Chicago Injury Lawyer Blog

Truck accidents can cause serious injuries. A typical commercial truck can weigh over 80,000 pounds. Passenger cars average only about 3,000 pounds. Simply the size and weight of a truck compared to a car is a huge contributing factor in how dangerous a crash can be.

The main theory of liability in truck accident cases is negligence. Generally, negligence is shown when a defendant owes a duty to the injured party to exercise reasonable care; the defendant breached that duty; the breach was the cause of the injury; and the plaintiff was harmed.

For a free consultation with an experienced attorney from the Klest Injury Law Firm, please click here, or dial 866-264-7639.

© Joseph G. Klest, 2011.

A 29-year old man died early Thursday morning after his car crashed into a dump truck that made an illegal turn on the Stevenson Expy. According to Illinois State Police, the truck was traveling southbound on the expressway when it used the poice and fire turnaround lane to enter northbound traffic. The 29-year-old driver of the car that struck the dump truck was taken to MacNeal Hospital in Berwyn where he died the same day.

Perhaps the greatest tragedy of this accident is that it could have been prevented. Truck drivers share highways and roads with passenger vehicles, and they have a duty to follow traffic law. This is incredibly important because a truck driver’s negligence may cause death or serious bodily injury to other travelers.

The Klest Injury Law Firm has been representing individuals and families whose loved ones have been injured or killed due to the fault of others for nearly 30 years. Click here or dial 866-264-7639 to schedule a free consultation with an experienced injury attorney in Chicago or Schaumburg.

© Joseph G. Klest 2011

A Chicago truck accident claimed the life of a Chicago man yesterday morning. The fatal truck accident occurred on the 17100 block of South Halsted St. in East Hazel Crest, IL. According to published reports, a truck driver had stalled at the intersection of 171st St. and Halsted and had exited his truck in order to wave down other motorists. He was then struck by another semi truck and pinned between the two oversized vehicles.

The victim, who was a resident of the 3300 block of W. 79th St., was reportedly rushed to Ingalls Memorial Hospital. He was pronounced dead at 7:37 a.m. according to the Cook County Medical Examiner’s Office. Police have indicated that the driver of the truck that pinned the victim was issued a citation. The truck accident remains under investigation by local authorities.

Truck accidents are often deadly due to the size and mass of the vehicles involved in the collision. The United States Department of Transportation estimates that about 500,000 trucking accidents occur each year in the United States. These accidents result in around 5,000 fatalities per year. Given these accident statistics, Chicago motorists are urged to take extra precaution when driving near or around trucks.

If you or someone you know has been the victim of a trucking accident, you should contact an experienced personal injury attorney to preserve crucial evidence and protect your rights. To speak with a Chicago area trucking accident lawyer, please click here.

A Wisconsin man was killed today when the truck he was driving was struck by a tire that fell from a school bus near Racine, WI. The tragic truck accident occurred on Wisconsin State Highway 20 near State Highway 75 in Racine County. According to reports, the school bus was returning to Chicago when its two rear wheels fell off. One of those errant tires struck the front of a pick-up truck the deceased was driving in the opposite direction on Highway 20. The driver of the pick-up truck suffered severe brain injuries and was pronounced dead at the scene of the fatal accident. The deceased was a 23 year old resident of East Troy, WI.

Reports indicate that none of the passengers aboard the Chicago bound school bus were injured. The bus was reportedly transporting a group of Chicago college students home from a day at Alpine Valley Ski Resort in East Troy, WI. No citations were issued at the scene of the fatal bus accident. The matter is still being investigated by local authorities.

Highway accidents involving large vehicles such as trucks or buses can be very severe. If you or someone you know has been involved in this type of accident, you should contact an attorney as soon as possible to investigate the accident and protect your rights. To speak with an attorney from the Klest Injury Law Firm, please click here.

An Indiana woman was killed early Wednesday morning when her vehicle was struck by a truck in South Suburban Crete, IL. The fatal Chicago area truck accident occurred at the intersection of Sterger Road and Route 394 in the Crete Township. According to reports, a southbound truck on Route 394 failed to stop at the intersection colliding with a Chrysler sedan that was eastbound on Steger Rd. The driver of the sedan was pronounced dead at the scene of the fatal Chicago truck crash at 7:10 a.m. There were no other passengers in the Chicago car accident victim’s vehicle.

