Trucking Accidents in Chicago

The Chicago accident law firm of Allegretti & Associates would like to explain your legal rights if you have been involved in a trucking accident and do not know if you are entitled to receive any types of damages.

If you are involved in any sort of trucking accident and suffer a loss of property, such as your vehicle or its contents, an injury, or the loss of a loved one, you are entitled to compensation. In order to receive compensation in a trucking accident case, your attorney must first establish negligence on the part of the truck driver, trucking company, or any other defendant. Negligence is defined as a breach of the duty owed to an injured party to have exercised reasonable care to keep the injured party from harm. In situations involving trucks, reasonable care might include:

• Proper maintenance of the truck
• Obeying laws with regards to the legal weight of a payload
• Obeying laws regarding proper securing of the load
• Conformance to limits on drive time
• Not drinking or using other intoxicants while driving

Your personal injury attorney needs to investigate the accident right away, so that no evidence is missed. Information that should be collected includes:

• Information on previous violations by the trucker
• Proof of prior violations by the owner of the truck
• Any maintenance records
• The recorded speeds both you and the truck were traveling at the time of the accident
• Any driver logs
• Statements from witnesses, police, and emergency medical personal at the scene
• “Black box” information from the truck that contains data from before, during, and after the accident
• Any GPS device data

Your lawyer will likely pursue personal injury claims following your trucking accident against one or more of the following entities:

• Truck driver
• Trucking company
• Truck manufacturer
• Safety director for the company
• Mechanic(s) responsible for maintaining the truck
• Vehicle inspector(s)
• Truck’s insurance carrier
• Shipper of hazardous materials, if this cargo was present and caused or made your injuries worse

You are likely entitled to receive the following compensation in a personal injury lawsuit brought on by a trucking accident:

• Medical expenses
• Hospital bills
• Lost wages
• Pain and suffering
• Anticipated future medical bills
• Physical therapy expenses
• Long-term loss of earnings, due to inability to do the same or equivalent work because of the accident

Even if you are found to have been partially at fault for the trucking accident, you may be able to recover some amount of compensation based on one or more of the above.
Recent cases in Illinois have established that a violation of the Illinois Vehicle Code is also a violation of Federal Motor Carrier Safety Regulations, which allows trucking companies and their drivers to be held to higher levels of responsibility. In addition, as of 2007 the Illinois Wrongful Death Act allows juries to award damages for the grief, sorrow, and mental suffering of widowed spouses and next of kin.

The key to recovering the damages deserved following a trucking accident is retention of a skilled and experienced truck accident attorney. Contact Chicago’s Allegretti & Associates for a consultation regarding your specific case in order to determine the damages for which you deserve compensation and the lawsuit amount that you should expect.  Call us at 866-745-1531, or complete our quick contact web form and we will promptly get in touch with you.