truck accident chicago | Dinizulu Law Group, Ltd

CHICAGO, IL – An auto accident involving a semi-truck and any vehicle can cause victims to suffer from serious injuries, and even fatal. For this reason, it’s important to know how to drive safely around a semi-truck or any large commercial vehicle, especially those that are carrying cargo.

The Dinizulu Law Group has come up with several strategies for you to use to help reduce your risk of becoming involved in an accident with a commercial vehicle, including:

Stay Focused

You should be focused at all times on the roadway while driving. This includes avoiding any distractions such as your cell phone, GPS devices, adjusting vehicle features, or any other distractions while operating a motor vehicle.

By remaining focused on the roadway, you’re more attentive to the cars surrounding you, such as a semi-truck. By engaging in distractions while driving, you put yourself and others at risk, and significantly reduce your ability to react to unexpected hazards such as a semi-truck losing control from a blown tire.

Keep A Safe Following Distance

Maintain a safe driving distance between your vehicle and a semi-truck at all times. It takes much longer for a semi-truck to stop than what it takes for a passenger car. Large trucks need more space than a passenger vehicle to safety maneuver the roadway.

By maintaining a safe distance, it allows you to have more time to respond to dangerous situations. For example, trucks require a much longer distance to come to a complete stop. By following too closely, you may increase the cause of a serious accident. A proper following distance is at least a four-second space between your vehicle and a semi-truck.

Pass the Truck Safely

When passing around a semi-truck, you should always do so in a cautious and safe manner. Do not recklessly or carelessly overtake the larger vehicle’s position on the roadway, or especially a highway.

Always make sure you can see the driver of the semi-truck in their mirror – if you can’t see them, they can’t see you. Use your turn signal to alert the driver and others on the roadway that you intend to change lanes.

When passing a truck, attempt to quickly pass them to minimize the amount of time you spend in the truck drivers blind spot. Make sure the semi-truck is visible in your rear-view mirror before pulling in front of it.

Watch for Blind Spots

Semi-trucks and large commercial vehicles have blind spots that make it difficult for the driver to see vehicles that are approaching. To avoid spots where truck drivers may have trouble seeing you, watch out for the following areas:

Up to 20 feet directly in front of the truck
Up to 30 feet directly behind the vehicle
In the left lane between the front and half of the trailer’s length
In two right lanes of the vehicle, between the front and half of the semi-trucks length

Anticipate Wide Turns

Avoid driving near a semi-truck while it is making a wide turn. Many semi-trucks have a wide-turning radius which reduces the amount of time you have to stop if the truck is taking up a majority of the roadway.

If you’re driving near a semi-truck attempting to turn, do not try to pass on the same side that the truck is turning. Please allow plenty of space between your vehicle and a truck while the truck is making a turn and avoid being in its path.

Contact an Attorney After an Accident

By taking these precautions while driving around semi-trucks, you may be able to significantly reduce your risk of becoming involved in a truck accident. If you are injured in a collision caused by a semi-truck, don’t hesitate to contact a lawyer to discuss filing a personal injury claim.

Dinizulu Law Group’s trusted personal injury lawyers in Chicago have helped many accident victims obtain justice and the compensation they deserve after suffering an injury, and even fatalities, due to another’s negligence. They will carefully review the circumstances of your accident and help determine if you may be owed compensation from the truck company or truck driver.

We work on a contingency fee basis, which means you only have to pay us if we recover compensation for your claim. Please call our office at (312) 382-1920 for a free, no obligation consultation to find out if you have a case.

CHICAGO, IL – Commercial truck accidents are less common than car accidents; however, truck collisions have proven to be more catastrophic, and even deadly. There can be several factors leading up to a commercial-vehicle car accident, such as negligence on the manufacturer part, or perhaps the driver, and so forth.

According to GTG Technology Group, a transportation management system, there are five specific causes that may cause a trucking accident to occur:

Five Common Causes of Truck Accidents:

Driver Error
Truck drivers are required to work long hours, with regulations allowing them to work 60 hours over seven consecutive days. Some companies have tight deadlines and overcompensate by allowing drivers to work more hours than what they are allowed, resulting in drowsiness, or under the influence driving.A passenger vehicle weighs an average of 4,000 pounds, whereas a commercial truck typically weights 80,000 pounds. On average, 81 percent of trucking accidents caused by a driver error is due to a passenger vehicle. Many people are not aware of the dangers of truck accidents, which calls for a need to improve trucking defense driving techniques.

Equipment Failure
Equipment manufacturers may be at fault for neglecting production of a part, which can lead to a defective or dangerous component. A driver may not be the only one at fault; in addition, the parts manufacturer, a truck manufacturer, the company that sold the truck, and the mechanic who made repairs may be held liable.
Poor Vehicle Maintenance
The average truck driver is expected to drive between 2,000 and 3,000 miles per week which results in very poor vehicle maintenance. Truck companies, drivers, and maintenance crews must regularly maintain the fleet to keep up with these trucks; moreover, the truck driver must check their rig and submit a maintenance report before the start of every shift.
Weather
Poor weather conditions can test any drivers defense skills, especially truck drivers. Poor weather conditions lead to poor road conditions, making driving much more difficult. Rain, sleet, snow, and ice can be very difficult to drive on, causing a much longer stopping distance. The weight and length of the truck may skid, hydroplane, or jackknife.
Improper Cargo Loading
There are industry-specific rules and regulations when it comes to truck loading cargo into a commercial vehicle. There are certain state and federal regulations required of all drivers of any commercial motor vehicle such as size, weight, and length.

Drivers must ensure all cargo was properly loaded and in place for the duration of direction traveled. A minor mistake, like not properly securing cargo, or negligence, can lead to catastrophic accident on any roadway – regardless of weather.

Any type of accident can be scary, and colliding with a commercial truck can be fatal, but it is important to be proactive by educating yourself on how dangerous a truck collision can really be.

Truck Accident Statistics

The National Highway Transportation Safety Administration (NHTSA) stated in 2015 that over 433,000 large trucks were involved in a collision. In Illinois, there were more than 19,000 crashes involving large trucks in 2014. These crashes contributed to nearly 13 percent of all traffic fatalities that year. Contrary to popular belief, the majority of the crashes occurred in daylight and clear weather conditions.

How Many Trucks Are Really on the Road?

According to the American Trucking Association (ATA), trucks move more than 71 percent of the nation’s weight in freight. To put this in perspective, the trucking industry represented more than 79 percent of the nation’s freight bill in 2017 – that’s more than $700.1 billion in revenue.

In June 2017, the U.S. Department of Transportation totaled carriers on file with the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration totaled 777,240. Private carriers contributed 700,591 trucks while interstate motors totaled 80,247.

After an Accident:

Your safety is of the upmost importance – assess the situation and make sure you’re okay. Check to see if others involved in the accident are injured and proceed to call 911; if someone was injured, request an ambulance.

It’s important the police are notified of the accident so an official police report can be issued. Your insurance company will most likely ask for a copy later. Even if there is little to no damage, the police should be notified of the incident so an accident report can be filed.

Notify your insurance company that you’ve been in a truck collision. Others that were involved in the accident will have their insurance companies contact you. State the facts, but remember it’s important to say as less, as possible. It’s best to keep the conversation to a minimum whenever you are involved in an accident.

Contact one of our experienced truck accident attorney’s of Dinizulu Law Group, Ltd., for the help you need and seeking out the maximum recovery for our clients. There are many challenging factors in a truck accident case, and due to the statue of limitations, we will need to work on your case right away. Please call our office at (312) 384-1920 or visit our website for assistance.