CHICAGO TRUCK ACCIDENT LAWYER
PRACTICE AREAS
- $30M Commercial vehicle settlement
- $18.15M Truck accident verdict
- $9.125M Wrongful death truck accident partial settlement
Past results do not guarantee a similar outcome in any future case.
When to Consult a Lawyer for a Truck Accident in Chicago
If you or a loved one has been involved in a truck accident in Chicago, it’s crucial to consult with a truck accident attorney as soon as possible. Early consultation with a commercial truck accident attorney ensures that your rights are protected from the start.
A truck accident lawyer can help navigate the complexities of your case, especially as these types of personal injury cases involve multiple parties, including trucking companies, insurance company or companies, and other entities. Seeking early legal advice from an experienced truck accident lawyer is essential to avoid common pitfalls, such as accepting a quick or average truck accident settlement that may not cover all your medical expenses or failing to collect vital evidence.
Remember, the sooner you seek legal counsel from our Chicago truck accident lawyers after a truck crash, the better equipped you’ll be to face the legal challenges ahead.
Immediate steps
The carrier's team is already working. Protect your claim first.
- Photograph the truck's DOT number and company name
- Get a copy of the police report
- See a doctor the same day, even if you feel fine
- Keep your damaged clothing and vehicle exactly as they are
- Write down every witness's name and phone number
- Do not give a recorded statement to the trucking company's insurer
- Do not sign anything from the carrier
How the case proceeds
From the first call to the final check.
- Free case review
- Preservation letters sent before logs and data are destroyed
- Investigation and black box data download
- Claim or complaint filed
- Discovery, records, and depositions
- Settlement, or trial if the carrier won't pay fair value
How Can a Chicago Truck Accident Lawyer Help?
A Chicago truck accident lawyer provides invaluable assistance in several ways. Chicago truck accident attorneys have the expertise to investigate semi-truck accidents thoroughly, gather evidence, and identify all liable parties using their extensive experience with personal injury cases. This includes understanding complex trucking regulations, including state and federal regulations governing the trucking industry.
An experienced truck accident lawyer can accurately assess the full extent of your damages and out-of-pocket costs, ensuring that you seek fair compensation in your personal injury lawsuit. Our Chicago personal injury lawyers negotiate with the insurance and truck companies on your behalf, pursuing a fair settlement for the injuries the semi-truck accident caused.
Your Chicago, IL, truck accident lawyer is prepared to take your truck accident case to trial if necessary, advocating for your rights and interests. A Chicago semi truck accident lawyer at Curcio & Casciato is your dedicated ally, guiding you through the legal process and striving to achieve the best possible outcome for your truck accident claim.
What Damages Can I Recover in a Truck Accident Case?
Our Chicago truck accident lawyers have recovered tens of millions of dollars for people hurt by commercial trucks, including an $18.15 million verdict for a teenager critically injured when struck by a truck. The table below shows a selection of our truck and commercial vehicle results. Review more of our motor vehicle accident results.
Settlement
$30,000,000
A mother and daughter struck in a crosswalk by a commercial vehicle.
Verdict
$18,150,000
Teen struck by a truck.
Partial settlement
$9,125,000
Wrongful death, Central District of Illinois.
Partial settlement
$8,000,000
Semi-truck accident.
Settlement
$7,000,000
Woman struck in a crosswalk by a commercial vehicle.
Settlement
$4,800,000
Truck driver killed at a truck stop.
Verdict
$2,130,000
Truck accident.
Past results do not guarantee a similar outcome in any future case.
All truck accident cases are different, so we recommend calling our office and speaking with an experienced Chicago truck accident lawyer at 312-321-1111 as soon as possible for a free consultation.
Damages for Chicago Truck Accidents
This includes the cost associated with past and future medical expenses. Compensation should cover all medical bills and future medical treatment associated with the semi-truck collision. Our law firm will use your medical records and bring in medical expert witnesses, if necessary, to prove this value.
Sometimes, accident victims cannot resume their previous level of work due to a serious injury. This leads to losses in the future, and our Chicago auto accident attorneys fight for this to be included in our client’s damages. We use a range of techniques to calculate lost wages for our clients.
