Wheeling Fatal Truck Accident Lawyer

Lost a Loved One in a Truck Crash? Speak to an Experienced Wheeling Fatal Truck Accident Attorney Today

Wheeling offers the “best of both worlds” to many Illinois residents: A suburban lifestyle with easy access to the sights, sounds, and opportunities of Chicago. Wheeling attracts visitors year-round to sites like the town’s historical museum, the Korean Cultural Center of Chicago, the public library, Camp Ramah, and National Louis University. 

Trucks play a key role in maintaining Wheeling’s economy. Fully-loaded delivery trucks and tractor-trailers, however, easily outmatch smaller vehicles in a crash. Pedestrians and bicyclists stand little chance against large trucks. 

If you’ve lost someone you love to a fatal truck crash in Wheeling, don’t wait. Speak to an experienced Wheeling fatal truck accident lawyer today. One call can help you understand and protect your legal rights. 

Fatal Truck Accident Statistics in Illinois and Cook County

As of August 19, 2025, The Illinois Department of Transportation recorded 634 fatal roadway crashes in Illinois, resulting in 699 deaths. Nearly 14 percent, or 87 total fatal crashes, involved a semi truck.

Cook County remains Illinois’ deadliest county for truck crashes. In 2025, 209 people died in Cook County collisions, including many who died in a crash with a semi truck or other large commercial truck. 

Fatal crashes involving semi trucks have trended downward since 2022, when they reached a five-year high of 168 deaths in Illinois. Even one death is one too many, however. Federal, state, and local officials continue to look for ways to improve highway safety. 

Common Sites of Truck Crashes in and Near Wheeling

State/US highways and city streets remain more dangerous areas for drivers than interstate highways. In 2024, more than twice as many deaths occurred on state highways and city streets than occurred on interstate freeways. 

Wheeling’s several state and US highway intersections raise the risk of large truck crashes, including deadly collisions. Places where truck crashes may be more likely include:

• IL-68. Illinois’ state highway 68 runs east to west across Wheeling, connecting the town to Northbrook and other areas. It’s a common travel route for nature lovers seeking to explore the Deep Grove Forest Preserve, the Potawatomi Woods Preserve, and similar areas. It’s also a direct route for trucks carrying cargo in the area, which makes it a common site of truck traffic. 
• US-45/IL-21. U.S. Highway 45 and Illinois State Highway 21 share a route through Wheeling, connecting northern suburbs like Antioch to the city of Chicago. This route is also popular for trucks, especially those making deliveries between Chicago and Milwaukee. 
• IL-83. Illinois State Highway 83 plays a key role in connecting many of Wheeling’s neighborhoods to the town’s parks, businesses, and schools, including Wheeling High School. Trucks making deliveries to these venues also frequently use IL-83.

The category “commercial trucks” includes many vehicles, from box trucks that make local deliveries to fully-loaded eighteen-wheeler tractor-trailers. While not all commercial truck types can use all roads, a truck size exists to fit every road. This means that travelers face the risk of a truck crash on any road or street in Wheeling, from highways to side streets.

When a Truck Crash Claims a Life

Families face a devastating present when a truck crash kills a loved one. What started as a normal day ends as a day seared forever into your memory. The consequences are far-reaching and permanent. 

In the days and weeks after a crash, grief makes it difficult to do more than survive. Even if you wonder about your legal rights or options, taking the first step can be tough. 

Here, we outline a few basics of Illinois wrongful death claims and truck crashes. While we cannot describe how these rules affect every individual case, we hope they provide enough information for you to think through the questions you have for an experienced fatal truck accident lawyer. 

Time Limits to File a Lawsuit After a Fatal Wheeling Truck Collision

Illinois’ statute of limitations provides two years from the date of death to file a lawsuit. Typically, the window opens on the date the person dies and closes two years later. While a few exceptions exist, they apply only in a few cases. 

Talk to an attorney as soon as you can. A lawyer can help you calculate exactly when the two-year window ends. Your lawyer can also help you file your claim before you lose the chance to do so. 

