A truck driver on the road for nearly 38
hours, with only 3 ½ hours of sleep killed a tollway worker and seriously
injured an Illinois State Trooper.
The tollway worker and trooper were
assisting a disabled semi-truck on the side of the road when the negligent
truck driver slammed into the police car.
The force of the collision pushed the squad car into the back of the
tollway worker’s vehicle, which then struck the disabled truck. The impact was so strong that all three
vehicles went up in a fiery explosion. According
to witnesses, the trooper was on fire when he crawled out of his squad
car. He suffered third-degree burns to
15-percent of his body, broken ribs and shoulders, and bleeding of the brain;
he is expected to recover. The tollway worker died at the scene; he leaves behind
a wife and two children. At the time of
the accident, the trooper’s lights were flashing and an illuminated arrow on
the back of the truck was lit to direct traffic away from the semi-truck.
The trucker faces four felony charges
related to driving while fatigued and beyond his approved hours, and falsifying
records and duty status. By law, semi-truck drivers are required to get 10
hours of sleep after 14 hours of driving. He was also charged with failure to
reduce speed to avoid an accident, and failure to yield to stationary emergency
vehicles. It turns out that the
negligent driver has a record which includes convictions for speeding and
improper backing on a one-way street. He also was involved in a collision
resulting in property damage in March 2013.
So how does he get a commercial driver’s license? According to the Secretary of State's office,
because the crimes did not occur while he was driving a commercial vehicle, he
was not prohibited by law from obtaining a Commercial Drivers License (CDL ).
The defense said it was an unfortunate and
tragic accident. Driving while fatigued
is as bad a driving impaired or driving drunk; this accident did not have to
happen.
The legal process is much different when it
comes to semi-truck accidents mainly because the industry is so highly
regulated. The cases are very complex and typically result in larger payouts; insurance
companies have a vested interest in minimizing the liability in hopes to reduce
payouts. They deploy tactics in hopes to
reduce the overall settlement. These tactics work especially when the plaintiff
is having financial difficulties and the bills are piling up. The alternative
to a settling for full case value is to obtain lawsuit
funding.
When a financial
setback arises due to the negligence of another, most victims do not realize
they can apply for a lawsuit cash advance before their lawsuit settles. This is
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settlement. There are no upfront fees,
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lose the case.
If
you have been seriously injured or lost a loved on in a semi-truck accident, Lawsuit
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With our lawsuit cash advance program, a plaintiff and his/her
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