Semi trucks serve an important role in the transportation of goods across the nation. They bring food and other products into and out of Chicago, enabling residents to obtain necessities in a relatively efficient manner. On average, semi trucks are involved in fewer collisions per mile driven than other types of passenger vehicles, often making them a safe presence on the roads. But semi truck accidents do occur, and when they happen, the results may be severe due to the truck’s large size and weight.
Victims in smaller cars may become injured if they are involved in a semi truck collision and these injuries can be severe or even fatal. Often, no amount of compensation can adequately compensate a victim who has been involved in one of these accidents or the family members of a victim that lost his or her life. But compensation can help ease the financial burden and enable a victim to obtain the medical treatment needed following a crash as well as compensate for other expenses like pain and suffering and lost wages. Speaking with a lawyer who represents accident victims may help you understand if you have a valid claim for your injuries if you have been involved in a crash.
Trucks also pose a hazard to other drivers if they are hauling product or a load that has not properly been secured. According to police in Chicago, this may have been the reason that a school bus and a semi truck collided on the Dan Ryan Expressway on Tuesday afternoon. Though it is still early in the investigation, police believe that a garbage truck traveling in the area lost a container of paper waste, causing the container to fall to the expressway’s surface. The incident took place in the southbound lanes near 95th Street and caused a semi truck in the area to veer off the roadway and strike a concrete wall. Officials believe that the semi’s trailer separated upon impact with the wall and that a school bus in the area then collided with the trailer.
The driver of the semi was injured in the crash and had to be removed from his vehicle. The school bus was transporting 38 special needs adults, some of whom were injured but all were expected to recover. At this time, officials have not determined what caused the garbage truck to lose the paper product or whether any tickets will be issued as a result of the crash.
Traffic in the area was temporarily rerouted while officials removed debris and performed an on-scene investigation.
It appears that those involved in this crash were able to escape without serious or fatal injuries. Too often, though, that is not the case, and victims who were in the wrong place at the wrong time are left to deal with injuries that may last a lifetime.
If you have been hurt in an accident with a truck while in Chicago or across Illinois, call the lawyers at Abels & Annes, P.C. today toll free at (855) 529-2442 or locally at (312) 924-7575. We are standing by 24 hours a day to offer all injury victims a free consultation without any obligation on your part. We have helped many victims of truck accidents obtain the recoveries they deserved and we are standing by now to help you do the same. If you have been injured, call us today and let us help you.
Prior Blog Entry:
Man Charged with DUI After Striking Police Officer at Crime Scene, Chicago Car Accident Lawyers Blog, published June 2, 2014.
Resource:
Ryan lanes reopen after semi collides with bus, Chicago Tribune, published June 3, 2014.