Just about any truck accident lawyer can handle auto accident cases, but most auto accident lawyers shouldn’t handle truck accident cases. That’s because truck accident cases are far more complex than auto accident cases. If you were injured in an accident involving a large truck in or around Winnebago County, you’ll want to retain a respected and aggressive truck accident lawyer in Rockford to pursue the maximum damages that you deserve.
Why Truck Crashes Become Complicated Quickly
An 18-wheeler can be more than 70 feet long, and when fully loaded, it can weigh up to 80,000 pounds. At highway speeds, the damage it can do to a passenger car and its occupants can be devastating. Here are some reasons why truck crashes can get complex quickly:
- Trucking companies and their drivers are governed by both federal and state statutes and regulations.
- Truck crashes with passenger vehicles have a drastically higher rate of severe injuries and fatalities than crashes between two passenger vehicles.
- Insurers that cover trucking companies and truck drivers strenuously defend claims and lawsuits. They have more to lose than they would in a crash between two passenger vehicles. That’s because they’re required to have significantly higher policy limits.
Comparative Negligence
A truck insurer is going to try to devalue your damages or even deny your claim in its entirety by trying to push all or some of the liability for your accident over onto you. Under Illinois comparative negligence law, if it can show that you were more than 50% at fault for your accident, you get nothing.
Don’t give any type of a written or recorded statement to the opposing insurance company without an attorney being present on your behalf. The law doesn’t require you to do that. Instead, utilize the services a truck accident team to maximize any settlement or award that you might receive.
