In Illinois, truck accidents involving large commercial trucks and 18-wheelers can cause devastating accidents. Occupants of smaller vehicles in their path stand little to no chance of survival. The difference in size means that they face serious injuries or fatalities. Knowing your legal options is vital if you are involved in an accident with these behemoths.

Tractor Trailer Laws and Regulations in Illinois 

As per Illinois law, all tractor-trailers must follow strict state and federal regulations to protect the public. Failure to follow these is considered illegal and immoral since violations place other motorists at risk of serious injuries.

For example, all tractor-trailer drivers must log a specific number of hours of sleep each day on the road. Since this law affects transport times, most companies and drivers don't follow it to make timely shipments. This information is critical for anyone who wishes to file a lawsuit against a trucking company for negligence.

When you go out to dinner, shopping, or anywhere else, you expect the facilities to be hazard-free. Property owners must ensure the people entering their facility remain safe from avoidable injuries. As such, they must ensure that surfaces aren't slippery and the property is free of debris that may otherwise cause a slip-and-fall accident. 

If you slip and fall in a commercial space in Illinois, you have the right to ask for compensation from the property owner whose negligence caused the accident. Here are a few crucial steps you should take to protect your claim:

Seek Medical Aid

Call an ambulance or have someone else call one for you if you cannot. Do not decline medical aid even if your injuries seem minor or you think you are unhurt. Some injuries take days and even weeks to manifest after an accident and usually do so intensely. 

Commercial truck crashes in Illinois are not as uncommon as you may think and many are caused by distracted driving. Unfortunately, many truck drivers engage in distracting activities behind the wheel, such as using their cell phones or eating while driving.Such actions can cause serious truck accidents that result in severe damages, injuries or even fatalities.

Truck accident victims should consider pursuing compensation through a personal injury claim against the trucking company.

Investigation

The first step in pursuing compensation is to investigate and collect evidence to determine the cause of the accident. In many cases, distracted driving is a key factor, which means that the truck driver or the trucking company may be held liable for your injuries and losses.

 Hit-and-run accidents occur when a driver collides with another vehicle, pedestrian, or property and leaves the accident scene without identifying themselves or assisting the injured parties.

Insurance data suggests that Illinois ranks fourth among the U.S. states with the most hit-and-runs. Such accidents often leave victims with significant physical injuries and property damage, leaving them to wonder how they can recover financial compensation for their losses.

Uninsured Motorists Coverage

If the hit and run driver is never caught, there may still be a way to recover compensation. In Illinois, victims of hit-and-run accidents may pursue financial compensation through their own insurance company's uninsured motorists coverage.

The Illinois Department of Public Health (DPH) reports that 841 people 65 years of age and older died because of falls during the most recent reporting year and more than 100,000 people had to be treated for injuries suffered because of falls. The United States Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) also reported that nearly 20 percent of fatal occupational injuries were the results of falls, slips, or trips.

Slip and fall accidents can lead to serious injuries, including brain and spine injuries. Any person who does sustain a severe injury in a slip and fall accident will want to be sure they retain legal counsel because insurance companies are rarely willing to pay victims appropriate compensation without a fight.

How Slip and Fall Cases Work

When a person suffers injuries in a slip and fall accident, they should immediately report their fall to whoever is in charge of the property they fell on, such a manager at a store. Victims should also be quick to seek medical attention so they can be sure their injuries are properly treated and they have a medical record created as soon as possible. An individual harmed in a slip and fall accident can also strengthen their case by immediately taking pictures of whatever caused the fall before a property owner has the chance to correct the condition and the evidence disappears.