Truck accident victims can seek various types of damages if they have suffered permanent disability in order to address the significant challenges they face. The need for full-time caretakers and ongoing medical treatments can further contribute to the overall financial burden, all of which can be considered as recoverable damages to help ensure that victims receive the necessary support and resources to adapt to their new circumstances and maintain their quality of life.
A Chicago catastrophic injuries lawyer can help victims secure financial compensation for all of the serious injuries mentioned and more.
In many cases, those involved in major truck accidents cannot enjoy life as they did before they suffered injuries. Our injury lawyers can seek damages for this in your truck accident lawsuit.
Sometimes, marriages are negatively affected by truck accidents. This counts as damages, and a Chicago accident lawyer at Curcio & Casciato can fight for every right you have to receive fair compensation.
Once our Chicago personal injury lawyers determine all your losses, we will document them, value them, and total them. This states the value of the potential personal injury lawsuit.
How Chicago Truck Accident Settlements are Calculated
In Chicago, damages from a truck or car accident are calculated considering various factors. These include current and future medical expenses, lost income, and loss of earning capacity if the injuries affect your long-term ability to work.
Non-economic damages, such as pain and suffering, are also considered in a personal injury lawsuit. In cases involving particularly egregious negligence, punitive damages may be awarded.
At Curcio & Casciato, our Chicago truck accident lawyers work with medical professionals and financial experts to accurately estimate the total impact of your serious injuries, ensuring that the compensation sought reflects the true extent of your damages.
What Proof Do You Need for a Truck Accident Lawsuit in Illinois?
You need substantial evidence for a successful personal injury lawsuit in Illinois to prove liability and damages. This includes a police report, witness statements, and photographic or video evidence from the accident scene.
Medical records are crucial to establish the extent of your injuries. Documentation of lost income and other financial losses is also necessary. Additionally, evidence specific to truck accidents, such as the truck driver’s logbook, vehicle maintenance records, and the history of the trucking company, can be pivotal.
At Curcio & Casciato, our Chicago commercial truck accident attorney team leverages our expertise in personal injury law to gather and present compelling evidence that supports your truck accident claim.
Federal Trucking Regulations That Prove Negligence
Interstate trucking companies must follow Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration rules on driver hours, qualifications, drug and alcohol testing, maintenance, and cargo securement. A violation is strong evidence of negligence in an Illinois truck accident claim. Commercial drivers are also held to a 0.04 blood alcohol limit, half the limit for other drivers.
Carriers must keep a qualification file on every driver, including license history, medical certification, and prior employer checks, and must systematically inspect and maintain every truck they run. Interstate carriers hauling general freight must carry at least $750,000 in liability coverage, and carriers hauling certain hazardous materials must carry up to $5 million.
ELD, Black Box, and Telematics Evidence
Most commercial trucks carry an electronic logging device that records driving time and duty status, plus an engine control module, often called a black box, that records speed, braking, and throttle in the seconds before impact. Fleet telematics and dash cameras add GPS location and video of the crash itself.
None of this data is permanent. Federal rules require carriers to keep driver duty status records for only six months, and some systems overwrite crash data far sooner. A Chicago truck accident lawyer from our firm sends preservation letters within days and secures the downloads before the evidence disappears.
The evidence that proves your case expires long before the lawsuit deadline does.
- 14 to 30 days Surveillance video Often overwritten automatically.
- Every mile driven Black box data Can be overwritten with continued use.
- 6 months ELD and driver logs All carriers are required to keep.
- 2 years Lawsuit deadline By then, the proof may be gone.
We send preservation letters within days, not months.
Call 312-321-1111Illinois Truck Accident Statute of Limitations
Most Chicago truck accident claims must be filed within two years of the crash under 735 ILCS 5/13-202. Miss that deadline and the claim is gone, no matter how strong the evidence. Several exceptions shorten or change the clock, and truck cases trigger them more often than ordinary car crashes.
A claim against a city, county, CTA, Pace, or other local public entity must be filed within one year under 745 ILCS 10/8-101. That covers crashes with municipal garbage trucks, snowplows, and public works vehicles, and CTA claims also require written notice within six months. Claims against State of Illinois entities go to the Illinois Court of Claims.
