Trucks of all sizes rumble along our roadways here in Chicago throughout the day and night, filled with all kinds of cargo and freight. With them comes the risk of a serious or deadly semi-truck crash where one or more people are statistically likely to die in the collision with these semi-trucks, tractor-trailers, 18-wheelers, and big rigs.
In fact, studies show that the number of fatal large truck crashes in this country have skyrocketed 52% since 2010. According to the Truck Safety Coalition, this is the “HIGHEST number of truck fatalities ever …” since records have been kept on large truck accidents. For details, read Shocking New Fatal Crash Statistics: 52% Jump in Deadly Commercial Truck Crashes.
The risk of a severe or deadly truck accident in the Chicago area is high. Indeed, the danger facing truckers, truck occupants, and the drivers and passengers of all other motor vehicles on our roadways is much greater than it is for most other Americans.
For more on the dangers of large commercial trucks, read: Semi-Truck Crashes: Why Tractor-Trailer Trucks Are So Dangerous and Illinois and Indiana: Both Top 10 States for Most Truck Crash Fatalities.
Chicago Truck Crashes Biggest Risk: Excessive Amount of Commercial Truck Traffic
Why is the risk of a serious truck crash so high in the Chicagoland area? Bottom line, there is simply so much more truck traffic on our local roadways than in other parts of the country. According to the Chicago Metropolitan Agency for Planning (CMAP), “Chicago is the nation’s premier freight hub.”
Large truck traffic is an integral part of our Chicago traffic system. These semis, big rigs, and tractor-trailer trucks are everywhere. Key here are our seven interstate highways; the 1.1 billion in Chicago-area industrial space square footage; and $3 trillion worth of goods moving through the region each year.
Much of this $3,000,000,000,000.00 (yes, that’s twelve zeros) in freight is transported from its origins to its distribution points by commercial truck.
Studies by CMAP confirm that:
Trucks account for about one in seven vehicles on the urban interstate highways in Illinois, and some facilities in metropolitan Chicago carry over 30,000 trucks each day…. Truck traffic in the region is growing due to consumer shopping trends.
Those “consumer shopping trends” include home delivery of consumer goods. Accordingly, the expectation of increasing Chicago commercial truck traffic comes with the increasing amount of warehousing and distribution centers through the Chicago metro area for Amazon and other distributors (think Walmart).
To learn more about this segment of our growing economy, see Chicago Amazon Work Accidents: Warehouse and Delivery Dangers.
Another Chicago Semi-Truck Crash Risk: Traffic Congestion
Coupled with all the trucks moving through Chicago as the nation’s number one freight hub are the current infrastructure conditions and demands placed upon our local streets, roads, and highways.
More traffic moving alongside these huge and heavy trucks in Chicagoland means an increasing risk of a serious semi-truck crash. The more that semi-trucks and big rigs are driven beside other motor vehicles, the more likely the risk of a crash.
Another consideration for the next few years: the jump in road construction throughout the Chicago metro area as part of the Rebuild Illinois Highway Improvement Program. Road work zones bring their own hazards and risk for a fatal truck crash.
Consider this: the Top 100 Truck Bottlenecks in 2024 is a list compiled by the American Transportation Research Institute (ATRI). Not only does Chicago rank for having the second and third biggest bottlenecks (most congested traffic) in the country for commercial truck traffic, Chicago also ranks with another two bottlenecks within the top twenty. They are identified by ATRI as:
- 2nd Biggest Bottleneck in the Country is Chicago’s I-294 at I-290/I-88
- 3rd Most Congested in the Country is Chicago’s I-55
- 13th Biggest Bottleneck in the Country is Chicago’s I-290 at I-90/I-94
- 17th Most Congested in the Country is Chicago’s I-90 at I-94(South).
For more on semi-trucks and traffic congestion issues, see: Truck Driver Fatalities on the Rise: Fatigue, Speed, and the Trucking Industry; Overweight or Overloaded Semi Truck Accidents: Growing Danger of Fatal Crash; and Dangerous Truck Parking Crisis: Truckers Demand Federal Action.
Chicago Semi-Truck Crash Victims: Seeking Justice After a Truck Accident
The number of people who suffer after any serious or deadly truck crash cannot be limited to the accident victims alone: family members, friends, loved ones, and colleagues are all hurt by the consequences of a fatal truck accident.
However, under federal and state law, those who are able to seek justice through the pursuit of legal claims for damages will be limited by statute to a select number of parties. These include the truck crash victim or the victim’s legal estate representative as well as family members that include spouses and minor children.
For more, read: Catastrophic Injury Accidents: Special Legal Protections for Victims and Families in Indiana and Illinois; The Two Main Differences Between Workers Compensation and Personal Injury Claims for Accident Victims in Indiana and Illinois; and The Law of Bad Faith Insurance Claims in Indiana and Illinois.
Damages will be defined by law, as well. Things like medical expenses; rehabilitation care; psychological therapy; lost wages; loss of consortium; loss of earning capacity; pain and suffering; and more may be available to those facing the aftermath of a Chicago truck accident.
Also see:
- Loss of Consortium Damages in Illinois or Indiana Work Accidents;
- Wrongful Death Damages After Fatal Work Accidents in Illinois or Indiana;
- Catastrophic Injuries in an Accident: Damages for the Loss of a Normal Life;
- Loss of Earning Capacity Damages After Accident in Illinois or Indiana;
- Who Can Claim Damages After a Work Accident in Indiana or Illinois?
Investigation May Reveal Several With Liability for Chicago Semi-Truck Accident
Anyone who is hurt in a Chicago large truck crash has the right to investigate the accident independently of any insurance carrier, law enforcement agency, or employer. This independent analysis of events may include the involvement of an accident reconstruction expert to determine all the reasons why the tragedy happened.
In the aftermath of this truck accident investigation, facts may reveal more than one party failed in a legal duty of care and safety and that this breach of duty has contributed to the accident taking place.
Parties who may have legal liability after a Chicago truck crash may include:
- Truck driver;
- Other drivers on the roadway involved in the crash;
- Other drivers on the roadway that escaped the crash;
- Trucking company employer;
- Owner of the large truck;
- Owner of the tank or trailer;
- Manufacturer of the truck;
- Manufacturer of the tank or trailer;
- Manufacturer of a truck part that failed (e.g., brakes; tires; etc.);
- Seller of a truck part that failed;
- Company responsible for repair of the rig;
- Company responsible for repair of the tank or trailer;
- Company contracted to maintain the truck;
- Company contracted to maintain the tank or trailer;
- Owner of the freight;
- Company that loaded the truck cargo;
- Company with the shipping contract;
- Owners of premises or location of the truck crash; and
- Those responsible for condition of the roadway at time of crash (for instance, contractors with the job of maintaining road work zone safety procedures).
For details, read Semi-Truck Crashes: Who Can Be Held Legally Responsible for Commercial Trucking Accidents in Indiana and Illinois? And Different Types of Fatal Semi-Truck Accidents and Tractor-Trailer Crashes.
After a Chicago truck crash, Illinois state law as well as federal law may provide avenues for justice through a variety of civil legal claims for the victims of a serious or fatal truck accident. The likelihood of serious truck accidents is high and likely to increase in the coming years here in the Chicago metro area. It is vital for these truck crash victims to be aware not only of these rising risks but of their right to independently investigate the event to find out (1) the extent of legal liability among various parties; and (2) the types of damages available to them. Please be careful out there!
