Recently in Truck Accidents Category

Truck Rollover On Ramp From I290 To Dan Ryan Expressway

April 20, 2012, by

A truck accident occurred early this morning on the ramp from Interstate 290 to southbound Interstate 94.

Details on the accident are limited.

A dump truck flipped over on the ramp at approximately 1:18 a.m. According to police, the truck was moving too fast as it hit the curve on the ramp.

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Semi Runs Over Car On Chicago's Bishop Ford Expressway

March 14, 2012, by

This morning, a major vehicle accident occurred on Chicago's Bishop Ford Expressway when a car was "run over" by a semi truck.

The accident happened at approximately 6:30 a.m. on the inbound lanes of the Bishop Ford, just north of Sibley Blvd.

The accident happened when a truck headed into major traffic congestion, and rolled over the rear of a car ahead of it.

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9 Injured When Fire Truck Collides With Car On Chicago's Far South Side

February 1, 2012, by

A Chicago fire truck collided with a car Tuesday night, injuring 9 people.

The accident is still being investigated. However, it is being reported that the fire truck was on the way to a call, around 6:15 p.m., when it collided with a sedan at West 128th Place and South Halsted. This intersection is on Chicago's Far South Side.

According to authorities, the car reportedly had been stopped at the intersection, waiting for the fire truck - but then suddenly started moving again as the fire truck approached. The fire truck could not stop, and collided with the car.

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Preventing "Back-Over" Deaths

January 10, 2012, by

The subject of "back-over accidents" is discussed in the November 28 - December 4 Bloomberg Businessweek article titled "The Price of Preventing Back-Over Deaths."

"Back-over accidents" are those that happen when a vehicle inadvertently hits, or runs over, an unseen person as the vehicle moves in reverse (i.e. "backs up".)

Often times, these accidents occur because the person behind the vehicle is in the vehicle's blind spot, and, as such, is not visible to the driver.

The Bloomberg Businessweek article discusses the costs and benefits of implementing warning and detection systems, such as rear-view cameras, to prevent back-over accidents and deaths.

An excerpt from the article:

Each year, about 292 people die and 18,000 are injured in back-over accidents, according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. By yearend the agency is expected to issue a regulation requiring rear-view cameras on all new automobiles sold in the U.S. starting in 2014. NHTSA says the cameras will cut the number of deaths by half, to 146 a year. Yet the auto industry is questioning the prospective rule, calling it an example of overregulation by the federal government. NHTSA estimates it will cost automakers as much as $2.7 billion to install the devices on 16 million cars every year, which works out to about $18.5 million per life saved.

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Car-Truck Accident On Bishop Ford Expressway Injures 2 People

November 13, 2011, by

An accident occurred Friday night on the Bishop Ford Expressway near Cottage Grove Avenue.

The accident happened at approximately 11:15 p.m. According to the Illinois State Police, a Ford Mustang changed lanes and braked in front of a semi tractor-trailer in order to avoid a car accident; the truck hit the car, swerved to the left and overturned. The Mustang ran into a ditch on the right.

Both the driver of the Mustang and semi truck were taken to hospitals. Neither of their injuries were considered life-threatening.

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Deadly Indiana Toll Road Accident Of October 27

October 29, 2011, by

Details continue to emerge concerning the Thursday evening Indiana Toll Road accident that killed 7 people. The accident occurred around 7:00 p.m. Chicago time as a minivan carrying 10 people was traveling east on the Indiana Toll Road in Bristol, Indiana. The van first hit a deer, then was rear-ended by a semi.

Excerpts from the October 28 WBEZ.org story titled "Indiana Toll Road crash claims Chicago victims, including a child" :

The crash claimed the lives of seven of the 10 people who were in the 1998 Toyota Sienna minivan traveling from Chicago to New Jersey for a funeral. The names of the victims have not been released.

also:

Seven of the van's occupants died at the scene, including an infant. One male survivor in the van was taken to Elkhart General Hospital where he is listed in stable condition. Another man and a woman were both airlifted to South Bend Memorial Hospital and are in critical condition.

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3 Truck Accidents In 9 Hours On Chicago's Dan Ryan Expressway

September 29, 2011, by

There were three truck accidents on Chicago's Dan Ryan Expressway within a 9-hour span early Tuesday.

According to a CBS Chicago story from September 27 titled "3 Truck Crashes In 9 Hours On Dan Ryan Expressway" :

A semi and dump truck were involved in a crash in the inbound local lanes of the Dan Ryan near 57th street around 1 a.m., according to the Illinois State Police. No injuries were reported.

