Speeding Truck Accidents

Schaumburg and Wheaton Lawyers for Tractor-Trailer Collision Victims

Truck accidents caused by speeding can have seriously devastating consequences for everyone involved. Speeding is a careless, even reckless decision on the part of a truck driver. Due to the size and weight of a truck, speeding accidents can result in disastrous injuries and death. If you have been hurt in a collision involving a speeding 18-wheeler, the experienced Schaumburg and Wheaton truck accident attorneys at Therman Law Offices can help you protect your rights. Time is of the essence in these cases, so it is wise to act and obtain legal counsel as quickly as possible after a truck accident has taken place if you wish to pursue damages.

Speeding Truck Accidents

Speeding plays a role in many truck accidents every year. According to 2017 data from the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration, speeding was a factor in 17 percent of truck crashes with at least one large truck occupant fatality. Truck drivers may speed for a variety of reasons – they are late for an important delivery or they simply want to get home after a long day of work. Irrespective of the reasoning, speeding trucks put everyone on the road at risk of harm. Due to their size and load (which can weigh tens of thousands of pounds), trucks already have a harder time maneuvering and coming to a complete stop when compared to the average passenger vehicle. This fact, coupled with a truck driver’s decision to speed can significantly increase the risk of accident and endanger everyone around the vehicle.

Liability for Speeding Truck Accidents

If you were struck by a speeding truck driver, you may be able to recover compensation for medical expenses, pain and suffering, property damage and lost wages through a negligence claim, and a knowledgeable injury lawyer can assist you. Negligence is a common law action that is specifically recognized by Illinois courts. The legal concept describes a situation in which someone owes a duty of care to another person and fails in that duty, thus causing an accident or injury to another. The duty of care refers to the obligation of every truck driver to operate his or her vehicle in the way that a reasonably prudent truck driver would in the same or a similar situation. To win a negligence claim, the accident victim must prove the following elements:

• The truck driver owed the victim a duty of care;
• The truck driver breached the duty of care by speeding;
• The truck driver’s breach was a direct cause of the accident; and
• The victim suffered bodily injury and/or property damage as a result.