If you or a loved one have been injured in an Illinois truck accident, contact Zayed Law Offices Personal Injury Attorneys to speak with an Illinois truck accident attorney. You could be entitled to financial compensation for your medical bills, expenses, and pain and suffering.
Since 2009, Zayed Law Offices Personal Injury Attorneys have been fighting for accident victims. Our team has the experience, the resources, and the resolve to get the best possible outcome for our clients.
Contact us today at (312) 726-1661 to schedule a free consultation with an Illinois truck accident lawyer.
How Zayed Law Offices Personal Injury Attorneys Can Help After an Illinois Truck Accident
Truck accidents are scary and traumatic. Given the size and weight of tractor-trailers, commercial truck accidents involve significant force. This often leads to serious or catastrophic injuries and sometimes even fatalities.
After a truck accident, accident victims face medical bills, lost income, and out-of-pocket expenses. They also have to deal with the pain, stress, and emotional strain of dealing with a traumatic event. The result is significant personal and financial hardship.
If you’re dealing with injuries and expenses after a truck accident, you could be entitled to damages for all of your losses. If another person caused your accident, they are likely liable for all of your expenses.
However, getting the compensation you deserve from responsible parties can be difficult, especially in commercial truck cases. Insurance companies and trucking companies work hard to avoid liability and minimize damages after an accident. They have teams of professionals working to minimize the amount they pay to accident victims.
Zayed Law Offices Personal Injury Attorneys can ensure you have a team of experts working for you, too. Our Illinois personal injury lawyers have decades of experience and a track record of success. We’ve recovered over $100 million in verdicts and settlements for our clients.
We work hard for every client and are committed to getting the best result possible in every case.
When you work with our Illinois truck accident lawyers, we’ll:
- Investigate your accident to determine all parties responsible for your crash
- Gather evidence to support your claim
- Collect documents, review medical records, and work with experts to determine the value of your case
- File a claim with the at-fault party’s insurance company
- Negotiate to ensure you get a fair settlement value
- If necessary, file a lawsuit on your behalf
- Represent you in court and comply with all deadlines, including the statute of limitations
- Advise you on legal strategy and when to accept or reject a settlement offer
- Keep you updated on the status of your case
- Handle all correspondence and administrative tasks
Truck accidents can be life-changing events. We understand how difficult these cases can be. Let our team navigate your personal injury claim so you can focus on recovering after your accident.
Schedule a free consultation with an Illinois personal injury attorney to learn more about how we can help you get the money you need and deserve after your Illinois truck accident.
How Much Is My Illinois Truck Accident Case Worth?
The value of truck accident cases varies based on the facts of each case. One of the first questions we get from new clients is, how much is my case worth? While we wish we could give an estimate or range, there isn’t an effective way to do this.
Instead, our team needs to review the facts of your case to determine the value of your truck accident claim.
The primary factors impacting the value of your case are:
- The cause of your accident
- The injuries you sustained in the accident
- Whether or not your injuries are permanent and involve long-term disabilities
- Whether or not you can work
- The impact your accident had on your earning capacity
- The policy limits of applicable insurance policies
- Whether or not you were partly at fault for the accident
To learn more about the value of your case, contact Zayed Law Offices Personal Injury Attorneys.
What Damages Are Available in Illinois Truck Accident Cases?
After an Illinois truck accident, you can seek compensatory damages from the party or parties responsible for your accident. Compensatory damages make accident victims “whole” after an accident.
Victims can seek economic damages and non-economic damages. Economic damages compensate injured parties for monetary losses after an accident, while non-economic damages compensate them for intangible losses.
Damages commonly awarded in truck accident cases are:
- Medical bills and expenses, including surgeries, hospital stays, and medication
- Future medical expenses
- Rehabilitation and therapy costs
- Lost income
- Decreased earning capacity
- Property damage
- Mental anguish
- Emotional distress
- Pain and suffering
- Scarring and disfigurement
- Loss of consortium
- Decreased quality of life
If you lost a loved one in a truck accident, you can bring a wrongful death claim to recover damages and funeral expenses.
Calculating damages is a complicated process. Our team will gather documentation and work with expert witnesses to determine the value of your economic and non-economic damages. We’ll fight hard to ensure you get the maximum amount of damages you’re entitled to.
