Truck Accident Lawyer in Rockford

Serving Injured Clients in Rockford, Illinois Since 1923

When a semi-truck or tractor-trailer collision leaves you seriously injured, the claims process looks nothing like a typical car accident. Trucking companies carry large commercial insurance policies and employ adjusters whose job is to limit what you recover. At Reno & Zahm LLP, our Rockford personal injury attorneys have handled a wide range of injury cases, including crashes involving commercial vehicles, and we don’t treat a disputed claim as a reason to accept less than you’re owed.

If you were injured in a truck accident in Rockford, Illinois, contact Reno & Zahm LLP for a free initial consultation. Call us at (815) 987-4050 to speak with one of our attorneys today.

When an Insurer Disputes Fault, We Go to Trial

What distinguishes our approach in commercial vehicle cases is a demonstrated willingness to litigate. In one contested highway collision, the insurance company disputed both fault and the severity of our client’s injuries. Attorney Jan H. Ohlander took the case to a jury trial and secured an award seven times the insurer’s best settlement offer. That result is specific to those facts and doesn’t predict what any future case will produce, but it reflects something real: we prepare every case as though it will go before a judge or jury.

When negotiation stalls short of a fair resolution, our attorneys can serve as mediators or arbitrators, or take your case to trial in Winnebago County Circuit Court. That credible path to litigation changes how insurers negotiate from the start.

Types of Commercial Truck Accidents We Handle

We represent people injured in collisions involving semi-trucks, tractor-trailers, delivery vehicles, and other large commercial vehicles. These crashes tend to produce more severe injuries than passenger-vehicle collisions because of the weight and size difference involved. Commercial trucks also operate under state and federal safety regulations that go well beyond what applies to ordinary passenger vehicles, and violations of those rules can be central to establishing what went wrong.

Liability in a truck accident claim often extends beyond the driver. Multiple parties can share responsibility:

The Driver for negligent operation
The Trucking Company under respondeat superior, the legal doctrine that holds an employer liable for an employee’s on-the-job conduct, and directly for negligent hiring, training, or supervision
A Cargo Loading Company if improperly loaded freight contributed to the crash
A Maintenance Contractor if a mechanical failure played a role

Why Rockford Sees Significant Truck Traffic

The I-39/I-90 interchange near Rockford connects the region to national freight corridors, and Chicago Rockford International Airport has been home to one of the largest UPS air cargo hubs in North America since 1994. That volume of commercial truck traffic makes crashes involving large vehicles a genuine and recurring concern on local roads and highways.

Civil claims arising from those crashes, including wrongful death claims following a fatal collision, are filed in Winnebago County Circuit Court, part of the 17th Judicial Circuit of Illinois. Our attorneys know this court and litigate here regularly.

Talk to a Rockford Truck Accident Attorney at No Cost

Initial consultations are free of charge for qualifying personal injury cases. Whether your accident involved an 18-wheeler on the interstate or a commercial delivery vehicle on a local road, we can review what happened and explain your options.

Contact Reno & Zahm LLP at (815) 987-4050 to schedule your free consultation with a truck accident lawyer serving Rockford and Winnebago County.

How Illinois Law Applies to Truck Accident Claims

To recover compensation after a commercial vehicle crash in Illinois, a plaintiff generally must establish four elements: duty of care, breach of that duty, causation, and damages. In truck accident claims, that analysis runs against multiple potential defendants at once. Under respondeat superior, a trucking company is vicariously liable for a driver’s negligence when the crash happened within the scope of employment. Separately, a company can face direct liability if it negligently hired, trained, or supervised the driver, regardless of what the driver did behind the wheel.

Illinois Modified Comparative Negligence & Joint-and-Several Liability

Illinois follows a modified comparative negligence rule. An injured person can still recover damages as long as their own share of fault is 50% or less. A jury finding of 51% or more fault bars recovery entirely, which is why how fault is allocated among parties matters as much as proving negligence occurred.

Under 735 ILCS 5/2-1117, a defendant found 25% or more at fault is jointly and severally liable for the plaintiff’s medical and medically related expenses. A defendant whose fault falls below 25% is only severally liable for damages beyond medical costs. When multiple defendants share fault, these distinctions affect how and from whom a judgment can be collected.

Filing Deadlines & Evidence Preservation in Illinois Truck Accident Cases

Illinois generally requires personal injury lawsuits, including truck accident claims, to be filed within two years of the crash date under 735 ILCS 5/13-202. Wrongful death claims arising from a fatal truck accident must generally be filed within two years of the date of death. One exception applies to injured minors, who typically have two years from the date they turn 18 to file under 735 ILCS 5/13-211.

Acting quickly matters for reasons beyond deadlines. Electronic logging device data, driver logs, and dashcam or surveillance footage can be overwritten or lost within days or weeks of a crash. Preserving that evidence early can support efforts to prove what happened rather than relying solely on after-the-fact accounts.

Federal Regulations & Common Causes of Truck Accidents

Commercial truck drivers must hold a Commercial Driver’s License, with additional endorsements tied to vehicle type and cargo. The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration sets hours-of-service regulations that cap how long a driver can remain on the road before taking a mandatory rest break. When a carrier or driver violates those rules, the violation can become evidence of breach of duty in a negligence claim.

Common causes of tractor-trailer and 18-wheeler accidents include driver fatigue, distracted driving, impaired driving, improperly loaded cargo, and deferred vehicle maintenance. Each cause points toward a different defendant, which is why identifying the full chain of responsibility from the outset is essential.

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