A crash with a USPS mail truck falls under the Federal Tort Claims Act, which requires an administrative claim with the Postal Service within two years before any lawsuit can be filed. Our Chicago USPS accident lawyers handle that federal process from the first filing.
| Type of Claim | Deadline | Runs From | Statutory Basis |
|---|---|---|---|
| Personal injury | 2 years | Date of the crash | 735 ILCS 5/13-202 |
| Wrongful death | 2 years | Date of death | 740 ILCS 180/2 |
| Property damage | 5 years | Date of the crash | 735 ILCS 5/13-205 |
| Local government, CTA, or Pace vehicle | 1 year, CTA notice within 6 months | Date of the crash | 745 ILCS 10/8-101 |
| State of Illinois vehicle | 2 years, Court of Claims | Date of the crash | 705 ILCS 505 |
| USPS vehicle | 2 years for the administrative claim | Date of the crash | 28 U.S.C. § 2401(b) |
| Injured minor | 2 years | The minor’s 18th birthday | 735 ILCS 5/13-211 |
Evidence deadlines run faster than legal ones. Because carriers only have to keep driver logs for six months, waiting until the filing deadline approaches can cost you the proof. Call a Chicago truck accident lawyer at 312-321-1111 as soon as possible after the crash.
Common Causes of Truck Accidents in Chicago
Various factors, including driver fatigue, speeding or reckless driving, and malfunctions cause truck accidents in Illinois.
Mechanical failures, such as truck brakes or steering malfunctions, as seen in Ford death wobbles, tire blowouts, etc., can lead to semi-truck crashes. Additionally, improper cargo loading can cause trucks to be unbalanced or overweight, increasing the risk of trucking accidents.
Understanding the causes as well as federal regulations for commercial trucking companies is critical for establishing liability in these accident cases.
These failures produce crash patterns rarely seen between passenger cars. A jackknife happens when a tractor-trailer’s trailer swings out at an angle to the cab, usually after hard braking, speeding into a curve, or an unbalanced load. A single jackknife can block every lane of the Dan Ryan or the Stevenson at once.
Underride crashes are among the deadliest. A passenger car slides beneath the rear or side of a trailer, and the trailer bed strikes the windshield and roof. Federal rules require rear impact guards on most trailers, but side guards are not required. A missing or damaged rear guard can support a claim against the carrier.
tractor-trailer crashes in Illinois in 2025
of Illinois fatal crashes involved a tractor-trailer
people killed were outside the truck
Illinois Truck Accident Statistics
Illinois recorded 11,294 crashes involving tractor-trailers in 2024, including 91 fatal crashes and 1,750 injury crashes, according to IDOT’s 2024 Crash Facts report. Tractor-trailers were involved in 3.7% of all Illinois crashes but 8.4% of fatal crashes, more than double their share.
The people killed are rarely the ones in the truck. Of the 106 deaths in Illinois tractor-trailer crashes in 2024, only 15 were truck occupants. Another 83 were people in other vehicles, and 7 were pedestrians. Interstates and tollways accounted for 32 of the 50 fatal tractor-trailer crashes on urban roads.
Cook County recorded 164,559 crashes of all types and 333 fatal crashes in 2024, more than any other county in Illinois. Work zones add risk on top of that: large trucks were involved in 1,976 Illinois work zone crashes in 2024, and 12 of those crashes were fatal.
Types of Truck Accident Cases Our Injury Lawyers Handle
At Curcio & Casciato, our truck accident lawyer team handles diverse truck accident cases. Our expertise covers these and other types of truck accidents, offering specialized legal representation for each personal injury claim.
Semi-Truck Accidents
Semi-truck accidents in Chicago are often catastrophic due to the massive size and weight of the semi-truck. A semi-truck accident can be caused by various factors, including driver error, mechanical failures, and challenging driving conditions in Chicago’s busy streets.
At Curcio & Casciato, our Chicago semi-truck accident lawyers understand the complexities that a truck accident claim brings. Our Chicago semi-truck accident lawyers work tirelessly to investigate cases involving semi-truck crashes, determining liability and pursuing the maximum compensation for our clients.
