PERSONAL INJURY: 3 TRUCKS CRASH RESULTING IN TRAGEDY
Any accident involving serious injuries or multiple motor vehicles can be complicated and difficult for victims to process how, where and against whom they should file their claims. After reviewing the details of an accident, some personal injury attorneys may advise victims of some crashes to file personal injury or wrongful death lawsuits to pursue recovery of monetary damages for medical expenses and other monetary damages. Recently, in Illinois, one such complex accident occurred when three tractor-trailer trucks collided, resulting in serious injuries for all three drivers.
The first driver was a 50-year-old woman from Joliet whose double trailer truck broke down while driving east on Interstate 80. She was able to pull it over to the shoulder as she waited for help. That help arrived in the form of a 49-year-old La Grange man, who pulled his vehicle up behind her on the shoulder. As he did so, a third tractor-trailer apparently swerved and hit the other two tractor-trailers as well as the trucker who had exited her truck as help arrived.
The third driver’s truck caught on fire after crashing. All three drivers suffered serious injuries, and the woman did not survive. Authorities have stated that unspecified charges are pending against the third driver.
This tragedy will likely result in workers’ compensation claims as well as personal injury and wrongful death litigation in civil court. The deceased victim’s surviving family will likely be entitled to survivors’ benefits through the Illinois workers’ comp system, while the two injured drivers can probably collect work comp benefits for medical expenses and lost income while recovering from their injuries. Separately, the woman’s family may pursue a wrongful death claim against the party or parties believed responsible for the deadly crash. In a similar vein, the injured driver in the second tractor-trailer may have a third party claim for personal injuries against the third trucker and that trucker’s employer.
Source: Chicago Tribune, “Woman killed when semi hits her, 2 trucks on I-80 near Joliet“, Liam Ford, Sept. 27, 2017