge

Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration

Last week, truck driver Kyle Wentland was charged with negligent homicide with a commercial vehicle and failure to keep right on a curve over his involvement in the tragic April 3 truck crash that claimed the life of a 33-year-old woman. Wentland, 26, faces up to six months in jail and an up to $2,000 fine. The family of the victim, Heather Gunther, is suing Wentland for her wrongful death. The truck accident victim died of massive traumatic injuries.

According to police, Wentland and Gunther were driving their vehicles at speeds of over 50 mph on a slick road when Wentland’s tractor-trailer crossed the center line to strike Gunther’s sport utility vehicle.

Wentland has told police that he inspected the large truck before getting on the road that morning, but a State DMV inspector says the truck’s brakes were out of adjustment—which is grounds for grounding a truck. Court documents indicate that one of the truck’s tires was unsafe. In addition to faulty breaks, there was oil leaking on a brake line. On investigator says the vehicle shouldn’t have even been on the road.

One witness who saw the tragic tractor-trailer crash says it appeared as if the truck had blown a tire and its brakes were locked up. Another motorist says that when Wentland’s truck hit Gunther’s sport utility vehicle, the SUV’s back end rose about six feet.

According to Federal and state transportation records, the tractor-trailer isn’t the only vehicle belonging to Sysco Food Services that has been cited as unsafe in the last two years. In August 2007, a Sysco truck with a broken steering component crossed a ditch. In January 2008, a Sysco truck received a citation for a broken tail light. In November 2008, a Sysco’s truck latch was found to be improperly secured. Last month, a truck and a trailer had low tire pressure.

Records show trucking company in fatal Winsted crash had other unsafe trucks, Republican American, November 4, 2009

Man charged with negligent homicide in fatal accident, The Register Citizen, October 27, 2009

Related Web Resources:
Sysco

Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration

Continue reading " Tragic Truck Crash May Have Been Caused by Vehicle Defects and Poor Maintenance " »

The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration says it will consider revising the current hours of service rule that lets large truck drivers operate their vehicles for 11 hours/day. Their decision to reconsider the rule is part of a settlement reached with Advocates for Highway and Auto Safety, Public Citizen, and the Truck Safety Coalition.

The groups had filed a lawsuit after the Bush Administration expanded the hours of service rule from 10-hours to 11-hours in December 2008. The revised rule let truckers operate their vehicles for 17 more hours even though there is ample evidence that driving longer hours can cause more traffic deaths and his bad for truck drivers’ health.

Per the settlement, the FMCSA has nine months to start the rulemaking process. A new rule must be published within 21 months.

The American Trucking Association is disputing claims that there is anything wrong with the current hours of service rule.

Chicago Truck Accidents
Plenty of studies reveal that driving any motor vehicle while exhausted can lead to catastrophic Illinois truck crashes, car accidents, motorcycle collisions, pedestrian accidents, and bus crashes. The National Sleep Foundation recommends that not only should a driver be well-rested before getting behind the wheel of a vehicle, but also he or she should take periodic brakes every 100 mi or 2 hrs.

With their rigorous schedules and tight delivery deadlines, it is no wonder that truck drivers end up spending hours a day behind the wheel. When sleep apnea, fatigue, drowsy driving, or exhaustion dulls a trucker’s senses, slows reflexes, and impairs the ability to stay alert and pay attention to the road or surround vehicles, tragic Chicago truck crashes can happen.

Commercial driver agency to reconsider hours rule, Business Insurance, October 29, 2009

US DOT to revise hours of service rules, Today's Trucking, October 27, 2009

Related Web Resources:
FMCSA

Advocates for Highway and Auto Safety

Truck Safety Coalition

Public Citizen

Continue reading " FMCSA Will Reconsider Hours of Service Rule for Truck Drivers " »