FAQ: Truck Accidents

For many people, the aftermath of a truck wreck is filled with questions. Am I getting the treatment I need to properly address my injuries? How will I pay for medical expenses? What will happen to me if I can’t get back to work? Who will help provide for my family if I’m laid up or, even worse, permanently disabled?

You Have Questions — We Are Here To Give You Answers

At Konicek & Dillon, P.C., we have years of experience helping individuals and families throughout Illinois, Indiana and the Midwest get answers to these and other accident-related questions. Of course, each case is different, but to help you get started with yours, we’ve included some common questions followed by general answers. For more in-depth, personalized representation, give us a call and speak directly with our attorneys.

How can a lawyer help me or my family after a truck crash?

In most cases, accidents involving trucks cause serious injuries. Your first priority is obtaining medical treatment or, in the case of a family member’s death, making arrangements and saying goodbye to your loved one. While you focus on family, we can begin to secure evidence needed to prove the case. We can also begin to notify medical providers that a lawsuit is forthcoming and that they should not bother you for payment of their bills. We know what it takes to help our clients get the treatment they need and pursue maximum compensation. You have enough to deal with after an accident without dealing with insurance companies, searching for doctors and finding money to pay for bills. As your lawyers, it’s our job to surround you with the support and resources you need so you can focus on getting better and caring for your family.

Aren’t truck accident claims the same as car accident claims?

Emphatically, no. Truck accidents are much more complex than “routine” car accident cases, involving multiple parties and different laws, and commonly far more serious injuries. Truck accident cases require attorneys who know how to properly handle and manage these types of cases. Although there are plenty of lawyers out there who say they handle truck cases, the fact is that few can match our experience, resources and results. We have tried truck crash cases and obtained millions in compensation for victims of truck driver and trucking company negligence.

What might have caused my accident involving a heavy truck or commercial vehicle?

Many truck accidents are caused by:

• Overly tired truck drivers who fall asleep behind the wheel
• Unsafe or oversized loads
• Drunk or otherwise impaired truck drivers
• Blowouts and other incidents that may be related to improper maintenance
• Speeding or reckless driving on the part of truck drivers
• Truck drivers who fail to properly adjust to hazardous weather or other dangerous conditions

What should I do if I’m involved in a truck crash?

Do everything you can to preserve and document evidence. Try to prevent your vehicle from being destroyed or sold for salvage, as your vehicle is important evidence of your actions and potentially of your injuries or those of your passengers. Your car also may be needed to prove that your vehicle did or did not have a mechanical defect or condition that contributed to cause the crash. The interior of the vehicle may show signs of blood, skin, or other DNA from which experts can conclude who was driving (which sometimes is in issue in litigation), the injury sequence, and what parts of your body struck the inside of the vehicle. This evidence is crucial for proving brain injuries in particular.

Obviously it’s important to seek treatment after being injured in an accident. Soon after your accident, it’s also important to contact a personal injury lawyer with experience in successfully handling truck accident claims.

As your attorneys, we will immediately undertake the process of trying to gather and preserve evidence. It is critical to proving what occurred and determining fault. The trucking company and insurance companies will be on-scene after a crash, but they will not be collecting evidence to help you. They will look only for evidence that helps them and will ignore the evidence that might prove their driver to be at-fault for the crash. The insurance companies have a major advantage that an injured driver cannot match without immediate representation. Therefore, it is important to promptly hire Konicek & Dillon, P.C., to represent you or your family member after a truck crash.

We Are Here, Ready To Help You Get Maximum Compensation

To schedule a free initial consultation, call our Geneva law office at 630-313-2071 or our Chicago law office at 312-239-0283. You can also schedule an appointment by sending an email via our online contact form.