Winter weather creates dangerous conditions for semi trucks on Chicago roads, including slick road conditions, increasing the risk of accidents. To prevent crashes, truck drivers must drive slower, exercise greater caution, and delay driving or get off the road when the winter weather conditions are too severe and dangerous to keep moving. Understanding the increased winter weather truck accident risks on slick roads and the responsibilities of truck drivers and trucking companies is key to preventing accidents and establishing liability if you or a loved one falls victim to the dangerous combination of winter weather and semi truck accidents.
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The Chicago truck accident lawyers at Ankin Law can help you seek justice after a winter weather-related semi-truck crash in Illinois. Call us today at 312-600-0000 to get your free case evaluation.
Winter Weather Increases Semi-Truck Accident Risks in Chicago
According to the State’s Winter Weather Preparedness Guide, an average of 29,000 winter weather-related crashes occur in Illinois each year, causing over 4,500 injuries and 80 deaths. The risk of severe or fatal crashes is much higher for semi-trucks operating in winter weather. Some of the conditions that put large commercial trucks at a higher risk of accidents during winter include:
- Freezing temperatures: Cold conditions can cause engine oil and brake fluid to thicken, fuel lines to clog up, and battery performance and capacity to reduce speed.
- High winds: High winds are not uncommon during the winter in Chicago, nicknamed the Windy City. These winds can make large trucks unstable and harder to steer, maintain a steady speed, and stay in their lanes of traffic.
- Reduced visibility: Semi-trucks have larger blind spots, reducing the visibility of other cars and the roadway. Snowy conditions further lessen visibility, making it harder for truck drivers to see what’s ahead and the traffic surrounding them.
- High center of gravity: Semi-trucks have a higher center of gravity that makes them more prone to jackknifing and rollovers when they lose control.
- Lower tire pressure: Tire performance is critical to truck safety. Cold temperatures often cause decreased tire pressure, which can affect the truck’s fuel efficiency and handling, reduce traction, and increase the risk of blowouts.
- Maneuvering challenges: It’s harder for trucks to navigate turns without skidding in wet or icy conditions.
Common Causes of Semi-Truck Crashes on Slick Roads
Winter arrives in Illinois with cold temperatures and slick and slippery driving surfaces from sleet, snow, freezing rain, and ice. The driving conditions pose unique challenges to truckers. Drivers who fail to exercise caution and follow rules and regulations often cause accidents. Common causes of semi-truck accidents on icy roads in cases that a truck accident lawyer handles include:
Speeding
Driving too fast for the current conditions is one of the leading causes of semi-truck crashes on slick roads. The FMCSA requires truck drivers to reduce their speeds by one-third on a wet road, half or more on packed snow, and discontinue operation in sufficiently dangerous conditions. A Large Truck Crash Causation Study (LTCCS) found that 23% of large truck accidents occurred when drivers were traveling too fast for the current conditions.
Speeding trucks can hydroplane, jackknife, or fishtail across slick roads as the drivers struggle to maintain control of the vehicles. Crashes at higher speeds cause serious or fatal injuries that lead to a higher-than-average truck accident settlement.
Inability to Stop in Time
Large trucks require more time and distance to come to a stop than passenger vehicles. Semi-trucks take 196 feet to stop, compared to 133 feet for passenger vehicles when traveling at 55 mph in normal conditions. When roads are slick from ice or snow, trucks can take up to 10 times longer to make a complete stop. As a result, truck drivers should increase their following distance accordingly to enable adequate stopping time and prevent collisions. The extended stopping distances can cause rear-end collisions and multiple-vehicle pileups, particularly in heavy traffic areas.
Improper Braking
Hard braking, misapplication of brakes, and sudden maneuvers can cause skidding, jackknifing, and rollovers. Carefully timed braking and avoiding sudden maneuvers are essential for safe truck driving on slick roads.
