Tow Truck Accidents

Lawyers Helping Motor Vehicle Collision Victims in Schaumburg and Wheaton

Tow trucks provide an essential service to help drivers transport vehicles in various situations. These are complex trucks, and they must be operated properly by a qualified driver. If you or someone close to you has been injured in a tow truck accident, you may be entitled to compensation. At Therman Law Offices, our highly skilled Schaumburg and Wheaton truck accident attorneys can evaluate your case and develop a legal strategy to protect your rights.

Like 18-wheelers and buses, tow trucks are commercial vehicles. These trucks are typically managed by private business enterprises or by governmental agencies involved in operating and/or maintaining roads and highways. Whether used to remove damaged vehicles from the street after an accident or to tow away an illegally parked car, tow trucks help keep our roads safe. In other cases, these trucks are used to transport or relocate vehicles.

Causes of Tow Truck Accidents

There are many situations in which a tow truck accident can take place, and any of these can lead to life-altering injuries and even death. Some common causes of tow truck accidents include but are not limited to:

• Tow truck drivers falling asleep behind the wheel
• The vehicle being towed disconnecting from the tow truck
• Improper maintenance
• Failure to see brake lights on the tow truck
• Incorrect tow truck parking creating hazards for moving vehicles

Tow Truck Accidents and Negligence

Due to these vehicles’ sheer size and weight, tow truck accidents can have devastating consequences. If you or a loved one was seriously injured in an accident caused by a truck driver’s negligence, you may be able to recover damages through a personal injury lawsuit. Negligence occurs when a person fails to use the level of care and caution that an ordinarily prudent person in the same or similar circumstances would have used. In order to establish negligence, it is not enough to show that the person failed to use the appropriate level of care and caution. You must also show that the failure was a direct cause of the accident and resulting injury.

In any tow truck accident case, there may be multiple at-fault parties. For instance, where a driver falls asleep at the wheel, it may be because the trucking company was knowingly over-working the driver in which case both the truck driver and the trucking company may be liable. This is because trucking companies have a duty to hire safe drivers, maintain vehicles, and adhere to policies that would minimize the risk of accident. If a driver is being overworked, the trucking company is likely not using the appropriate level of care and caution. In other cases, the manufacturer may be at fault for selling a defective mechanism if that defective mechanism was the cause of the accident. This is because manufacturers have an obligation put safe products into the stream of commerce. At Therman Law Offices, our diligent injury attorneys work to identify any and all potentially liable parties in your case.

As mentioned earlier, injuries stemming from these accidents can be very severe and extremely costly to treat. Fortunately, Illinois law allows victims of truck accidents to recover compensation for a variety of damages such as property loss, lost wages, medical bills (past, current and future), pain and suffering, disability, and compensation for any other losses stemming from the accident. If you have lost a loved one in a tow truck accident, you may be able to pursue wrongful death damages as well, which include compensation for things like funeral costs, burial costs, and loss of companionship.

Experienced Schaumburg and Wheaton Truck Accident Lawyers

Tow truck accident cases can be complex, and having the right legal representation on your side can make all the difference. If you or a loved was injured in an accident involving a tow truck, it is important to reach out to a seasoned truck accident attorney serving Wheaton and Schaumburg without delay. At Therman Law Offices, we are committed to helping clients obtain the compensation they need to move on with their lives. We proudly represent clients from communities including Arlington Heights, Hoffman Estates, Elgin, Bartlett, Streamwood, Hanover Park, Wood Dale, Bensenville, Bloomingdale, and Roselle. For more information, please call us at 312-588-1900 or contact us online.