Tractor Trailer Accidents
Accidents involving tractor-trailers in Chicago pose significant risks due to the extensive damage a tractor-trailer can cause. Common causes of tractor-trailer accidents include driver fatigue, improper maintenance, and overloading.
At Curcio & Casciato, our Chicago tractor-trailer accident lawyers have the expertise to handle the intricacies of tractor-trailer accident cases, ensuring that every aspect of the tractor-trailer accident is thoroughly examined to secure the best possible outcome for our clients.
Amazon Delivery Accidents
With the increase in online deliveries, Amazon truck accidents in Chicago have become more prevalent. These accidents can involve unique complexities, given the involvement of a large corporation like Amazon.
Our Chicago Amazon truck accident lawyers at Curcio & Casciato are skilled in navigating these complexities, from investigating the accident to dealing with corporate legal teams and trucking companies, ensuring clients receive fair compensation.
Garbage Truck Accidents
A garbage truck is a type of commercial vehicle. A garbage truck involved in an accident in Chicago presents unique challenges due to the nature of its operations in residential areas and the frequent stops it makes.
Our Chicago garbage truck accident attorneys have experience handling garbage truck accident claims, offering specialized legal expertise to achieve justice for those injured.
Tanker Accidents
UPS Truck Accidents
Post Office Truck Accidents
USPS or post office truck accidents in Chicago often occur in residential neighborhoods where frequent stops and close proximity to pedestrians increase the risk of collisions. These crashes can result in injuries such as head trauma, fractures, and soft tissue damage, especially in low-speed but high-contact impacts.
Fatal Truck Accident Claims in Chicago, IL
Severe injuries are all too common in truck accidents in Chicago and the surrounding cities. When a trucking accident leads to a death, the deceased’s family or personal representatives may pursue damages for wrongful death. In Illinois, family members can pursue wrongful death compensation from the negligent party after a fatal truck accident.
Our experienced Chicago fatal truck accident lawyers provide a free consultation and comprehensive legal representation for grieving families for any accident involving a wrongful death.
Where Chicago Truck Accident Cases Are Filed
Most Chicago truck accident lawsuits are filed in the Law Division of the Circuit Court of Cook County at the Richard J. Daley Center. When an out-of-state carrier is sued and damages exceed $75,000, the defense often removes the case to the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Illinois. Our Chicago truck accident lawyers litigate in both courts.
Six counties. Eleven courthouses. We try cases in every one of them.
Suburban district courthouses
- Skokie
- Rolling Meadows
- Maywood
- Bridgeview
- Markham
DuPage County Courthouse, Wheaton
Will County Courthouse, Joliet
Lake County Courthouse, Waukegan
Kane County Judicial Center, St. Charles
McHenry County Courthouse, Woodstock
Chicago-area Level I trauma centers
- Northwestern Memorial
- University of Chicago Medical Center
- Stroger Hospital
- Advocate Christ
- Mount Sinai
- Loyola University Medical Center
- Lurie Children'sPediatric
Cook County and the City of Chicago
Chicago cases go to the Daley Center, while suburban Cook County cases are heard in Skokie, Rolling Meadows, Maywood, Bridgeview, or Markham. Truck crashes cluster on the Dan Ryan, Kennedy, Stevenson, Eisenhower, and Tri-State, and around the freight yards near O’Hare and Bedford Park. Cook County had 333 fatal crashes in 2024.
Will County
Will County cases are filed at the Will County Courthouse in Joliet. The I-55 and I-80 corridors carry heavy freight traffic to and from the CenterPoint intermodal hubs in Elwood and Joliet, which keeps semi-truck volume high around the clock. Will County recorded 56 fatal crashes in 2024, the second most in Illinois.
DuPage County
DuPage County cases are filed at the DuPage County Courthouse in Wheaton. Truck traffic concentrates on I-88, I-355, and I-294, along with the warehouse corridors that feed them through Naperville, Downers Grove, and Elk Grove Village. DuPage County recorded 54 fatal crashes in 2024.
Lake, Kane, and McHenry Counties
Lake County cases are heard in Waukegan, Kane County cases at the Kane County Judicial Center in St. Charles, and McHenry County cases in Woodstock. I-94, I-90, and US-12 carry most of the region’s freight, and these three counties combined for 101 fatal crashes in 2024.
