Joliet truck accident results in $23.75 million wrongful death verdict

A Will County jury returned a verdict of $23.75 million in an Illinois wrongful death suit arising from a trucking accident that happened in 2004.  Two were killed, and six people injured as a result of the rear-end chain collision.  The truck driver pleaded guilty to falsifying her log books.

Truck drivers are required to keep a log book of their hours of work and rest, and federal regulations limit the number of consecutive hours that a truck driver can work before he or she must rest.  The reason for the hours of service restrictions on truck drivers is that multiple studies have shown that fatigue has serious adverse effects on the ability of a truck driver to safely operate his vehicle.  Proof that a truck driver has exceeded his maximum number of driving hours can be powerful evidence of negligence against the truck driver and the trucking company in an Illinois trucking accident suit.

Trucking companies are required to maintain a driver's log books for only 6 months, after which they are free to destroy them.  One thing that an experienced Chicago personal injury lawyer will do is contact a trucking company at the outset of a lawsuit to request that they preserve the truck driver's log book in the event that the case cannot be settled out of court and a lawsuit is necessary.  Anyone who is involved in a trucking accident should promptly contact well-qualified counsel to make sure that this kind of evidence is preserved.