Chicago Truck Accident Lawyer Blog

According to TruckingInfo.com, the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration has ordered trucking company Hester off the road. The order was reportedly issued in June. Hester was involved in a deadly semi-truck collision on I-65 in Kentucky last March that claimed 11 lives.

Per a state police report trucker Kenneth Laymon may have been taking on a cell phone and speeding when he drove his 1999 Freightliner truck that was pulling a 53-foot semitrailer over a 60-foot wide grass median, struck a four-cable guardrail barrier, hit a 15-passenger van, drove over other travel lanes and struck a stone wall. His tractor-trailer would go on to burst into flames. Killed in the tractor-trailer accident were Laymon and 10 of the people riding in the van, most of them Mennonites from the same family.

Investigators have been trying to figure out whether Laymon went on any rest breaks from the time that he departed Lansing, Michigan for Cullman, Alabama. The catastrophic tractor-trailer collision occurred during the 13th hour and approximately 243rd of a 690-mile route that Laymon was driving. Unfortunately, the trucker’s log book was destroyed in the blaze and the truck did not have an electronic board recorder.

Following the catastrophic truck crash, the FMCSA audited Hester Inc. The federal agency ordered the trucking company to cease operations after failing to remedy “critical violations.” The FMCSA says that Hester used truckers before getting back their pre-employment drug tests results, let drivers operate their vehicle beyond the 11-hour federal limit for truckers, and allowed a truck driver who was suspended following a roadside inspection to continue driving. The trucking company cannot reopen its doors for business until the FMCSA deems that it is “fit” to do so and it gets back its registration.

Our Chicago tractor-trailer accident lawyers represent truck crash victims and their families in Cook County, Will County, Lake County, and DuPage County, Illinois.

Trucking firm ordered to halt operations after Munfordville accident that killed 11, Courier-Journal, September 1, 2010

FMCSA Orders Alabama Carrier Off the Road and Following Fatal Accident TruckingInfo, September 7, 2010

Lisa Going is blaming Mike Hahne Towing and tow truck driver John Claus Jr. for the IIllinois tow truck crash injuries she sustained on October 2, 2004. She is seeking over $150,000 plus costs from the defendants.

According to Going’s Illinois truck collision complaint, Claus Jr., who was driving a 1987 Ford FSR, rear-ended her in Glen Carbon on Route 159 at around 8:12 in the morning. She contends that Claus failed to keep a proper lookout, did not keep his truck under proper control, failed to swerve or stop to avoid the collision, neglected to obey a traffic control device, and drove too fast. Going also says that Kathy and Michael Hahne caused the truck crash through Claus and that they should never have let him drive because they knew he was not capable of properly operating the tow truck.

Going says that as a result of her truck accident injuries, she experienced discomfort, pain, has been physically restricted and limited, incurred medical expenses, and lost income.

Chicago, Illinois Tow Truck Accidents
Pedestrians and the occupants of vehicles involved with any kind of large truck are at a huge disadvantage and often at high risk of sustaining painful injuries. In Chicago truck crash cases involving a negligent truck driver, it is not uncommon for an injury victim to also seek damages from the trucker’s employer and other liable parties.

The best way to determine whether you have grounds for a Chicago truck accident case is to explore your legal options with an experienced Chicago injury law firm that handles truck collision claims and lawsuits.

Towing company and driver blamed in rear-end accident , August 27, 2010

Related Web Resources:
The Truck Safety Coalition

Michigan Center for Truck Safety

Truck Safety, AAA Exchange

A truck driver was injured yesterday following a two-truck crash in Crystal Lake. The Illinois semi-truck accident happened right before 3pm on Route 176 and Briarwood Road.

According to Crystal Police, a delivery truck for Charity Pickup Service moved into the path of a Mack Truck tanker. The semi-truck struck the delivery truck’s right rear passenger side, causing the latter vehicle to spin and flip onto the driver’s side.

The delivery truck driver was sent to the hospital with minor injuries.

In other recent US truck crash news, two teens were killed on Tuesday in a log truck accident. Jordan M. Young and John McCowan, both 17, died after their vehicle did not stop at a stop sign. The Chevrolet Cavalier they were in crashed with a Peterbuilt truck. The two teens were pronounced dead at the truck accident site.

Also on Tuesday, a runaway truck drove off an embankment and struck a home, killing 23-year-ole Leo Leon, his 27-year-old wife Lorena, and their 7-year-old son. They were inside the residence at the time. Police say that the truck may have experienced brake failure.

According to police, prior to the truck accident trucker Garcia Morales thought there was a problem with the brakes but decided that they were functioning well enough that he could keep driving. Morales was transporting a load of gravel at the time of the collision. He was treated for a minor facial cut.

Chicago Truck Accident
Proving liability in any kind of Illinois truck crash can be tough, which is why you should always explore your legal options with a Chicago injury law firm. In some cases, there may be more than one liable party.