Chicago Trauma Centers
The hospital that treats you shapes the evidence in your truck accident case. Level I trauma centers that receive Chicago truck crash victims include Northwestern Memorial, UChicago Medicine, Stroger Hospital, Advocate Christ in Oak Lawn, Loyola University Medical Center in Maywood, and Mount Sinai. We obtain complete records from every IDPH-designated trauma center involved.
Chicago Truck Accident Attorney FAQs
Who is Responsible for a Chicago Truck Accident?
Many people and companies can share responsibility for a truck accident. That is why injured people often find truck crashes more complicated than car accidents when deciding whether to file an injury claim in Chicago.
Most truck accidents involve multiple parties. You may recover compensation for medical bills and other economic and non-economic damages from every party responsible for the vehicle or vehicles involved.
A few of these may include:
- Truck driver: Driver error is the first consideration for truck accident claims.
- Trucking company: The trucking company is in charge of hiring commercial truck drivers and is often responsible for their training and conduct. A trucking company must ensure that their drivers can operate large trucks or tractor-trailers without causing accidents. If they don’t, the truck company can be liable for negligence.
- Truck owner: Trucking companies often rent trucks from third-party vendors. If the truck is owned by someone else, and the owner fails to maintain the truck properly, they may be held liable.
- Truck manufacturer: If the truck experiences a defect that leads to a truck crash, the manufacturer of the truck might be at fault.
- Cargo Company: These companies are responsible for loading and unloading the trucks. Therefore, improper loading might have caused the accident.
- Large truck parts manufacturer: Large trucks, tractor trailers, and even delivery trucks contain hundreds, if not thousands, of different parts. If one of these essential parts fails, the manufacturer associated with the truck company might be liable.
How Long Does it Take to Settle a Truck Accident Case in Chicago?
Typically, a truck accident case will take longer to resolve than a car accident or claims related to other vehicles. This is largely related to the accident severity, liability investigation, and determination of insurance coverage for multiple parties.
Each insurance company will often try to offer a low-ball amount immediately after an accident, but this amount is rarely fair for you.
We recommend waiting until all of your medical treatments are complete before attempting to settle. This way, you will know the full extent of medical expenses, especially if you sustained severe injuries due to the accident.
We highly recommend speaking with an experienced Chicago truck accident lawyer to receive the compensation you deserve for your damages. We can give you a reasonable truck accident claim settlement timeline for your case.
This timeline will hinge on how settlement negotiations are carried out. Settlement negotiations involve considering all the above factors and determining how much you are owed in your settlement. Negotiations often go back and forth more than once to achieve a fair settlement for your personal injury case.
What are Common Truck Accident Injuries in Chicago?
Our experienced Chicago truck accident lawyers understand the catastrophic nature of serious injuries resulting from truck crashes. Accidents involving semi trucks typically result in more severe injuries due to the sheer size and weight of these large trucks compared to passenger cars.
There are some of the more common injuries our law firm sees with truck accident claims:
- paralysis
- internal organ damage
- nerve damage
- amputation/loss of limbs
- road rash, bruising, and lacerations injury
- brain injuries
- burn injuries
- skull and facial fractures
- spinal cord injuries
- whiplash injuries
What is Truck Driver Negligence?
Negligence occurs when a truck driver fails to perform an expected duty of care. This usually causes serious injury.
Commercial trucks generally have significant blind spots, and truck drivers are far from exempt from damages caused by negligence. Common examples of truck driver negligence that often lead to personal injury cases include:
- Driving Under the Influence: Driving while under the influence is especially dangerous for truck drivers, as their vehicles are much larger and heavier than passenger cars. Federal regulations impose strict limits for commercial truck drivers, and Illinois law considers them over the limit when BAC exceeds 0.04. If alcohol use is suspected in a truck crash, our Chicago drunk driving accident lawyers have the experience to compile necessary evidence against the driver and possibly the trucking company.
- Speeding: Frequently, commercial trucking companies pay their truck drivers based on the number of miles they drive. For this reason, a truck driver may be tempted to drive over the speed limit. Commercial vehicle drivers who drive over speed limits risk losing control of their vehicle, potentially causing multiple vehicles to crash.