Maintenance Issues
Equipment maintenance issues, such as poor brake maintenance, underinflated tires, and inappropriate tire tread depth, may cause traction issues on icy roads and increase the risks of mechanical failures and accidents. Regular maintenance checks and ensuring trucks have proper winter weather equipment are important safety precautions.
Improperly Loaded Cargo
Improper cargo securement and weight distribution can cause problematic cargo movement on slick surfaces, resulting in accidents. The risk of improperly loaded cargo shifting unexpectedly and causing sudden weight redistribution is greater in the winter due to the slippery conditions. This can cause the truck to slide and even tip over onto other lanes or slam other vehicles.
Why You Need a Semi-Truck Accident Lawyer
A winter accident with a semi-truck can cause severe harm to victims. As any car accident lawyer can tell you, winter truck crashes are generally more dangerous for victims than regular passenger car accidents. It’s important not to go it alone and get a semi-truck accident lawyer involved in your case soon after the accident. Below are some of the biggest reasons why partnering up with a lawyer after a truck accident is crucial.
Guidance
Semi-truck accidents often take a heavy toll on victims. Dealing with the aftermath of these accidents while navigating the claims process can be overwhelming. A semi-truck accident lawyer will review the circumstances of your case and help you take the next legal steps. He or she will know the laws that impact your case, help you file all the necessary paperwork correctly and in a timely manner, and guide you through each step of the legal process.
Calculating the Full Value of Your Truck Accident Damages
You can collect several types of damages in a truck accident case. A semi-truck accident attorney will use your bills, receipts, estimates, and other relevant documentation to calculate your economic damages. Your claim should also account for your non-economic damages, such as pain and suffering, emotional distress, and disfigurement. An attorney will help you assess and assign a value to your non-economic damages.
Comprehensive Case Investigation and Evidence Gathering
Establishing how a truck accident occurred is essential to building a strong case. That requires conducting thorough investigations and meticulously gathering evidence.
A semi-truck accident lawyer in winter weather-related crashes will thoroughly examine the facts of your case. That may involve reviewing weather data, police reports, camera footage, truck driver’s logbook entries, past driving records, truck company maintenance records, winter weather policies, and other documentation, as well as working with accident reconstructionists. These investigations uncover factors that contributed to your crash, such as distracted driving, driver fatigue, and violation of winter weather regulations for commercial trucks. Your lawyer will ensure the necessary evidence is preserved.
Identifying All the Responsible Parties
Determining liability in winter-related accidents tends to be more complicated. Many different parties whose actions or inactions contributed to the harm suffered may share responsibility for your truck accident. A truck driver who was negligent in adapting to weather conditions could be held liable for your damages. A trucking company that forced or pressured a driver to drive in adverse conditions could also be liable. Other parties that could be held liable include:
- Shippers or cargo loaders
- Maintenance providers
- Vehicle or parts manufacturers
- Government entities
- Other motorists
A truck accident attorney will identify all the negligent parties and help you pursue compensation from them.
Dealing With Insurance Companies
Dealing with insurance companies is one of the major challenges that arise in cases involving winter weather and semi truck accidents. Insurance companies often use winter weather conditions as a way to unfairly deny a driver’s fault for an accident. They dispatch adjusters to investigate the accident with the goal of denying or limiting liability. When you talk to the trucking company’s insurance adjustor, he or she will look for ways to get you to say things that could later be used against you to prevent you from receiving full compensation.
A truck accident lawyer will communicate with insurance company adjusters, lawyers, and other involved parties on your behalf to protect you from the tactics they use to deny or minimize claims. Your lawyer will provide them with only the information necessary to process your claim. A truck accident lawyer will know the kind of evidence and arguments that insurance companies require to offer fair settlements.If you or a loved one was injured in a semi-truck accident that occurred on a slick road, the Chicago truck accident lawyers at Ankin Law are here to fight for you and your family to get a fair settlement for all the damages suffered. We have over 100 years of combined experience representing victims of semi-truck accidents and other motor vehicle crashes in Illinois. Contact us to schedule a free consultation.