Truck collision sends 1 driver to hospital, Northwest Herald, August 26, 2010

Two students killed in Limestone County log truck accident, WAFF, August 24, 2010

Runaway truck crushes California house, killing 3, Google/AP, August 24, 2010

An appeals court has upheld the $65 million semi-truck accident verdict that a jury had awarded to Kendra Lymon last year. Lymon, who was 19 when she was injured in a tractor-trailer crash in 2007, has serious injuries and can no longer take care of herself.

Trucker Robert Bohn, driving part-time for Bynum Transport, was operating the large truck that struck Lymon’s Dodge Neon. According to her semi-trailer accident lawyers, she was the one with the green light at the time.

Prior to the tragic truck collision, Lymon worked at Florida Institute of Neurologic Rehabilitation and could speak six languages. She was also majoring in psychology at a local community college. After the traffic crash, she was hospitalized and in a coma for months.

Now, according to her mother, Lymon must be constantly supervised and cannot bathe, eat, dress, go to the bathroom, or tend to other simple tasks alone. She also needs a wheelchair and has difficulty walking.

The defendants had tried to get the tractor-trailer award reduced, arguing that it was excessive. They were specifically challenging the $41,443,401 awarded to Lymon for her pain and suffering, disfigurement, disability, physical impairment, a mental anguish, aggravation of disease or physical defect, and loss of capacity for the enjoyment of life.

Catastrophic Injuries
Living with traumatic brain injuries, spinal cord injuries, and other catastrophic injuries can be very expensive. While obtaining Chicago truck accident recovery won’t make your loved one’s injuries go away, it can help cover the costs for necessary specialized care. Many catastrophic injury patients need round-the-clock nursing care, specialized therapies, medical equipment, and other medical services.

Appeals Court Upholds $65 Million Verdict for Woman in 2007 Crash, The Ledger, August 18, 2010

Woman deserves $65M for crash injuries, jury says, NewsChief.com, March 20, 2010

Related Web Resources:
Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration

Truck Safety Coalition

Donald L. Creed, a 77-year-old truck driver, has pleaded guilty to 10 misdemeanor counts of negligent homicide for accidentally killing 10 people during a June 2009 tractor-trailer crash. He has been sentenced to one year probation for each count and must spend 30 days in jail. He also will no longer be allowed to have a commercial driver’s license and must use an electronic home monitoring system during the first year of probation. Meantime, the families of the victims are suing Creed for wrongful death.

According to police, on June 26, 2009 on I-44, Creed slammed his semi-trailer, which he was driving for Associated Wholesale Grocers, into a number of motor vehicles that were stopped for another traffic. Rescuers spent hours trying to free the victims from the mangled wreckage.

Killed in the semi-truck crash were 63-year-old Earlene Hooks, 69-year-old Oral Hooks, 42-year-old Antonio Hooks, 41-year-old Dione Hooks, Ernestia Reyes, her husband 39-year-old Ricardo Reyes, 35-year-old Shelby Hayes, her husband, 38-year-old Randall Hayes, their 7-year-old son Ethan Hayes, and her 55-year-old mother Cynthia Olson. The Reyes’ 12-year-old daughter Andrea suffered injuries.

Investigators have said that there is no evidence to indicate that the trucker tired to avoid striking the vehicles or even attempted to step on the brakes. Highway police have said that driver inattention on Creed’s part caused the semi-truck crash.

Chicago Truck Accident Victims
Losing even one family member in any kind of Chicago, Illinois truck accident is devastating. To lose more than one loved one is unimaginably life shattering. Unfortunately, trucker negligence, inexperience, inattention, carelessness, and recklessness continue to claim lives.

Truck driver guilty in crash that killed 10, Associated Press/Kansas City, August 2, 2010

Truck Driver Pleads Guilty to 10 Misdemeanor Counts for Deadly Turnpike Crash, News9.com, August 2, 2010

Related Web Resources:
Distracted Driving, Cyber Drive Illinois

Distracted Driving, NHTSA

The National Transportation Safety Board is considering ways to decrease the number of tanker truck rollover accidents. The NTSB held a hearing last week to determine whether requiring that tanker trucks be equipped with stability control technology could help decrease their high rollover risk.

Cargo tankers are at risk of rolling over because they are made with high gravity centers. 31% of fatal commercial truck rollovers involve tanker trucks. Considering that cargo tank trucks often transport hazardous substances, rollover accidents can be especially dangerous not just for the vehicle occupants involved but also for those who happen to be in the area around the crash site.

It was just last October that an Indianapolis tanker truck rollover collision wrecked a bridge column, blew a giant fireball into the air, set fire to highway billboard, and injured four people. The truck was transporting liquefied petroleum. Our Chicago tanker truck lawyers believe that when possible, it is important that preventive measures be taken to decrease the number of catastrophic truck crashes.

Currently, federal law doesn’t require that trucks be constructed with a low gravity center. This, despite the fact that, according to engineer Douglas Pape (who spoke at the NTSB hearing), doing so by even 3% could decrease the chance of a rollover crash happening by 12%.

Requiring that tanker trucks carry electronic stability systems would allow its sensors to detect when a truck’s weight had shifted. The onboard computer’s system could then automatically step on the breaks until the vehicle was able to regain its balance.