- Reckless or Aggressive Driving: Road rage, unnecessarily aggressive driving tactics, and other reckless forms of driving endanger all nearby motorists. If commercial trucks engage in this behavior, the commercial trucking company should have been aware before their employee caused an accident.
- Truck Driver Fatigue: Commercial drivers are subject to strict limitations, such as how many hours truck drivers can drive in a day or week. Some drivers might feel tempted to exceed this limit and engage in hours of service (HOS) violations to make more money.
- Improper Training or Trucking Company Negligence: Other issues, such as improper driver training or traffic violations, could lead to accidents. The trucking company can be held liable if drivers aren’t properly trained.
How Many Hours Can a Truck Driver Drive in a Day?
Truck drivers in the United States are subject to regulations set by the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) governing their service hours to promote safety on the road. These regulations stipulate that a truck driver can drive up to 11 consecutive hours daily, following a 10-hour rest period. Additionally, within a 14-hour work window after the start of their shift, they must take a mandatory 30-minute break after the first 8 hours of driving.
Failure to follow these regulations can be crucial evidence in semi-truck crashes. If a fatigued truck driver causes an accident, a Chicago personal injury lawyer can use this detail to prove that negligence occurred. This will help our truck accident lawyers hold the driver and sometimes the trucking company accountable for their actions or inaction.
Can I File an Insurance Claim if I Was Partly Responsible for the Truck Crash in Illinois?
Illinois is not a no-fault state but a comparative negligence state. This means that the at-fault party or their insurance company must pay for the other party’s damages resulting from the semi-truck accident.
More than one party is at fault in many Chicago commercial vehicle accidents. For these cases, Illinois uses a system called “modified comparative negligence.” This means that a plaintiff in a personal injury case may collect damages from a defendant so long as the plaintiff’s degree of fault is not over 50%. If Illinois law determines the plaintiff to hold over 50% of the fault, he or she may not receive compensation from the defendant.
At Curcio & Casciato, our truck accident lawyer team will work with your insurance company, the trucking company, and any other parties to help ensure your settlement or verdict will cover your medical bills and any future medical treatment you may need.
We offer an initial free consultation for trucking accident victims.
Can Chicago Truck Accident Victims Get Treatment Without Health Insurance?
After hiring a Chicago truck accident lawyer, we recommend exploring all of your options with the following as sources of payment for medical care:
Medicaid: If, after an accident, you lost your job and related health coverage, you may be eligible for Medicaid to cover medical bills. Our truck accident lawyers can help point you in the right direction.
Truck Company Medical Payment Coverage: Truck drivers and trucking companies often have medical payment coverage. This means that if a trucking company is responsible for a truck crash or injuries sustained by truck accident victims, their medical payment insurance covers up to a specified amount. Once that specified amount is paid, you must cover the rest.
Payment Arrangements: Sometimes, healthcare providers offer payment arrangements. Not every victim of an accident is insured, and doctors often understand this. Rather than paying a large sum at once, they might allow payment as a portion of your settlement proceeds. An experienced truck accident lawyer can help you with this, as well.
What Can I Expect From a Truck Accident Settlement in Chicago?
After trucking accidents, many people wonder exactly what they can get from a settlement. Truck accident settlements in Chicago often result in some pretty high-dollar cases. However, not every settlement ends in millions of recovery.
Each case’s settlement depends on several factors, including what types of injuries occurred, how much property damage occurred, lost wages accrued, the experience of your truck accident attorney, and much more. Rather than giving you a concrete amount you will receive, we will explain the damages we seek for our clients during a case.
Experienced Chicago Truck Accident Lawyers
Contacting an experienced Chicago truck accident attorney immediately after an accident is extremely important. Truck drivers and trucking companies are legally required to carry commercial liability insurance. Their insurance carriers begin working immediately to minimize their financial exposure in truck crash cases.
As an injured trucking accident victim, you need proper legal representation from a Chicago truck accident attorney to protect your rights and interests.
If you or a family member has been injured in a trucking accident, don’t hesitate to get in touch with the Chicago truck accident attorneys at Curcio & Casciato in downtown Chicago by calling 312-321-1111 or contacting us online and scheduling a free consultation today.