Illinois is a busy corridor of commerce for the mid-west trucking industry. With major highways like I-55 and I-80 running through the state, there is an abundance of large commercial trucks on the roads that can pose serious hazards to the smaller vehicles around them.
Because commercial trucks can be nearly 27 times the weight of a typical passenger car, the accidents that occur between these vehicles often result in serious injury or death. This leads to the need for the victim or surviving family to file an Illinois truck accident claim to recover damages from the accident.
Filing and Proving Your Illinois Truck Accident Claim
The basis for most vehicle accidents, including an Illinois truck accident, is negligence. The evidence in your claim must be able to prove that the truck driver was negligent in their vehicle operation and caused your accident. From the moment the truck accident takes place and through your recovery, you should be documenting everything you can.
Photographs of the accident scene, police reports, witness statements, and medical records are all important pieces of evidence that can be used to build and support your claim. You should contact your own insurance company as soon as possible to open a claim for your Illinois truck accident, then speak to a Chicago truck accident lawyer for help in dealing with both yours and the trucking company’s insurance companies.
If you or a loved one has been an unfortunate victim of an Illinois truck accident you should consider the help of an experienced Chicago truck accident lawyer to help you with your claim. Continue reading to learn more about the claims process.
Insurance Adjusters and Settlements
The insurance companies involved in your Illinois truck accident will assign an adjuster to your claim. This person is responsible for obtaining all the evidence in support of the accident, determining the degree of fault for both parties, and then offering a settlement. They may seem friendly and sympathetic, but the adjuster’s goal is to make sure their company is protected and has to pay the least amount of money possible.Before you speak to any adjuster, you should have the counsel of an experienced Chicago truck accident lawyer. Many adjusters will try to dissuade you from hiring legal counsel, because most victims who have the help of a Chicago truck accident lawyer often receive larger settlements. This is because the adjuster knows that with a lawyer on your side you’ll be well aware of your legal rights and have the ability to take your claim to trial if the initial settlement is too low.
If you are offered an initial settlement from the insurance companies you should not accept until it has been reviewed by a trusted Chicago truck accident lawyer.
Your lawyer will be able to help you consider the offer and determine if it is a fair amount of compensation for your specific injuries and expenses. They will also warn you of the dangers of certain clauses in the settlement that may prevent you from reopening the claim if future medical expenses occur.
The Dangers of an Illinois Truck Accident
An Illinois truck accident with a commercial truck, no matter what type, carries additional hazards due to its size, weight, and potential cargo types. There are many factors that can lead to an Illinois truck accident including:
- Rollover crashes due to excessive speed and cargo shift;
- Jackknife accidents;
- Underride/Override accidents;
- Cargo spills;
- Intoxicated or impaired/fatigued drivers; and
- General driver negligence.
The injuries that result from many Illinois truck accidents can be severe including:
- Traumatic brain injury;
- Spinal cord injury;
- Permanent disability;
- Disfigurement;
- Loss of Limbs; and
- Death
Because all of these factors can often contribute to large medical expenses, rehabilitation, property damage, and lost wages or permanent loss of work, your family may need the compensation offered from a settlement in a truck accident claim just to get by. An experienced Chicago truck accident lawyer can help take the burden out of establishing, filing and following through with an Illinois truck accident claim.
Hiring a Chicago Truck Accident Lawyer
Even experienced, safe drivers run the risk of being involved in a serious Illinois truck accident. Beyond your initial recovery, injuries in these types of accidents are often serious and result in permanent disability or disfigurement which can cause loss of the ability to work, years of rehabilitation, serious medical bills, and have a significant impact on your life.
A Chicago truck accident lawyer at the Law Offices of Barry G. Doyle, P.C. has dealt with similar cases to yours and knows the best course of action for your claim. To improve your chances at a fair settlement and take the burden out of all the paperwork involved in an Illinois truck accident claim, contact us today for a free case evaluation – 312-263-1080
