An accident with an 18-wheeler truck may devastate many areas of your life. If you suffered any kind of serious injuries, you may remain unable to return to work, for example. You may face not only serious medical injuries but also the inability to pay for substantial medical costs. If you suffered injuries in a trucking accident, contact a team member at Pintas & Mullins Law Firm at (800) 794-0444 to help determine your next steps.
18-Wheeler Accidents
Large commercial trucks naturally cause more destruction and catastrophic damage when involved in roadway accidents due to their larger size. Weighing up to 80,000 pounds in total, an 18-wheeler can be over 20 times the weight of an average passenger vehicle, according to the Federal Highway Administration. The following are types of accidents that may occur with 18-wheelers resulting in serious injury or even death.
Head-on Collisions
Head-on collisions with large trucks oftentimes result in fatalities for other motorists. These types of catastrophic accidents may result from fatigued drivers who may not have followed required hours of service regulations set by the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA).
Rollover Accidents
Sometimes, large 18-wheeler trucks have incorrectly loaded cargo. In other cases, large commercial trucks remain overloaded with cargo that exceeds the weight limits established by federal regulations. With a truck that already remains prone to rollover accidents due to its height and weight, the danger of overloading a truck—or loading a truck incorrectly—can cause a rollover accident.
Additionally, if a driver is speeding and needs to swerve for any reason, a sudden change in direction at a high rate of speed can cause the 18-wheeler to lean to one side and roll over onto the roadway, causing a serious accident. If you suffered injuries in a rollover accident with a large 18-wheeler, an investigation by a Tinley Park 18-wheeler truck accident lawyer may determine that employees incorrectly loaded or overloaded the cargo.
Rear-End Accidents
If the driver of a large 18-wheeler is driving too quickly or speeding, they may not be able to stop their large commercial vehicle appropriately and rear-end a vehicle (or several vehicles) in front of them. The devastation of a large commercial truck slamming into a small passenger vehicle could result in the truck running the smaller car over completely. These types of accidents can occur if a driver suffers from distraction, fatigue, or is driving under the influence of drugs or alcohol, among many other reasons.
Jackknife Accidents
Jackknifing accidents occur when the cab of the truck stops but the trailer does not, causing a jackknife scenario. Trailers pulled by 18-wheelers are often heavy, and when a driver attempts to quickly slow down or slides due to poor weather conditions, the trailer may swing to one side, out of the control of the driver. This trailer could collide with other vehicles on the roadway, causing considerable damage. If your involvement in a jackknife accident resulted in injuries, driver speed and poor weather conditions may have contributed to the cause.
Tire Blowouts
A sudden blowout of a tire on an 18-wheeler can cause the entire vehicle to launch completely out of control into another lane or completely off the roadway entirely. An investigation may determine that the driver, trucking company, or other entity failed to ensure proper maintenance and inspection of tires, causing your accident.
Cargo Spills
An 18-wheeler may carry large amounts of cargo, some of which could even include toxic materials. If any of the cargo spills, the results can seriously injure others on the roadways. If a trucking company fails to secure cargo correctly, or if the truck carries overloaded cargo, the spilled load can not only cause accidents with other vehicles but also cause the actual 18-wheeler to veer into other traffic on the roadways.
Again, if an investigation by a Tinley Park 18-wheeler truck accident lawyer determines that employees improperly loaded the cargo, you may have the right to file a claim against the driver, trucking company, or the company that loaded the cargo. Contact the team at Pintas & Mullins Law Firm today to discuss the particulars of your case.
Failures of Trucking Companies
Oftentimes, trucking companies fail to follow safety guidelines or federal regulations required to ensure the safety of drivers and other passengers on the roadways. Some of the ways a truck company could fail in their safety responsibilities include the following:
- Failure to hire experienced drivers with appropriate certifications and licenses.
- Failure to train drivers appropriately.
- Failure to take disciplinary action when a truck driver acted negligently or operated a vehicle under the influence of drugs or alcohol.
- Failure to perform regular testing on truck drivers for drugs and alcohol.
- Failure to comply with all safety regulations required by federal and state law.
- Failure to keep required records of safety compliance.
- Failure to make regular inspections of trucks or perform proper maintenance.
- Failure to keep appropriate logs (daily logs, weekly logs, inspection logs, etc.).
For a free legal consultation with a 18-Wheeler Truck Accidents Lawyer serving Tinley Park, call (800) 794-0444
Statute of Limitations for 18-Wheeler Trucking Accident Cases
The state of Illinois has a strict statute of limitations, which is the deadline by which a person must file a claim in court regarding injuries suffered from an accident. The statute of limitations for truck accidents in Illinois is two years from the date of the accident. While this may seem like a long time, actually completing an independent investigation, obtaining all of the evidence and documentation from the trucking company, witnesses, and experts may take several months and even extend past a year.
Tinley Park 18-Wheeler Truck Accidents Lawyer Near Me (800) 794-0444
Consider Hiring a Tinley Park 18-Wheeler Truck Accident Lawyer
If you suffered injuries in an 18-wheeler trucking accident, contact Pintas & Mullins Law Firm at (800) 794-0444, where a team member can help you begin the process to learn who may be responsible for your injuries and how you may receive compensation due to their negligent actions. Learn how a Tinley Park 18-wheeler truck accident lawyer can handle these types of truck accident cases and how they may help you with your case.
Call or text (800) 794-0444 or complete a Free Case Evaluation form
