Joliet Truck Accidents

Personal Injury Lawyers to Fight for Joliet Truck Accident Victims

Joliet is a city in Will and Kendall counties. Located 25 miles southwest of Chicago, the city is the third-largest one in the state with a population of 150,362. Interstate and state highways serve the town. The city is a transportation hub, connected to the rest of the country by I-80 and I-55. There are 10 interchanges between state route 6, 30, 50, 53, and others. There is also close-by access to I-57 and I-355. Many large and notable employers have a footing in the city, including Amazon, AMITA St. Joseph Medical Center, Will County, City of Joliet, and Exxon Mobil. There were 1,226 truck accidents in the state in 2018. If you were injured in a truck crash or collision, call the experienced Joliet truck accident lawyers of Katz, Friedman, Eisenstein, Johnson, Bareck & Bertuca. We have more than 60 years of experience examining every angle to recover compensation for our truck accident clients. We seek best results in every case.

Joliet Attorneys to Establish Liability

A seasoned lawyer will look at a case closely and retain an accident reconstruction specialist as appropriate to hold all potentially liable parties accountable. Parties that may bear blame for a truck accident include not only the truck driver who was operating the vehicle, but also the trucking company, third party loading company, mechanic, or another driver with whom the truck shared the road.

In order to prove the truck driver’s liability, we will need to show it’s more likely than not: (1) you were owed a duty to use reasonable care, (2) breach of the duty to use reasonable care, (3) causation, and (4) damages. Trucking companies can be held indirectly accountable for their driver-employees’ accidents under the doctrine of vicarious liability whereby an employee is assumed to be an agent of an employer and the employer is expected to pay for any accidents that were caused by its agent. However, trucking companies can also be held directly liable for accidents. Our lawyers will look closely at the circumstances to determine whether it would be appropriate to sue a truck driver for negligent hiring, supervision, or training.

Another party that could bear responsibility for an accident is a third party loading company. Big commercial vehicles rely on a balanced and carefully arranged load. A third party company that packs too much weight onto a truck or arranges the cargo inappropriately may be held liable for its negligence.

Joint and Several Liability

In Illinois, each defendant whose fault is found to be 25% or greater of the total fault attributable to you, the defendants you sued and any third party defendants aside from your employer can be held jointly and severally liable for your damages. This is important because in some instances, it is hard to get payment from certain uninsured parties, and it may be necessary to focus on those parties that have insurance or assets with which to cover your losses.

Defending Against Allegations of Comparative Negligence

It’s not unusual for a truck driver or other party to point back at a plaintiff, even one that is severely injured where liability of another party seems clear and say that the plaintiff is to blame for his own injuries. Under Illinois law, your damages can be reduced by an amount equal to your share of fault for the accident. You will be barred from recovering damages if another party can show you were 50% or more to blame for your own injuries.

Consult a Joliet Truck Accident Lawyer

If you were injured in a truck accident, your injuries may be severe, and on top of that, you may be vying with other accident victims for a share of a truck driver’s limited insurance coverage. Call the trustworthy Joliet truck accident lawyers of Katz, Friedman, Eisenstein, Johnson, Bareck & Bertuca at 312-724-5846 or complete our online form.

With more than 60 years of experience advocating for accident victims in court, we can seek all available relief for your injuries.