What Are My Rights if I Was Injured in an Illinois Truck Accident?

 Posted on December 22,2020 in Truck Accidents

Severe truck accidents are not uncommon in the United States. The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) estimates that 112,000 large trucks were involved in injury-causing crashes in 2018 alone. When a car accident involves a large truck such as a semi-truck, the consequences can be catastrophic. Numerous state and federal laws regulating large trucks have been instituted in an effort to prevent truck collisions, but unfortunately, thousands of people are injured and killed in truck accidents each year in the United States. If you or a loved one were seriously hurt in an auto accident involving a large truck that was speeding, you may be entitled to financial compensation.

Recovering Damages After a Truck Accident Caused by Speeding

The majority of goods that are transported across the country are transported via truck. Truck drivers are often expected to meet tight deadlines and may deal with unexpected delays caused by inclement weather or heavy traffic. In an effort to meet these deadlines, truck drivers may drive above the speed limit or drive too fast for the conditions. Speeding greatly increases the chances of a truck being involved in an accident.

If you were hurt in a truck accident and you suspect that the truck driver was speeding, you may have questions about your legal rights. Through a personal injury claim, you may be compensated for damages caused by the truck accident. You may be able to recover compensation for lost income due to missed work, hospital bills, physical therapy, ongoing medical needs, and other medical expenses. You may also be able to receive compensation for your non-economical damages such as pain and suffering or loss of enjoyment of life.

What Do I Need to Prove in a Personal Injury Claim?

To secure compensation through a personal injury claim, you and your lawyer will need to show that the truck driver or the trucking company acted negligently and that this negligence led to your damages. Personal injury lawyers often use a combination of evidence and witness testimony to prove a party’s liability for a truck accident. Information about the vehicle’s speed may be gathered from the truck’s event data recorder (EDR) or from physical evidence such as vehicle damage and skid marks. Dash camera footage, red-light camera footage, police reports, and other forms of evidence may be used to prove that a truck accident was caused by negligence. Eyewitnesses to the accident as well as expert witnesses such as accident reconstructionists or engineers may also provide input about your truck accident case.

Contact a Decatur Truck Accident Lawyer

Speeding can lead to serious or even deadly truck accidents. If your accident was caused by a reckless and negligent truck driver, you may be entitled to compensation. Contact a Peoria personal injury attorney from Kanoski Bresney to learn more about your rights following a truck collision. Call us today at 888-826-8682 to set up a free and confidential consultation.

Source:

https://www.fmcsa.dot.gov/safety/data-and-statistics/large-truck-and-bus-crash-facts-2018