Chicago Truck Accident Attorneys
Abogados de accidentes de camión en Chicago
With six major interstate highways running through Chicago, the risk of being in a motor vehicle accident with a truck is high. In fact, thousands of people in Illinois are injured in truck accidents each year.
In 2017 accounted for 3.5 percent of all motor vehicle accidents in the state that year, as well as 9.6 percent of deadly collisions, the state had 11,011 crashes involving tractor-trailers. According to the Illinois Department of Transportation (IDOT), they. Tractor-trailer accidents accounted for 2.7 percent of all injury-causing crashes in Illinois. In 2017, more than 19 percent of injuries in such accidents prevented the victim from walking, driving or performing everyday activities that they were capable of before the crash occurred. Types of injuries included severe cuts, broken limbs, and head or chest injuries, among others.
Truck accidents are far too common in Illinois. The enormous size and weight of commercial trucks make them extremely dangerous for passenger cars and other smaller motor vehicles. In truck accidents, more than 70 percent of the injuries and fatalities are suffered by automobile drivers and their passengers.
In 2017, nearly 2,500 people were injured in tractor-trailer accidents, the majority of which were occupants of other vehicles, tallied at 1,961. Fatal tractor-trailer accidents killed 115 people that year. Most of the accidents occurred in urban areas of Illinois rather than rural ones.
IDOT’s report on crash data trends from 2012 to 2016 indicated that large trucks were involved in 5.8 percent more accidents in 2016, compared to the preceding four years. There was also a 26 percent rise in fatal crashes that involved large trucks that year, compared to the previous four-year average. This marked a 41.4 percent increase in a year-over-year comparison between 2015 and 2016.
There are many different causes of truck accidents. However, there is one statistic in particular that jumps out. According to the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration, driver negligence is to blame for around 87 percent of truck accidents. Driver negligence is an umbrella term that encompasses a variety of poor driving behaviors such as speeding, distracted driving and driving while fatigued. Vehicle defects are generally responsible for 10 percent of truck accidents, while poor road conditions cause 3 percent of crashes.
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