Remember that the two-year rule applies only to lawsuits filed in court. Insurance companies can set their own deadlines for filing an insurance claim. Many insurance companies have much shorter deadlines. Some insurers give you only a few weeks or months to file. A lawyer can help you calculate insurance claim deadlines and file these claims. 

Who Can File an Illinois Wrongful Death Claim

When someone is injured in a truck crash, the injured person can file their own lawsuit. A person killed in a crash, however, cannot file a claim. Someone else must step in to protect the rights of the estate and family.

In Illinois, the personal representative of the deceased person’s estate files the wrongful death claim in court. The personal representative files the claim on behalf of the estate and the surviving family members. Any compensation from the claim goes to pay the estate’s bills from the death or to compensate the family directly for their losses. 

If the deceased person left a will or estate plan, these documents may name a personal representative. If the person died intestate (without a will/estate plan), a court will appoint a personal representative. The personal representative can be a family member, an adult friend, or anyone else the court deems fit to do the job. Talk to a lawyer to learn more about how personal representatives are chosen in Illinois. 

Proving Fault

Proving fault in a truck crash can take work. Trucking is a business. Many people and companies are responsible for putting trucks on the road and keeping them on the road safely.

In a single truck crash, multiple parties might share the fault, including:

• A truck’s driver,
• Other drivers, bicyclists, or pedestrians on the road,
• A trucking company,
• Maintenance and repair teams,
• Manufacturers, designers, and installers of trucks and truck parts,
• Cargo companies, 
• Manufacturers of cargo equipment, like chains and tie-downs. 

An experienced attorney can investigate the crash, determine who was at fault, and seek compensation from all negligent parties.

Compensation After a Fatal Truck Accident

A wrongful death claim seeks compensation for two broad sets of losses: the estate’s losses due to the death and the losses suffered by surviving family members. Both financial (“economic”) and personal (‘non-economic”) damages can be included in compensation. 

Financial losses the estate or family might face after a fatal truck crash include:

• Medical bills. Costs for ambulance transport, emergency care, and life-saving interventions as rescue teams try to save an injured person’s life are all included in this category.
• Lost wages. When a truck crash kills someone whose wages support a home or family, the loss of the money they would have earned if they had lived can be covered by a wrongful death claim. 
• Funeral and burial expenses. The costs of a funeral, cremation, burial, and related expenses for putting a deceased loved one to rest can be compensated in a wrongful death claim. 
• Property damage. If a truck crash damages the family vehicle or causes other property damage, the costs associated with this damage – like towing fees, repair bills, or the cost of a new vehicle to replace a totaled one – can be included in a wrongful death claim. 

Compensation for financial losses can relieve a grieving family of a burden during a difficult time. Yet this compensation doesn’t address the deep personal loss of a sudden death. A wrongful death claim can also seek compensation for personal losses, including:

• Physical pain and suffering a deceased person endured before death, if the person was conscious and aware of their condition at any time before their death. 
• Grief, sorrow, and mental suffering the family experienced as the result of the loss of their loved one. 

These losses are also called “non-economic” damages. These losses don’t usually come with a bill attached. Yet they are real losses deserving of compensation in a wrongful death claim. 

In some wrongful death claims, punitive damages are available. Punitive damages do not compensate the family for their loved one’s loss. Instead, these damages punish intentional or particularly outrageous behavior by a truck driver, trucking company, or other responsible party. Punitive damages send the message that intentional wrongdoing, knowing violations of the law, and other outrageous acts are not tolerated in Wheeling. 

Speak to an Experienced Wheeling Truck Accident Attorney to Learn More

Losing a loved one in a truck crash is devastating. Life before the crash and life after are never the same. You may wonder how you’ll pay the bills, keep your household together, or move forward – all while carrying the enormous burden of grief.

You don’t have to face this difficult time alone. An experienced Wheeling fatal truck accident lawyer can deal with insurance companies, investigate the crash, and protect your legal rights while fighting for the compensation you deserve. 

To learn more, reach out to the team at Briskman, Briskman & Greenberg today. Contact us to schedule a free consultation with one of our Wheeling truck accident attorneys.