What Causes Most Tractor-Trailer Accidents in Illinois?
Many different factors cause tractor-trailer accidents, but the reality is that most accidents can be avoided.
Some of the most common causes are:
- Distracted driving
- Fatigued driving
- Driving under the influence of drugs or alcohol
- Failure to yield
- Speeding
- Failure to comply with traffic laws
- Inadequate driver training
- Failure to comply with Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) safety regulations
- Improper cargo loading
- Inadequate vehicle maintenance
- Truck defects or malfunctions
Most truck accidents are caused by negligence. If another party’s negligence caused the accident, they are likely responsible for your damages. Contact an Illinois truck accident lawyer to learn more about your rights.
Who Can Be Held Liable After an Illinois 18-Wheeler Accident?
Truck accidents can be complex. There can be multiple parties involved, which leads to complex legal battles. Accident victims need an experienced truck accident attorney to help them navigate this process and ensure their rights are protected.
Parties who can be held liable for truck accidents include:
- Truck drivers
- Commercial trucking companies
- Truck manufacturers
- Truck mechanics
- Other drivers
- Government entities
- Property owners
- Freight brokers
Our team will do an independent investigation to identify all parties responsible for your accident. We’ll build a case to ensure all liable parties are held accountable.
Common Injuries from Illinois Truck Accidents
Injuries after truck accidents tend to be more severe than injuries from other types of accidents. While we see a wide range of injuries from 18-wheeler accidents, many of them are catastrophic.
Some of the most common truck accident injuries are:
- Spinal cord injuries
- Back and neck injuries
- Broken bones
- Concussions
- Traumatic brain injuries
- Burn injuries
- Soft tissue injuries
- Nerve damage
- Amputations
- Paralysis
- Lacerations
- Degloving injury
- Wrongful death of a loved one
After an accident, seek medical care as soon as possible. If you need immediate attention, call 9-1-1 and go directly to a local hospital by ambulance. If you don’t need emergency treatment, seek care as soon as you leave the accident scene.
Getting prompt medical care helps improve your long-term prognosis and provides important documentation to support your personal injury case.
Can I Recover Damages if I’m Partly at Fault for a Truck Accident?
Under Illinois law, accident victims can recover damages after a truck accident as long as they’re not more than 50% at fault for the accident. Illinois follows an approach of modified comparative negligence.
Under this comparative negligence framework, damages are reduced based on the injured party’s percentage of responsibility. For example, if you’re 20% at fault for an accident, the amount of damages you’re entitled to will be reduced by 20%. However, if you’re 60% at fault for an accident, you are not entitled to recover damages.
It’s common for insurance companies and truck companies to blame victims to minimize the value of claims. If you’re being blamed for your truck accident, contact a personal injury lawyer as soon as possible.
The team at Zayed Law Offices Personal Injury Attorneys is familiar with the strategy of blaming victims. Our team will defend you against these attacks and ensure you get the compensation you deserve.
How Much Do Chicago Truck Accident Attorneys Cost?
Chicago personal injury lawyers work on a contingency fee basis. Under this fee structure, the attorney only gets paid if the client gets paid through a settlement or verdict.
When the parties enter into an attorney-client relationship, they’ll agree on a contingency fee rate. This is the percentage of the award that will go to the lawyer for attorney fees.
Contingency fee rates are usually between 25 and 40%. In most cases, the contingency fee rate is different for cases that settle than for cases that go to trial.
The contingency fee structure works well for clients. It means they don’t have to pay attorney fees upfront or out of pocket. It also means that personal injury lawyers are personally invested in every case. They only get paid if their clients get paid, and they get paid more if their client gets paid more.
How Long Do I Have to File a Truck Accident Claim in Illinois?
You typically only have two years to file a lawsuit after a truck accident in Illinois. If you fail to file your claim before the statute of limitations expires, you will be barred from recovering compensation in court.
Schedule a Free Consultation With an Illinois Truck Accident Lawyer
If you or a loved one have been injured in an Illinois truck accident, contact Zayed Law Offices Personal Injury Attorneys. We’ll schedule a free consultation with an Illinois truck accident lawyer to discuss your rights.
Call (312) 564-4950, schedule online, or visit our Illinois personal injury office to set up a case evaluation. We’re available 24/7 and always ready to go to work for you and your family.