Cause of tanker blast that shut I-465 studied, IndyStar, August 5, 2010

NTSB probes rollovers by hazmat tanker trucks, Google/AP, August 3, 2010

NHTSA nearing truck rollover prevention rule, Today's Trucking.com, August 4, 2010

Continue reading " Chicago Tanker Truck Roller Accident Prevention: NTSB Considers Ways to Decrease Number of Deadly Collisions " »

Two people are dead and two others are injured in separate Illinois tractor-trailer crashes that took place on Interstate 70 close to Highland this morning. In one Illinois semi-trailer crash, the trucker sustained minor injuries in an accident involving the large truck losing its cargo of food.

Not long after, another Illinois big rig accident involving three semi-trucks and a pickup truck claimed the lives of two of the people who were in the large trucks that caught fire. In yet another Illinois semi-truck crash on I-70 today, a motorcyclist suffered minor injuries after he rear-ended a tractor-trailer.

Catastrophic truck crashes claim too many lives each year. In many cases, it the trucker who is at fault. There are, however, also tractor-trailer crashes that were caused by the other motorists involved or other parties. There also may be more than one liable party.

For example, in a recent Missouri tractor-trailer accident that made national headlines, two people were killed and dozens were transported to the hospital after a tractor-trailer, two school buses, and a pickup truck collided with each other on Thursday morning on Interstate 44. The cause of the traffic crash is still under investigation.

According to police, the pickup truck rear-ended the tractor-trailer. One of the school buses then rear-ended the pickup truck, which was then struck from the rear by the other bus. The pickup truck driver and a girl riding the school bus died from their injuries.

Crashes prompt I-70's closure in southwestern Ill., Chicago Tribune, August 9, 2010

Girl, truck driver killed in Missouri bus crash, up to 50 injured in tragic end to camp field trip, NY Daily News, August 5, 2010

Related Web Resources:
The Truck Safety Coalition

Illinois Department of Transportation

Continue reading " Illinois Tractor-Trailer Accidents Cause Two Fatalities on I-70 " »

A chain-reaction pileup on Friday on Interstate 64 involving a flatbed truck, a semi-trailer truck, a U-Haul truck pulling a trailer, and an SUV left two people with injuries. According to police, the vehicles were slowing down as they approached a construction zone when the Illinois multi-truck crash happened. One of the injury victims, the semi-trailer trucker, had to be pulled out of his burning big rug truck and was flown to a hospital for treatment of his life-threatening injuries.

It was just two hours before that a tractor-trailer caught fire on the Illinois side of the Poplar Street Bridge when it hit a median wall and overturned. Fortunately, the driver got away safely.

Also yesterday, a 69-year-old pedestrian was killed while crossing the street on foot with her bicycle in St. Charles, Illinois when the rear wheels of a dump truck hit her. Accident reconstructionists are trying to determine what happened. The victim, Arlene K. Marshall, was pronounced dead at the Illinois truck accident site.

Witnesses say that the dump truck driver did not seem to realize that he had struck the senior pedestrian, dragging her nearly a block. According to witnesses in the area, the intersection where Marshall was killed is known as a site where dump trucks have been known to jump the curb when making a right turn.

St. Charles pedestrian killed while walking bike across street, Daily Herald, August 6, 2010

Pedestrian killed in downtown St. Charles crash, My Suburban Life, August 6, 2010

Fiery crash closes I-64 near New Baden, STL Today, August 6, 2010

Related Web Resources:
CyberDrive Illinois

Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration

Continue reading " Illinois Multi-Truck Crash on I-64 Injures Two " »

Another truck accident victim is seeking personal injury recovery from trucker Jose Alberto Sarmiento and trucking company Spartan Logistics LLC over a deadly collision involving multiple vehicles that occurred on Interstate 81 in 2008. In this latest tractor-trailer crash lawsuit, William Morgan is seeking $500,000 for his permanent and serious injuries and the damages that his vehicle sustained.

Morgan contends that as a result of his injuries, he continues to experience “great pain” and cannot properly see to his personal and business affairs. He is accusing Sarmiento of operating his truck in a careless, negligent, and reckless manner.

Four other civil lawsuits have been filed over the deadly semi-truck collision. Earlier this year, the family of siblings Ivan Ryman, 4, and Maggie Ryman, 1, sued the trucker and his trucking company for wrongful deaths, as well as for the wrongful death of their grandmother Cordula Elma Lear, 80. The mother of the two children, 40-year-old Serena Vera Lear Ryman, is seeking damages for personal injury. She was driving the car that all of them were in at the time of the deadly truck accident. Separate jury trials for each case are scheduled.

Sarmiento, who admitted to three counts of reckless driving, was ordered to pay a fine and received a suspended jail term.

Lawsuit filed in accident on I-81, NVDaily.com, July 29, 2010

Bond Set for Sarmiento, WHSV, December 2, 2008

Related Web Resources:
Large Trucks, Insurance Institute for Highway Safety

Insurance Information Institute

Continue reading " Fifth Truck Accident Lawsuit Filed Against Trucker Over 2008 Accident " »