The driver of the truck was issued a citation for disobeying a traffic control device and failure to reduce speed to avoid an accident. He was reportedly hauling hogs when the fatal south suburban car accident occurred. The crash reportedly started in Cook County and ended in Will County prompting State Police District Chicago to investigate the accident. The Will County coroner has performed an autopsy on the Chicago car crash victim and determined that the death resulted from injuries sustained in the crash. The circumstances surrounding the fatal crash are still being investigated.

Chicago area vehicle accidents involving trucks tend to be more serious than others. If you or someone you know has been involved in a Chicago area truck accident or you would like more information relative to truck accidents in Illinois, please click here.

A Chicago area truck accident sent six people to area hospitals around 6:30 p.m. on Monday night in Plainfield, IL. According to published reports, a Romeoville, IL, man was operating a large construction truck in the eastbound lane of Route 20 near Heggs Rd. when he crossed the center line striking two vehicles head-on before colliding with a semi-truck. The victims of the Chicago area truck accident include a 21 year old resident of Montgomery, IL, a 24 year old resident of Aurora, IL, and a 43 year old resident of Evansville according to Illinois State Police.

The victims of the car accident were taken to Rush Copley Hospital in Aurora, IL, with non life threatening injuries. Police have indicated no drugs or alcohol were detected in the truck driver’s system immediately following the truck crash. The at-fault truck driver now faces a misdemeanor traffic charge for improper lane usage carrying a penalty of up to a year in jail and fines. He was not arrested following the multi-vehicle truck accident. Route 30 was shut down for about ten hours following the vehicle crash.

Multi vehicle accidents are often very serious especially when the accidents involve trucks. If you have been involved in Chicago area truck accident or would like to speak with a Chicago area attorney experienced in handling truck accident cases, please click here.

A fatal multi vehicle accident on I-57 left one man dead early last Saturday morning. The four vehicle crash occurred in Coles County, IL, near Mattoon, IL. According to reports, a southbound motorist on the expressway swerved to avoid an animal in the roadway. She then lost control of her vehicle, a Chevrolet Aveo, and crossed into the northbound lanes striking a northbound vehicle. That northbound vehicle, a Chevy Lumina Sedan, was then struck from the rear by a northbound semitractor ejecting the driver. The ejected driver was then struck by a second northbound truck. The first semi truck finally came to rest in the median.

The passengers in the Lumina included the victim’s wife and his 1 year old child. Neither of the wife or the young child was seriously hurt in the expressway truck accident. The driver of the Aveo was issued a traffic citation for improper lane usage. The Coles County coroner has scheduled an autopsy on the decedent. The accident remains under investigation by local authorities and the Illinois State Police.

Expressway truck accidents tend to be very serious due to the weight and size of the vehicles involved and the speed of the collisions. If you have been involved in an expressway truck accident, you should contact an attorney immediately to discuss your options. To speak with an experienced Illinois truck accident attorney, please click here.

A Chicago truck driver reportedly failed to appear at a court date yesterday in conjunction with a truck accident that killed four people and left six other injured near the Interstate 70 and U.S. Route 40. The fatal Illinois vehicle accident occurred on January 7, 2010, when a tanker truck collided with a shuttle bus. According to reports, the truck was travelling westbound on Interstate 70 when the driver lost control of the vehicle and careened into oncoming traffic in the eastbound lane. The truck hit the shuttle bus head on. Weather conditions were icy at the time of the fatal accident.

The tragic Illinois truck crash claimed the lives of three residents of a Springfield, IL, vocational training center and the bus driver responsible for their transportation. The driver of the truck was charged with four counts of vehicular manslaughter, failure to control and speeding in connection with the crash. Reports indicate that the Defendant missed his court due to a language barrier. He is Russian and speaks English only as a second language. Several other individuals involved in the accident suffered personal injuries as a result of the occurrence.

Illinois truck accidents often involve very serious injuries. If you or someone you know has been involved in an Illinois truck accident an experienced Illinois personal injury attorney can make all the difference. To speak with an Illinois truck accident attorney, please click here.

An Aurora, IL, man was seriously injured last week when an accumulation of snow and ice slid off a tractor trailer and smashed through his windshield at an overpass on Butterfield Rd. The victim, Peter Morano, now faces the prospect of losing sight in one of his eyes. According to reports, the Chicago truck accident happened while Morano was on his way to work in Warenville, IL. He was passing a large truck eastbound on Butterfield Rd. when the top of the truck went under an overpass causing a large piece of snow/ice to slide off the truck and come through his windshield. As a result of the accident, Morano has suffered a broken nose, broken bones in his face and a serious injury to his eyes. Doctors will not know whether or not Morano will have vision in the affected eye for about six months.

