Plainfield Truck Crash Attorney

Lawyer for Semi-Truck Collisions and Trucking Injuries in Joliet, Will County, and Chicagoland

For many drivers, sharing the road with large commercial vehicles can be stressful and frightening. Tractor-trailer trucks are much larger than passenger cars and trucks, and by law can have up to a total vehicle weight of 80,000 lbs. This means that when commercial trucks collide with other vehicles, the drivers and passengers in these vehicles are likely to suffer serious bodily harm, which may lead to permanent disabilities or wrongful death. People who have suffered personal injuries in these types of crashes may be able to take legal action against a truck driver, the trucking company that employed them, and the brokerage service that interacted with and directed the truck driver and trucking company. Injured persons, and in the event of wrongful death their estates, may receive compensation for the costs of medical treatment for their injuries, lost income due to temporary or permanent disability, and physical and emotional pain and suffering, to name a few.

If you have been injured in a truck accident, Attorney Michael J. Lichner can help you hold all of the negligent people and corporations responsible for the harm you and your loved ones have suffered. Michael Lichner has more than a decade of legal experience, and he has recovered millions of dollars of compensation for injury victims. Our firm has the knowledge, skills, and resources necessary to take on large companies, and we will fight to help you achieve justice in your case.

Common Causes of Commercial Truck Crashes

Since semi-trailer trucks present a serious danger to all people in other vehicles, as well as to pedestrians and bicyclists, truck drivers are legally required to obtain special licenses (commercial driver's licensing), and they must follow additional laws and regulations to ensure that they are operating their vehicles safely. There are a wide variety of different forms of negligence that often cause dangerous collisions involving commercial trucks, including:

• Driver fatigue - Truck drivers and the corporations that employ them are legally required to follow strict regulations regarding how much time they can spend behind the wheel and when they must take breaks and get rest or sleep. However, some trucking companies encourage drivers to bend or break these rules so that cargo can be delivered more quickly. Even if drivers abide by hours of service regulations, the long hours on the road may cause them to become drowsy or fall asleep behind the wheel, leading to dangerous collisions.
• Drunk driving or driving under the influence of illegal or prescription drugs - The use of alcohol and drugs can greatly impair a driver's ability to control their vehicle, and this is especially true for drivers of large trucks. In addition to alcohol, truck drivers may use other drugs that affect their driving ability, such as cocaine or methamphetamines that are meant to combat fatigue, as well as prescription pain killers that dull their reaction and perception times.
• Violations of traffic laws - Speeding, illegal turns or lane changes, failure to respect other vehicles' right of way, and other types of violations by truck drivers can put people in other vehicles at risk of injury in a collision.
• Distracted driving - Truck drivers need to pay close attention to the road to ensure that they are aware of the movements of other vehicles or pedestrians. Different types of distractions may cause a truck driver to be unable to react in time to avoid a collision. These distractions often include talking or texting on a cell phone, communicating with others on a truck's radio, or using a GPS navigation system or electronic logging device.
• Improper truck maintenance - If a semi-truck is not properly maintained, the failure of different parts or systems may cause a driver to lose control of the vehicle. Brake failures, tire blowouts, defective trailer couplings (commonly referred to as the "fifth wheel"), or other mechanical issues can lead to dangerous truck crashes.
• Improperly loaded or secured cargo - If a truck's cargo (the load) is not distributed properly in its bed or trailer, or if cargo shifts during transit, this could affect the driver's control of their vehicle. Additionally, cargo that is not properly secured may fall from a truck and hit other vehicles or create obstacles in the road that lead to secondary collisions.

Contact Our Romeoville Trucking Injury Lawyer

If you have been injured in a collision with a commercial truck, Attorney Michael J. Lichner will properly evaluate your case, investigate the circumstances of the crash, establish liability, and help you hold the driver, their employer, and other persons or corporations responsible for your injuries and damages. We have requisite knowledge and resources to take on large insurance companies and the sophisticated corporations they insure and win. To set up a free consultation, please contact us by calling 815-730-1977. We handle truck crash cases in and around Will County and the surrounding areas, including but not limited to Bolingbrook, Plainfield, Lockport, New Lenox, Mokena, Joliet, Romeoville, Frankfort, Naperville, Shorewood, and Homer Glen. We also provide representation for clients in all other Northern Illinois counties, including Cook County and DuPage County.