Tractor-trailers, tanker trucks, flatbed trucks, and other large commercial trucks play a crucial role in transporting goods across the United States. Unfortunately, these trucks can also cause severe damage during traffic accidents. If you or a loved one were hurt in a truck crash, you may be left wondering how you will pay for the medical expenses resulting from the injury. Medical debt can be a huge burden on a family – especially when the injured person is also unable to work and earn an income after the crash.

If another party’s negligence or recklessness caused the crash, that party may be liable for the victims’ medical expenses. However, determining who is liable for a truck crash is often a difficult task.

Liability for a Truck Accident Varies

The costs resulting from a commercial truck accident are often high enough to bankrupt a victim. Medical expenses, lost wages, and vehicle damage are just some of the expenses an injured victim may be forced to contend with. According to Illinois law, when a party’s negligence causes someone to be injured and suffer damages, that party is legally responsible for reimbursing the injured person for their damages. However, it is not always clear who is at fault for a truck crash. Liability could fall to:

Over the last couple of decades, with the growing prevalence of text messaging and smartphones, distracted driving has become one of the most dangerous risks of injury on the road. Most distracted driving accidents involve passenger vehicles, but commercial truck drivers can also fall prey to distraction. If you have been in an accident with a distracted truck driver, your injuries may be especially severe. However, you may also be entitled to substantial compensation, and a personal injury lawyer can help you take the necessary steps to secure it.

The Dangers of Cell Phones for Commercial Truck Drivers

For truck drivers, using a cell phone while driving is risky on multiple levels. Reading or typing a text message means that a driver’s full attention is not on the task of driving, and research shows that it may lead a driver to take their eyes off of the road for almost five seconds on average. Texting also typically requires the use of a driver’s hands, which makes it more difficult for the driver to make steering adjustments or otherwise control the vehicle.

Distracted driving can have outsized effects among truck drivers since the adjustment time to change direction or bring their vehicle safely to a stop is longer than the time for a typical passenger vehicle. The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) reports that texting makes truck drivers 23.2 times more likely to be involved in a crash or near-crash. Even simply dialing a phone by hand can make an accident or near-accident six times more likely.

Drowsy driving does not get the same level of attention as other forms of driver negligence, like drunk driving and distracted driving. However, the National Highway Traffic Safety Association (NHTSA) reports that driver fatigue is a serious and widespread problem, with conservative estimates indicating that it is responsible for 50,000 injuries and hundreds of fatalities each year. Driver fatigue is especially dangerous among commercial truck drivers, who often spend long hours on the road on a daily basis.

The Harmful Effects of Drowsy Driving

Driver fatigue can come about for a number of reasons, including long hours spent awake and on the road, driving late at night, and a general lack of sufficient sleep. When a driver is fatigued, they are at risk of falling asleep at the wheel. Even a so-called “microsleep” that lasts only a few seconds can have serious consequences for a driver traveling in traffic. For example, it can cause the driver to drift into another lane, or to fail to stop to avoid a rear-end collision.