Illinois Truck & Bus Accident Statistics

In a 2016 report published by the Illinois Department of Transportation, commercial trucks, (identified as tractor trailers in this report), were involved in 3.5% of all accidents and nearly 11% of fatal crashes. Additionally, tractor trailers were involved in 111 work zone injury incidents, 15 of which were fatal. The same report revealed that there were 812 accidents involving buses, (school & other), that caused an injury. In total, there were 0ver 11,000 crashes involving big rigs and over 1,600 involving school buses in 2016 in Illinois and the reality is that there will always be truck  & bus accidents involving serious or fatal injuries as long as they are on the road.

The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) found that Illinois is currently one of the top 10 states in the country that represented over 50% of fatal crashes involving a large truck or bus in a report published in November of 2017. This same  FMCSA report concluded that speeding was a factor in 17% of fatal truck accidents and that 6% of fatal accidents were attributed to driver distraction (16% of those involved distraction were caused by a mobile device).

Semi-trucks and buses tend to get safer over time, but there will always be a seriously dangerous situation when a 30 ton truck is driving side by side with other cars, passenger trucks and motorcycles. Due to the size & weight differences of a big rig versus a smaller passenger vehicle or SUV, the resulting injuries are often very serious or fatal. If you or a family member was seriously injured in a trucking collision, you need to talk to a truck accident lawyer in Illinois with the experience and qualifications to secure the compensation your family needs to move forward.

Statute of Limitations for Truck Accidents in Illinois

A “statute of limitation” is defined as the legal time limit that a plaintiff has to bring an action against a defendant. This varies based on state, and the type of incident: civil or criminal. Generally, the statute of limitations for truck accident injury lawsuits in Illinois is 2 years, this is inclusive of nearly all personal injury claims involving drivers, passengers, pedestrians, etc. per Illinois Code of Civil Procedure section 5/13-202. In some instances the statute may be extended based on the date of discovery of the injury, if the victim was a minor, if the victim had a disability or of the defendant left the state of Illinois before a lawsuit could be filed.

If the truck or bus accident involved a state employee or government vehicle the statute for your incident may fall under Illinois Chapter 745 Section 10 – Local Governmental and Governmental Employees Tort Immunity Act 1 – 2 years and has some procedural differences compared to filing a claim with a private company or individual. If you represent the family of a victim killed in the incident and are pursuing a wrongful death lawsuit, it must be filed within the state civil statute of 2 years, or within 1 year of the deceased person’s date of death; source: 735 ILCS 5/13-209.

In some cases, you may not even know all of the parties in a big rig or bus crash lawsuit, or if it involves a government entity because the claim might involve defective road design, a government vehicle, or a city that fails to replace road safety signs. For this reason and many others you should seek the advice of a qualified truck accident lawyer in Illinois.

Pursuing a Truck Accident Injury or Wrongful Death Lawsuit in Illinois

If you or a family member was seriously injured, or if a family member was killed in a truck accident you should seek the advice and representation of a skilled and experienced Illinois truck accident attorney. TruckAccidentAttorneyNetwork.org has organized a database of law firms who focus their practice on Motor Vehicle Vehicle collisions, with significant experience litigating trucking accidents.