IL Truck Wreck & Accident Injury Lawyers Attorneys
Do Not Lose Twice
Springfield | Joliet | Peoria | Champaign
The pain you feel immediately following a truck wreck is only the beginning. That may be the start of a lifetime of suffering, requiring you to seek justice and hold the responsible party accountable for your loss. When a catastrophic accident has changed your life, you need a high level of advocacy. That is what we provide at Gordon & Elias, L.L.P.
When an auto is involved with a truck in an accident, one outcome is for sure: the auto loses. If you do not select Gordon & Elias, as your truck accident attorneys, you could lose twice. Hiring dedicated truck accident lawyers may mean the difference of receiving tens of thousands of dollars or millions of dollars. Simply put, if you hire just any lawyers and not a truck accident law firm, you may be making a serious mistake.
You do not have to retain a firm in Illinois if the accident occurs in Illinois. You need to retain a firm that specializes in truck accidents. Often times, firms from other states, such as ours, are retained because of their experience and knowledge. Many times, though the injured auto occupants may live in Illinois, the truck company is from a state other than Illinois. You need truck accident attorneys that do the following:
- Answer the phone when you make that first call
- Send out an investigator to obtain photos and make measurements and, if forensic work is necessary, send out a trucking accident reconstructionist
- File any necessary equitable relief, e.g., writs of sequestration, pleadings to protect the truck from any repairs that would alter the evidence
- Get you to Board Certified Physicians to make sure that you receive the best medical care possible for your injuries
- File your suit as soon as possible and aggressively fight for your rights taking depositions, sending out discovery and building your legal case
- Where ethically permitted, advancing you monies, interest free, to pay for necessary expenses since your income is stopped due to an inability to work
- Finally, and perhaps most importantly, treating you like family instead of just a client. We know full well what a severe disabling and permanent injury, or worse yet, the death of a loved family member means to you. We find that some law firms around the country have lost their way and often times forget that they are representing a person, and not just a paper file. We pledge to you that you will always be able to call us and ask whatever you want and get a full explanation. Please do not misunderstand, we like to make money as much as the next guy but, we know that if we work hard and do a good job, always with compassion for our client, the money will follow.
If you have been injured in an 18-wheeler accident that occurred in Springfield, Joliet, Peoria, Champaign or anywhere throughout Southern Illinois, contact us toll free at 800-773-6770.
Holding Drivers and Trucking Companies Accountable for Trucking Accidents
Truck drivers work long hours and are often pressured by their employer to complete their tasks by any means necessary. That results in shortcuts that amount to negligence. Drivers are required to adhere to regulations involving time on the road, number of breaks, and weight of the load they carry. Under the law, a trucking company can be held liable for the negligence of its drivers.
Experience and Resources to Mediate or Litigate Your Trucking Accident Claim
We use experience and thorough legal knowledge, coupled with vast resources, to build your tractor-trailer crash injury claim based on the facts. Expertise comes from our network of trucking industry experts and accident reconstructionists. From there, we seek the best resolution, through negotiation, mediation or litigation.
Catastrophic Injuries When Safety Was Not a Priority
Before getting into the truck cab, a driver is required to perform a pre-trip inspection so that when a truck driver before the driver turns the ignition key, they are doing so with the notion that everything is safe. The pre-trip inspection is to detect problems before the rig gets on the street. There have to be periodic brake checks, including caliper settings, hydraulic, pneumatic and air brakes, adequate sleep and rest time in accordance with federal laws, and a trailer load that is properly secured, loaded and manageable. If they fall short, each and every car they pass is at risk of an accident. Every driver could suffer injury or death. These requirements apply to all interstate drivers and the failure to do any of these things often results in negligent driving and is often the cause of a truck accident resulting in serious injury. It does not matter what kind of truck as these requirements apply to:
- Tanker Trucks - Oilfield Trucks- Pipe Haulers- Chemical Trucks and other trucks with trailers carrying hazardous materials
- Slow Moving - Log Trucks, Garbage Trucks, Dump Trucks, Cement Trucks, Gravel Trucks and Construction Zone Trucks entering and exiting a highway construction zone, Wide-Load Convoys, Bulldozers, Farm Equipment and slow moving Paving Equipment
- Freight Liners, UPS, DHL, Fed-Ex, U-Haul, Mayflower and other van lines
- Shuttle Bus, Casino Buses to and from Harrah's, Hollywood, Grand Victoria, casino Queen, Emperess, Para-dise and Argosy, Vacation Bus, Tour Bus, Greyhound Buses
- Most all other 18-wheeler, Big-Rig, Flatbeds, Tractor/Trailer combinations
Commercial Trucks Not Large In Size But With A Large Insurance Policy
The difference in size of cash settlements in commercial truck cases are potentially much larger than auto to auto accidents generally for one reason: the destruction of the automobile and the size of the insurance policy involved. You know that your personal auto policy is sometimes as low as the Illinois state mandatory minimum limits of $20,000.00. . When there is a commercial vehicle, such as a company van, company pick-up, tow trucks, etc., the policies of insurance coverage are usually much larger and you can be fairly and fully compensated when the driver is negligent.
Safety Taking a Back Seat to Shortcuts
The long hours put in by hardworking truck drivers does not excuse ignoring federal laws governing their industry. From time on the road to number of breaks to the weight of a trailer's load, truck drivers and their employers must abide by strict rules. When they fall short, anyone in their path on the highways of Southern Illinois could be seriously injured.
A number of causes may have led to your suffering serious injuries, including:
- Rear-End, Head-On Crashes and Jackknives
- Poor Maintenance, including Tires and Brakes
- Driver Fatigue
- Unsecured Loads
- Aggressive Driving
- DWI/Drug Use
- Lack of Reflectors and Poor Visibility
- Dangerous Roads
Contact us if you have been injured in a truck accident while driving on I-24, I-57, I-64, I-70, I-55, I-72, I-74, Hwy 51, Hwy 67 or Hwy 136.
We Have A National Network of Competent Truck Accident Lawyers
At times, we need a local Illinois law firm to assist us perform various functions. In light of this, we have already put in place an arrangement with Illinois-based competent counsel that we have already vetted and that we can call on in a moment's notice and at no additional fee charge to you.
Identifying the Negligence that Led to a Catastrophic Truck Wreck
At Gordon & Elias, L.L.P., we will represent you with no up-front fee required. While you recover from your injuries or grieve the loss of a loved one, we take on the burden of building your case based on the facts. Those facts are often discovered by employing experts to analyze driving and medical records, along with electronic data from the semi truck's black box.
Contact Us
For more information or to schedule an appointment with an experienced personal injury lawyer regarding damages suffered in a truck wreck, please contact us.
Illinois Trucking Companies
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