ARLINGTON HEIGHTS, Illinois—One man suffered life-threatening injuries and later passed away after his vehicle struck a semi-truck trailer while traveling east on I-90 near Arlington Heights. The accident occurred on October 24, 2022, at 9:53 a.m. near mile marker 71, just east of the exit ramps from I-90 west.
According to the reports of passing motorists, the man's car crashed into a semi-truck trailer before coming to rest, blocking two interstate lanes. When first responders arrived, they noticed the unresponsive male driver outside the vehicle and began life-saving measures. The man was then transported to Alexian Brothers Medical Center. Sadly, he was pronounced dead at 10:51 a.m.
The semi-truck allegedly involved in the crash was not on the scene, and a crash reconstructionist suggested the semi-truck driver may not have known the trailer had been hit.
An investigation into the cause of the accident is ongoing. No further details are available.
Families of crash victims may hold trucking companies partially responsible for rear-end collisions.
While it may seem strange that the truck driver might have been unaware of the vehicle's involvement in a fatal crash, this situation is not unheard of. Due to the weight and size of many semi-trucks and their trailers, drivers may be unable to sense an impact from a smaller passenger vehicle. However, victims' families are not without recourse in this situation.
The law in many states allows the surviving family of crash victims to recover compensation from negligent or careless truck drivers and, in many cases, their employers. Sometimes, this is true even when the truck driver is not solely to blame for the accident. Under a legal theory called respondeat superior, a trucking company may be held partially liable for the actions of its drivers when their employee is at fault for the crash.
Therefore, victims' families may wish to initiate an independent investigation into the cause of fatal crashes with semi-trucks to determine whether other parties may share responsibility for their loss. Consulting with an experienced attorney may reveal wrongdoing on the part of the truck driver that is not immediately apparent at the time of the crash.
Our thoughts and prayers are with the family of the man killed during this difficult time.
The Ammons Law Firm is a nationwide personal injury firm focused on catastrophic injuries and wrongful death. Contact the Ammons Law Firm today for a free accident review.
Disclaimer: This post is not legal advice. Information contained in this blog was compiled from third-party sources or is the opinion of the author. Please inform us immediately if false or misleading information is contained in this post.
