The year is not even half over and there have already been 137 fatal crashes in Illinois. Car accidents resulting in serious injury or death are not uncommon in Illinois – especially in populous areas like Cook County and DuPage County. Distracted driving, drunk driving, and other forms of negligent driving are often to blame for these accidents. However, the party who is liable for a car crash is not always another driver. In fact, sometimes the liable party is a municipality or government entity.  

Car Accidents Caused by Poorly Designed Roads

We trust that the government will design and construct roads that reduce the risk of car accidents. After all, this is what our taxes help pay for. Mistakes in the design, construction, or maintenance of roads can cause or contribute to crashes. Inadequate road markings, unsafe shoulders, unreasonably complicated intersections, or dangerous exit ramps may all be examples of poor road design. Insufficient or conflicting road signs and traffic signals may increase the chances of an accident at an intersection. Roadside hazards, hidden obstructions, and unmarked construction zones may also be the fault of a government entity.

A fully loaded tractor-trailer can weigh up to 80,000 pounds. When a truck collides with another vehicle or a pedestrian, the results are often catastrophic. If you were injured or a loved one was killed in a truck crash, you may be interested in pursuing a personal injury claim against the at-fault party. An injury claim may allow you to hold the liable party accountable for the truck collision and recover compensation for your damages. However, in order to build a credible claim, you will need to show evidence of the defendant’s negligence, the connection between your injuries and the defendant’s actions, as well as your damages.

Basic Components of a Successful Truck Accident Claim

Most truck accidents occur because a party acted negligently or carelessly. Legal responsibility for the accident may lie with the truck driver, the trucking company, the designer of a defective truck part, or a number of other parties.

Driving a commercial truck across the country is a challenging profession. Truck drivers must contend with long days, unpredictable work schedules, and erratic sleeping patterns. Fatigue can have a considerable impact on a person’s ability to drive – especially when people are maneuvering a large commercial truck. Sleepiness causes lowered reaction times, impaired decision-making, tunnel vision, and memory problems. Drivers who are extremely sleep deprived may even fall asleep at the wheel. Federal law has instituted restrictions designed to curb the frequency of fatigued driver truck accidents. Unfortunately, truck accidents caused by sleepiness or falling asleep at the wheel are still alarmingly common.  

Hours of Service Rules Are Intended to Prevent Fatigued Driving

Adults are supposed to get at least seven hours of sleep each night. The less sleep an individual gets at night, the greater their chances of being involved in a car accident the next day. In fact, a study published by the AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety found that missing as little as one or two hours of sleep nearly doubles the chances of being involved in a collision. The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) has enacted certain restrictions on the number of hours that commercial truck drivers may drive consecutively without stopping for a rest break. For example, truck drivers carrying property may drive for a maximum of 11 hours after being off duty for 10 consecutive hours. However, these regulations were recently loosened in order to provide truck drivers greater flexibility while dealing with increased demand due to COVID-19.

Crashes involving a large commercial vehicle are among the most catastrophic accidents that occur across Illinois. These trucks are heavy and enormous, and in a collision with a car, the smaller vehicles - and the people inside them - typically suffer the worst damage.

Considering how severe these crashes often are, truck drivers and trucking companies should make every effort to ensure they are operated safely. This could soon be easier just by putting on a hat or vest.

"Living on the edge."

That is a metaphor cited in a recent personal injury-linked media report spotlighting the way that some people interact with modern life. They readily assume risk. They take chances.