A recent crash involving a semi-truck resulted in a chemical spill and a fire in northwest suburban Barrington.
On March 7, at approximately 11:30 p.m., a pickup collided with a semi-truck at Route 14 and Hart Road. The semi burst into flames, and it took emergency responder over 30 minutes to extinguish the fire.
The semi’s driver was unharmed. Emergency responders took the pickup’s 35-year-old driver and his 49-year-old passenger to Good Shepherd Hospital. They are expected to survive.
Chemical Spill
The semi also leaked methylene diphenyl disocyanate, a chemical used to make polyurethane, onto the road. While the chemical is an irritant, the EPA stated there was no risk to the public or their water supply.
Authorities closed off the westbound lanes of Route 14 at Hart Road. They stated that cleanup should be completed by March 9, and asked the public to avoid the area until then.
Large Truck Collisions
Automobile accidents are sadly an everyday occurrence. There are more than two million crashes in the United States each year, including over 35,000 fatalities in 2015 alone. With small vehicles, many of these collisions are “fender benders,” with little visible damage and minor or no injuries. With large trucks, however, there are no such things as “fender benders”: even “small” collisions can cause big damages.
Truck collisions can be so devastating for a very simple reason: the size of the trucks themselves. Large trucks are 40 or more times heavier than the average vehicle on the road. Because of its sheer weight, when a large truck collides with a small vehicle, even at relatively low speeds, severe injuries can result. These may include broken bones, amputation of limbs, brain damage, paralysis, and even death.
Experienced Legal Help
These injuries can be life-altering, with a long recovery process. Thousands of dollars in medical expenses can pile up, while no money’s coming in because you’re too injured to work. At times like these, you need an experienced and dedicated attorney to fight for you. The large truck collision attorneys at GWC Injury Lawyers are an excellent choice because they have decades of success in cases exactly like these.
Large truck collisions can be more complex than other collisions because of how many parties may be involved. In addition to the driver, there is usually a commercial transport company the driver works for. There may also be another company that hired the commercial transport company to ship its goods, and possibly even other companies still. It is therefore crucial to identify all the parties who are potentially at fault and pursue them within the time limited by law. The failure to identify and pursue the responsible parties in a timely fashion could forever bar you from obtaining the financial compensation you deserve.
For all these reasons, you need to choose an experienced attorney to fight for you, like the truck collision specialists at GWC Injury Lawyers.
GWC prosecutes a wide variety of injury cases throughout Illinois, including those involving large truck collisions, workers’ compensation, construction accidents, medical malpractice, and product liability. If you or your loved one has been injured, because of a large truck collision or by some other means, please contact our office for a free legal consultation to see if you may be eligible for financial compensation.
Remember, you won’t pay anything until we make them pay you!
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