Even though the majority of semi trucks on the highways travel in a safe manner with a professional driver behind the wheel, accidents involving semi trucks and passenger cars still happen.
If you or your loved ones suffered an injury after a crash with a semi truck, you have the right to seek awards for your pain, suffering, and medical costs. Consider hiring a trustworthy Rockford semi truck accident lawyer to represent your interests. Contact Pintas & Mullins Law Firm at (800) 794-0444 for a free consultation today.
Understanding the Severity of Semi Truck Crashes
The difference in size between a passenger car and a semi truck makes crashes between these two vehicles devastating.
Weight Difference
According to the Illinois Department of Transportation, a semi truck with four or more axles legally could weigh as much as 80,000 pounds, reaching well beyond the weight of a passenger car.
This difference in weight means the passengers in the car may suffering a severe impact when a semi truck strikes them. Additionally, the semi truck’s weight could cause the frame of the car to collapse inward, trapping the passengers, and creating crushing injuries.
Serious Injuries
Serious injuries can result in significant hospitalization time and recovery time. Some of the potential significant injuries a car passenger may suffer include:
- Broken bones
- Torn ligaments and muscles
- Amputated limbs
- Traumatic brain injury
- Concussion
- Spinal cord injury
- Neck injury, including whiplash
- Significant burns
- Disfigurement
- Disability
In addition to physical injuries, you may have suffered emotional trauma in the crash. You may have difficulty sleeping and fears about riding in a car again. You may even have PTSD.
Protecting Your Right to Seek Compensation
As a victim in a semi truck crash, you have the right to seek compensation for your medical bills, pain, and suffering. You may be facing an uncertain future with medical problems and financial worries.
Severe injuries can result in a lifetime of medical care and bills. You may suffer a reduction in your quality of life, leaving you unable to enjoy the things you did before the crash. You may not even work in your preferred profession after your injuries.
With a Rockford semi truck accident lawyer on your side, you may present your side of the story, explaining how the accident changed your life and your future outlook. At Pintas & Mullins Law Firm, we embrace tough cases. We take pride in standing up for victims.
Who Bears Fault for the Truck Accident?
When you hire us, we will work hard to study the facts in the case, helping us to figure out who exactly was at fault for the crash. Multiple parties could have played a part in your accident.
Driver Negligence
Driver error or negligence commonly plays a role in an accident involving a semi truck. For starters, a driver must follow all laws on the roadways in the state of Illinois when operating a semi truck. Some of the potential traffic violations for a semi truck driver could include:
- Driving while intoxicated
- Driving while distracted
- Reckless driving
- Speeding
- Violating traffic signs and signals
- Failing to maintain a lane
- Aggressive driving, including road rage
It is possible that the police officers investigating the crash may issue a traffic ticket to the semi truck driver for a driving violation. If law enforcement issues a ticket, this fact may serve as evidence in proving the negligence of the driver.
Sometimes, a semi truck driver may end up spending too many hours behind the wheel to drive safely. Even without the issuance of a ticket, fatigued driving may fit under the definition of negligence since it classifies as a violation of the hours of service regulations.
Negligence of Other Parties
Beyond the actions of the driver, the facts in the case may show that other parties played a significant role in the crash in which you suffered an injury. These parties may include:
- Hiring company: which may not have trained the driver properly or which may not have verified the driver’s stated experience level and CDL status.
- Truck owner: which may not have maintained the truck in a safe manner, perhaps failing to repair brakes or to replace worn-out tires.
- Truck repair company: which may not have repaired a problem with the semi truck properly, leading to an equipment failure while on the road, causing the crash.
- Cargo loaders: who may have improperly loaded items into the trailer, leading to the load becoming imbalanced, which could result in an accident.
For a free legal consultation with a Semi Truck Accidents Lawyer serving Rockford, call (800) 794-0444
Possible Compensation for Your Injuries
If our Rockford semi truck accident lawyers prove that the semi truck driver, another party, or multiple parties acted in a negligent manner, leading to the accident, you may qualify for compensation. Negligence means that the driver could have taken a different action to prevent the crash. Proving negligence does not mean that you have to show the driver caused the accident on purpose.
Some of the items for which you could receive compensation in a truck injury accident include:
- Current medical bills
- Estimated future medical bills
- Prescription drug costs
- Physical therapy bills
- Equipment required for care
- Lost wages
- Future lost earning power
- Pain and suffering
- Disfigurement or disability
Pintas & Mullins Law Firm can help you determine your legal options. We may also help you figure out whether you are receiving a fair settlement offer. Call us today at (800) 794-0444.
Call or text (800) 794-0444 or complete a Free Case Evaluation form