Truck Accident Claims in Illinois

After a major accident, one or more insurance companies should pay for repairs to your vehicle and your medical bills. This is always a complicated process, even when only cars are involved. It gets even more complicated when a commercial truck is involved.

When you are dealing with a commercial truck insurance company, there is even more paperwork and red tape than usual. This red tape makes it more difficult to receive proper compensation and will likely delay the claim process.

Additionally, a commercial truck insurance company is usually more interested in protecting the trucking company than it is in giving fair compensation to people injured in the accident. This means that you are unlikely to be treated fairly during the claim process.

Truck accident lawyers in Illinois from Morgan and Morgan have experience dealing with the insurance companies of commercial trucking companies. We know how to navigate the red tape and protect the interests of our clients. 

When we represent you in a truck accident case, we won’t allow the insurance company to unfairly deny your claim or pay you less than you deserve.

The average car weighs one to two tons. A commercial truck can weigh ten to twenty times as much, depending on what cargo it is carrying. 

That is a massive disparity in weight. And when two objects of disparate weight collide, the heavier object usually causes significantly more harm to the lighter one.

But trucks do not only harm vehicles. A truck accident often results in serious injuries for the driver of the smaller vehicle. These injuries may include:

• Broken or crushed bones
• Severe back injuries
• Severe head injuries
• Lacerations
• Organ damage

If you have been injured in a truck accident, there is a good chance that you have suffered lifelong injuries. While you may not remain injured indefinitely, you will likely require some form of treatment or accommodation for the rest of your life.

Lifelong medical attention is not cheap. And you should not be paying this cost. A good truck accident attorney can ensure that the insurance company pays damages to account for the full extent of your injuries from a truck accident.

Truck accidents, like all accidents, are usually the result of carelessness or negligence on the part of one or both of the drivers. There are several reasons that truck drivers are commonly negligent, resulting in an accident:

Fatigue

Truck drivers follow strict rules about how many hours they can drive a day and how much rest they need. But when time is money, some drivers break those rules. A tired driver is significantly more likely to make a mistake that results in an accident. If a truck driver has violated safety rules, they are liable for accidents that result from fatigue.

Distractions

Many truck drivers eat or drink while on the road. They also may be in communication with other truck drivers or with their company. These things distract truck drivers.

A distracted driver may not notice that their vehicle is drifting into another lane or that another vehicle is signaling to shift lanes. Even a momentary distraction can be all it takes to cause a major accident. And as the drivers of bigger, more dangerous vehicles, truck drivers are expected to remain vigilant.

Ignoring Truck Regulations

If you have ever driven on a major highway, you have probably seen signs indicating that trucks can’t drive in certain lanes or that trucks have to follow different speed limits from other vehicles. 

These regulations exist to protect both truck drivers and drivers of other vehicles. When truck drivers ignore these regulations, they increase the danger of an accident. If an accident is caused by this negligent behavior, the truck driver is liable for the accident.

Poor Truck Maintenance

Because trucks are driven thousands of miles each week, they require significantly more maintenance than other vehicles. 

Most cars need an oil change every three to six months. Most trucks, however, need an oil change about once a week. Another basic maintenance is on a similarly accelerated schedule for commercial trucks.

But maintenance takes time, and some truck drivers will put off maintenance to save that time. A poorly maintained truck can break down while driving, which may result in an accident. Truck accident lawyers in Illinois will look at maintenance records of a truck if they suspect that poor maintenance was responsible for an accident.

In the first moments after a truck accident, you will probably be confused and in great pain. The situation can be terrifying, and this is when most people make mistakes. While it is hard to predict how you can react after a major accident, you can prepare yourself in case an accident does happen.

Get Immediate Medical Attention

Your priority after a truck accident should be your safety. Unless it is dangerous to stay inside your vehicle, this means you should stay put and contact emergency services immediately. You need to receive an evaluation, and possibly treatment, from a medical professional as quickly as possible.

Even if you think you aren’t injured, you could be wrong. And if you are wrong, you could further harm yourself if you don’t receive an evaluation.

If you know you are injured, speedy evaluation is critical. You are likely to recover more quickly and have less severe long-term effects if you receive medical treatment quickly. Additionally, if you are injured critically, receiving prompt medical attention could mean the difference between life and death.

Share Your Contact Information (and Nothing Else)

After an accident, many people discuss the accident with the other driver or with witnesses. While this is a natural response to getting into an accident, it is the worst thing you can do. 

Every word that you say can potentially be used against you when an insurance company determines who is at fault and what compensation you deserve. For this reason, your best course of action is to share legally required contact information (including your insurance information) but otherwise remain silent. 

You can also try to collect the contact information of witnesses, but you should avoid discussing what they saw with them. If a police officer asks you to make a statement, provide your contact information and inform the officer that you will make a full statement when your lawyer is present.

Contact a Morgan & Morgan Attorney

The earlier in the process that you contact a truck accident attorney, the better. Your attorney can ensure that you don’t accidentally share information that would harm your case and can take the lead in any conversations with the insurance company. 

Additionally, your attorney will want to do an independent investigation. And the sooner that investigation starts, the easier it will be to gather evidence that supports your case.

Be Patient

Your Morgan and Morgan truck accident lawyer will continue to work while you recover from your injuries. Our attorneys will keep you informed while asking as little from you as possible so that you can recover with minimal stress.

Usually, we can negotiate a fair settlement in a few weeks. And if you find the settlement acceptable, you will get compensation not long after. Otherwise, we will go to trial. This may take a few years to complete, but you are likely to receive a much higher payout at the end of a trial.

When you are in an accident with a commercial truck, you will probably receive compensation from the insurance company for the trucking company. In some unusual circumstances, you may be compensated by the personal insurance company of the truck driver. 

Your truck accident lawyer will investigate the circumstances of your case and determine which company should pay compensation.

Let your attorney investigate your case first. You may think the accident is your fault, but that may not be the case. Accidents are complicated events that are rarely as simple as they seem.

Because of this, resist the urge to immediately admit that the accident is your fault. You may place yourself in a difficult position when the accident is actually the fault of someone else.

Truck accident attorneys from Morgan & Morgan work on contingency. This means that your attorney only gets paid if they can get you money for your case. 

And the amount of money your attorney receives is determined by how much money they get for you. Your attorney will be paid a percentage of your compensation. This encourages your attorney to obtain as high a compensation value for you as possible.

Additionally, the initial meeting and evaluation of your case are completely free. You don’t have to commit to hiring a lawyer until you have had your options explained to you and entirely understand the process, timeline, and eventual cost (assuming you win your case). 

Finally, in the unlikely case that your lawyer is unable to get you compensation, you will never receive a bill.

If you have been injured in a truck accident in Illinois, it can seem like everyone is against you. The hospital wants to be paid immediately, while the insurance company makes it difficult to get paid on a claim. 

You need somebody who is on your side. Contact the Illinois truck accident attorneys at Morgan and Morgan today for a free case evaluation.