Chicago Car Accident Lawyers Blog
Chicago injury attorneys have resolved a case that stems from a deadly 2008 truck versus car accident that took place in Huntley, Illinois, according to the Northwest Herald. The accident involved a semi truck driver was under the influence of drugs. A woman was killed in the Illinois truck crash, and her husband and son were severely injured.
The accident happened back on October 31, 2008. The family was stopped in their pickup truck on Route 47 in the area of Interstate 90 waiting to make a turn. At that time their vehicle was rear-ended by a semi truck that was being driven by a 32-year-old driver from Spring Grove.
The truck was reportedly going around 60 mph at the time of impact. The crash pushed the family’s pickup truck into an Illinois Department of Transportation dump truck.
The Father was hospitalized for a month with a spinal fracture, facial fractures and respiratory issues. The son suffered two fractured legs, a laceration across his forehead and other head injuries.
The trucker is currently incarcerated, having been sentenced to 45 months in prison. The driver allegedly had smoked marijuana within 12 hours of the accident and there was enough drugs in his system to cause impairment.
The civil lawsuit further alleged that the truck was overloaded, it’s left rear turn signal was not working, half of its brakes were out of adjustment, and some brake pads were unsafe due to oil or grease. Also, the suit alleged the trucking company failed to comply with federal regulations by not performing random drug screens on it’s drivers and not performing background checks or obtaining copies of each of their driver’s driving records.
The lawsuit settled for a total of $6.5 million, which included 4.7 million for the death of the mother, 1.5 million to compensate for her husband’s injuries, and $300,000 for injuries to her son. The plaintiffs were represented by John Perconti of Levin & Perconti in Chicago.