Subsequent reports have revealed that what was initially thought of as a freak accident has actually occurred several times. Nine years ago Tim Giometti was at the same stretch of road when an ice/snow accumulation on top of a truck hit the overpass and smashed through his windshield. Luckily neither he nor his infant son was seriously injured. Another motorist reported falling concrete and debris falling onto her vehicle from a truck that scraped the overpass.

If you have been injured in a Chicago truck accident or would otherwise like to speak with an attorney, please click here.

An Illinois interstate semi-truck accident caused major delays Tuesday morning on the Tri-State Tollway. The Chicago area truck accident occurred on the Chicago expressway at mile marker 62 near Libertyville, IL. According to reports, the accident occurred when the truck driver, 36 year old Michael Barak, fell asleep and veered off the toll way. The semi truck was heading northbound when it rolled off the roadway and plowed into concrete beams that were part of a bridge expansion. Large chunks of the beams fell onto Metra tracks servicing the Milwaukee District North Line causing substantial delays for Chicago commuters. According to Illinois State Police Sgt. Carlita Joe, the truck driver was taken to Lake Forest Hospital where he was treated for minor injuries.

The truck came to a stop in an embankment on the side of the Tri-State. The impact of the collision damaged at least four of the sixty foot concrete beams installed as part of the Chicago Tollway widening project. Barak will receive a traffic ticket for the offense however the charges against him have not yet been detailed. Illinois State Police will continue to investigate the accident as the wreckage is cleared and the reconstruction project resumed.

Continue reading "Illinois Semi-Truck Accident Causes Bridge Collapse" »

A south suburban man was fatally injured when he was pinned between a car and a truck last Saturday around 12:00 a.m. John Lockhart, 48, of 9602 S. Hoxie Ave. in Dolton, IL, was crushed to death while attempting to start his vehicle at the corner of West 195th St. and Dixie Highway in South Suburban Markham, IL. According to reports, Lockhart was under the hood of his vehicle when the car started. The vehicle rolled forward pinning Lockhart against a truck. Police have determined that the incident was an accident.

Lockhart was pronounced dead at Advocate Christ Medical Center in Oak Lawn at 12:18 p.m. according to the Cook County Medical Examiner. An autopsy shows that Lockhart died from multiple injuries as a result of the Illinois truck accident.

Continue reading "Dolton, IL, Man Crushed to Death in Truck Accident" »

A south suburban man was fatally injured when he was pinned between a car and a truck last Saturday around 12:00 a.m. John Lockhart, 48, of 9602 S. Hoxie Ave. in Dolton, IL, was crushed to death while attempting to start his vehicle at the corner of West 195th St. and Dixie Highway in South Suburban Markham, IL. According to reports, Lockhart was under the hood of his vehicle when the car started. The vehicle rolled forward pinning Lockhart against a truck. Police have determined that the incident was an accident.

Lockhart was pronounced dead at Advocate Christ Medical Center in Oak Lawn at 12:18 p.m. according to the Cook County Medical Examiner. An autopsy shows that Lockhart died from multiple injuries as a result of the Illinois truck accident.

Continue reading "Dolton, IL, Man Crushed to Death in Truck Accident" »

A collision between a chartered bus full of Peoria area high school students and a tractor-trailer sent at least 36 people to local hospitals late last Wednesday night. The truck accident occurred on Interstate 39 in North Central Illinois about 40 miles north of Bloomington near the town of Losant. The school bus, which was carrying fifty-six students from Dunlap High School, was on its way back from an annual trip to Chicago when the accident occurred. According to reports, the bus was southbound on Interstate 39 when a semi truck jack-knifed in front of the bus. Icy road conditions were prevalent however Illinois State Police spokeswoman Paris Ervin refused to speculate on a cause.

According to the LaSalle County Sheriff’s Office ten ambulances responded to the accident transporting victims to three area hospitals. Thirteen victims were taken to St. Margaret’s Hospital in Spring Valley, IL, while another twenty-three were treated by llinois Valley Hospital in Peru, IL. An undisclosed number of injured were also taken to St. Mary’s Hospital in Streator, IL. Hospital personnel have not reported any serious injuries as a result of the accident. The driver of the tractor-trailer was not injured.

Continue reading "Illinois Truck-Bus Collision Sends at least 36 to Hospital" »