Truck Accident Injury

The resulting forces for people involved in semi-truck cases can be significant and cause significant injuries, such as: herniated cervical and lumbar discs, complex bone fractures, internal injuries, injuries to arms and legs, closed head injuries and death.

Although semi-trailer trucks may be the first ones to come to mind when you think of large trucks, they are far from the only dangerous large vehicles on the road. Other large trucks such as: dump trucks, garbage trucks, delivery trucks, and cement or tow trucks actually cause more fatalities per mile driven than semi-trailers.

In a study done at the University of Michigan Transportation Research Institute, fatal crashes involving large trucks were looked at for a five-year period, with over 25,000 accidents. Although semi-trailers did account for over 60% of the total fatalities, this was attributed to the high miles accumulated. Dump trucks actually had the highest fatality rate per mile driven followed by sweeper, garbage and logging trucks. Semi-trailers came eighth overall when fatalities were listed per mile.

Illinois, even though by far it is not the largest state from a geographical perspective, has one of the largest interstate highway systems in the U.S. With over 2,100 miles of interstates intersecting the state, Illinois ranks third in the nation for interstate highway miles. This large expanse of highways also means many large commercial vehicles traveling the roads next to smaller passenger vehicles at high rates of speed.

In a study done by the National Center for Statistics and Analysis, fatalities involving large trucks were looked at over a five-year period. Illinois ranked 8th in fatalities for combination trailer trucks and 11th in the nation for single unit truck fatalities. With so many miles of highway and Chicago being a transportation hub for the nation, Illinois residents are at a high risk for being involved in a large truck accident.

The significance of the resulting injuries, compounded with the significant exposure put upon corporate defendants, typically results in insurance companies vigorously defending truck accident cases through the course of litigation and trial.

In addition to evaluating a claim against the driver of the truck involved in the accident, the attorneys at Urban & Burt also examine the liability on the part of the employer of the driver and companies involved in the transportation of the goods on board the truck to determine all culpable parties with the goal of maximizing the recovery on every trucking accident case.

At Urban & Burt, Ltd we treat each trucking injury case as though it is going to trial. During our initial case evaluation, lawyers will assess the complexity of each case and determine what investigation is needed and if consultation with experts would benefit the case, with the ultimate goal of securing the most favorable outcome for our client via: settlement, mediation or trial. These extra steps commonly result in our clients’ cases getting resolved more expeditiously than similar cases in Cook County and typically for a more substantial amount. For over six decades we have represented clients injured by negligent truckers recovering millions of dollars for our clients.