Also, about five hours later, around 6:10 a.m., another semi truck was in an accident about 5 miles north. This truck flipped over and hit two cars in the outbound lanes. According to the Illinois State Police, the accident occurred near the Taylor Street - Roosevelt Road exit. It is unknown if injuries were sustained during this accident.

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NTSB Recommendation To Ban Trucker Cellphone Use While Driving

September 21, 2011, by

The NTSB has recommended that truckers not be allowed to use either handheld or hands-free cellular telephones while driving during commercial operations, except in emergencies.

This recommendation is seen in an accident report of a fatal collision that occurred in Kentucky on March 26, 2010.

As seen in the "Highway Accident Report: Truck-trailer Semitrailer Median Crossover Collision with 15-Passenger Van...", the use of a cellphone by a trucker is said to have caused a "distracted driver" situation that led to the March 26, 2010 accident in which 11 people died.

As stated in the Report's Executive Summary:

On Friday, March 26, 2010, about 5:14 a.m. central daylight time, near Munfordville, Kentucky, a 1999 Freightliner truck-tractor in combination with a 1998 Strick Corporation 53-foot-long van semitrailer, owned by the motor carrier Hester, Inc., and being driven by a 45-year-old male, was traveling south on Interstate 65 (I-65) near milepost 61.5. The truck departed the left lane of southbound I-65 at a shallow angle and entered the 60-foot-wide depressed earthen median between the southbound and northbound roadways. The truck traveled across the median and struck and overrode the high-tension, four-cable, alternating-post median barrier adjacent to the left shoulder of northbound I-65. It then crossed the left shoulder and entered the travel lanes of northbound I-65.

At that time, a 2000 Dodge 15-passenger van, driven by a 41-year-old male and occupied by 11 passengers, was traveling northbound in the left lane. As the truck crossed in front of the van, its tractor was struck by the van. The van rotated clockwise and became engaged with the truck's trailer; the two vehicles continued across both travel lanes and the right shoulder of northbound I-65. As the truck and van traveled across the right shoulder, the van separated from the truck, struck the cut rock wall beyond the shoulder, and rebounded back into the travel lanes, coming to rest in the left lane of northbound I-65, facing south. The truck's tractor struck the cut rock wall, and the vehicle rolled onto its right side. As the truck came to rest across both northbound lanes, a fire ensued that destroyed the tractor and the sides and roof of the semitrailer.

As a result of the accident and subsequent truck fire, the truck driver, the van driver, and nine van passengers died. Two child passengers in the van, who were using child restraints, sustained minor injuries.

Under "Probable Cause" was this paragraph:

The National Transportation Safety Board determines that the probable cause of this accident was the truck driver's failure to maintain control of the truck-tractor combination vehicle because he was distracted by use of his cellular telephone. Contributing to the severity of the accident were a median barrier that was not designed to safely contain or redirect the heavy vehicle and the lack of adequate guidance to the states in the form of high-performance median barrier warrants.

One of the recommendations by the NTSB, made To The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration, as well as to the 50 States and the District of Columbia is:

Prohibit the use of both handheld and hands-free cellular telephones by all commercial driver's license holders while driving in commercial operations, except in emergencies. (H-11-XX) [This recommendation supersedes Safety Recommendation H-06-27.]

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Elman Law Group LLC concentrates in Personal Injury and Wrongful Death cases involving car accidents as well as other types of vehicle accidents (bike, bus, motorcycle, pedestrian, truck, etc.) This intense focus allows us to consistently achieve winning verdicts and settlements for our clients.

If you or a relative have been injured or killed in an accident, call 773-392-8182 at any time for a free consultation to discuss your rights. There is no fee for this consultation.


Man Run Over By Truck He Was Driving Near Litchfield Illinois

September 5, 2011, by

According to WSMI Radio, a truck driver was run over by the truck he was driving Sunday morning near Litchfield, Illinois.

The truck driver has been identified as John Yarian, of Apache Junction, Arizona.

The accident happened, according to Illinois State Police, when Yarian pulled his truck off the interstate to check a mechanical problem. The accident's cause was reported to be that the truck was not completely put into "Park," and subsequently the truck rolled over Yarian.

According to the Montgomery County Coroner's office, Yarian was pronounced dead at the scene.

Continue reading "Man Run Over By Truck He Was Driving Near Litchfield Illinois" »

Semi Truck Jackknifes And Flips On Chicago's Dan Ryan Expressway

August 22, 2011, by

Yesterday afternoon, a semi jack-knifed and flipped over on Chicago's Dan Ryan Expressway, causing major delays as Chicago Fire Department's hazardous materials team cleaned up leaking diesel fuel.

