Chicago Truck Driver in Wrongful Death Accident

A truck driver from Chicago was involved in a head-on crash near Springfield, OH with a bus carrying residents of a center for the developmentally disabled.  The crash killed 4, including the van driver, and injured 6 passengers of the bus.  The truck accident happened when the eastbound truck truck crossed over into the westbound lanes of traffic and struck the bus head-on.  Road conditions were slippery, and authorities are investigating whether weather conditions played a role in causing the wrongful death accident.

As an experienced Chicago truck accident lawyer, there are a few thoughts that come to mind regarding this accident:

1.  Federal regulations require truck drivers to reduce speed in adverse weather conditions, and the commercial driver's license manuals in most states call for reducing speed by a third in slick weather conditions.  This means that even if the truck driver was driving at the speed limit, he was driving too fast for conditions and faster than most prudent truck drivers should. 

2.  Since speed will be a crucial issue in the case, steps should be taken to preserve crucial records regarding the actions of the truck driver, including the on-board data recorder (if one was in use) and his log books, which should reflect where and when he last stopped before the accident.  This information will be helpful in determining whether the truck driver was going too fast for conditions at or near the time of the truck crash.  Steps should be taken to preserve the trucking company's records immediately.

3.  There are 10 victims of this accident -- the four people killed and the six people injured.  When people are brought together in a tragedy like this, there is a certain instinct to band together, and in some instances, hire the same lawyer to work on the case. 

This can be a mistake where there are a large number of claims and potentially inadequate insurance coverage.  When there is an inadequate amount of insurance coverage, your lawyer is required to push for you to receive the largest share possible. 

Where he representing two claimants in the same accident, he has a conflict of interest because advocating for one client diminishes the total amount of money available to compensate his other client.  This is why victims in mass tragedies such as this are all best served by hiring their own lawyers.

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