The truck accident happened on the outbound Dan Ryan ramp near 26th Street shortly after noon.

It took workers all Sunday afternoon and into the evening before the truck was removed from the expressway around 8:15 p.m. Intermittent lane closures caused major traffic delays as the truck and its fuel were removed from the expressway.

Additional information can be seen on ABC7's story titled "Semi flips, leaks diesel fuel on Dan Ryan."

Semi Truck Flips Over On Stevenson Expressway Near Burr Ridge Illinois

August 19, 2011, by

A semi truck hauling locomotive parts "flipped over" and slid across three lanes of traffic on the Stevenson Expressway near Burr Ridge today, August 19. The accident happened at 7:45 on the ramp from County Line Road southbound to I-55 northbound.

According to Illinois State Police, two cars tried to avoid the truck accident; however, those cars collided, sending four people to hospitals with non-life-threatening injuries.

According to ISP Elgin District Sgt. Brent Hop, the truck driver was not hurt but is expected to be cited.

Additional details can be found in the August 19 MyFox Chicago article titled "Truck Flips on Stevenson, Four Hurt in Subsequent Collision."

Woman Hit By City of Chicago Truck May 21 Recalls Accident

July 20, 2011, by

The May 22 post, titled "City Truck Collision Sends 8 To Hospital In Chicago" detailed the incident in which a City of Chicago truck ran into a crowd of people.

A victim from the accident, Jennifer Anton, 25, spoke yesterday of the accident. She says that seconds before the pickup truck ran over a curb and slammed into her, she noticed shocked looks on the faces of nearby pedestrians. She was able to push the stroller she was pushing out of the way before she was hit by the truck, and the toddler's father later hailed her as a hero.

Next thing she knew she was face down on the sidewalk.

"I just remember screaming in pain," Anton said Tuesday while at a news conference in her lawyer's office to call attention to a lawsuit against the truck driver and the city of Chicago. "I could just feel that I was broken."

The truck driver, Dwight Washington, a city employee, was found to have a blood-alcohol concentration (BAC) of 0.183 percent, according to police. This level is more than twice the legal limit to drive. The crash at Cedar and Rush streets in Chicago's Gold Coast neighborhood left six other pedestrians injured.

Washington was charged with felony drunken driving causing bodily harm and ticketed for transporting and carrying alcohol, failing to reduce speed and negligent driving.

Anton and the child she was caring for are both plaintiffs in separate civil lawsuits against both the city and Washington. The suits claim that Washington's city supervisors "knew or should have known" he was driving drunk.

Anton, who has braces on both her legs, said she has undergone 11 surgeries. She said that she still has no feeling in her right foot and is not expected to walk again until sometime next year.

Additional details can be found in the July 19 ABC7 News story titled "Nanny who saved child in Gold Coast crash talks."

City Truck Collision Sends 8 To Hospital In Chicago Illinois

May 22, 2011, by

According to a variety of sources, including the NBC Chicago story "Charges Pending in Sidewalk Crash", a truck accident occurred involving a city vehicle on Saturday afternoon (May 21) at 12:20pm.

The Streets & Sanitation Ford F-150 pickup truck was northbound on State Street when the driver lost control and struck adults and a child at 6 E. Cedar St., according to police News Affairs Officer John Mirabelli.

Charges are pending Sunday morning against the Streets and Sanitation worker who police say had been drinking before the accident.

Three witnesses said the driver "looked intoxicated" and was calmly smoking a cigarette after the crash.

Responding officers had the submit to field sobriety tests, a witness said, adding that the driver had difficulty walking in a straight line.

Police, who believe alcohol was involved, said the 61-year-old driver would be charged Sunday morning.

The city employee driving the city truck was part of a "loop unit". According to officials, the employee was in the middle of a shift that began at 6 a.m. He was required to submit to drug & alcohol testing after the accident, which is standard procedure.

Police reported seven people were injured: a 34-year-old man and 25-year-old woman, who went to Northwestern Memorial Hospital; a 58-year-old man, 23-year-old woman and 27-year-old man who went to St. Joseph's Hospital; a one-year-old girl who went to Children's Memorial Hospital; and a 27-year-old man who went to Advocate Illinos Masonic Medical Center.

The child was in good condition by about 2:30 p.m., while a woman in her mid-20s believed to be the child's caregiver was in very critical condition at Northwestern Memorial Hospital, police said.

None of the injuries are believed to be life-threatening, said Fire Media Affairs spokesman Larry Langford.

The police department's Major Accidents Unit is investigating the crash.