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Wilmington Truck Accident

Wilmington Truck Accident on I-55 Leaves One Victim Dead

Wilmington truck accidentOne person was killed and another seriously injured in a Wilmington truck accident involving multiple vehicles on I-55, about 50 miles southwest of Chicago.

Five Vehicles Involved in Wilmington Truck Accident

On November 7, 2019, at approximately 9:30 a.m., the Illinois State Police responded to a multi-vehicle truck accident on northbound I-55 at Lorenzo Road. The Wilmington truck accident involved three large trucks and two passenger cars. According to a preliminary investigation, two semi-trailer trucks had been stopped in a construction zone on I-55, with a 2012 Ford and a 2014 Honda Civic directly behind them. At that time, a northbound 2017 Dodge semi-trailer, driven by 46-year-old Shabbir Patel of Brampton, Ontario, failed to reduce its speed and collided with the vehicle directly ahead of it, causing a chain reaction crash involving all five vehicles.

The driver of the Honda, 34-year-old Kenneth Bloor of St. Peters, MO, and the unidentified 20-year-old female driver of the Ford were transported to area hospitals. Mr. Bloor was pronounced dead at the hospital, while the Ford’s driver was reportedly seriously injured in the Wilmington truck accident.

Shabbir Patel was also taken to a hospital for injuries that were not life-threatening. Police cited him for following too closely and failing to reduce his speed to avoid a crash.

Why Are Truck Accident Claims So Challenging?

As you can imagine, a truck accident can be so much more devastating than other types of traffic crashes, largely because of the size of the trucks themselves. Semi-trailer trucks can be forty or more times heavier than the typical vehicle on the road. Given its sheer weight, a semi that crashes into a much smaller vehicle, even at low speeds, can inflict punishing injuries, including broken bones, amputated limbs, brain trauma, paralysis, or even, as in the tragic case of Kenneth Bloor in the Wilmington truck accident, death. These truck-related injuries can be financially devastating, with extensive medical bills that are frequently accompanied by a loss of income.

The heightened economic impact of large truck accidents is especially unfortunate because truck accident claims present unique challenges to even the most experienced personal injury lawyers. In most cases, semi-trailer trucks are commercial vehicles transporting goods for business purposes. This can increase the complexity of the claim because of the number of parties that may be involved.

In addition to the truck driver and that driver’s employer (if different), frequently another company may have hired the commercial transport company to ship its products, with still other companies possibly involved as well. A truck accident victim needs to identify and pursue all of the parties who may be at fault. Failure to do so within the time limited by law could forever bar an injured person from obtaining the financial compensation he or she deserves.

Our Chicago Truck Accident Lawyers Will Fight for You

Additionally, the insurance companies representing the parties involved in a large truck accident are financially motivated to fight the victim at every turn. Often, they try to minimize or even deny liability outright to reduce the amount of compensation that an injured person receives. For this reason, it is essential that victims have somebody to fight for them, like the Chicago truck accident attorneys at GWC Injury Lawyers.

GWC is one of the premier Personal Injury and Workers’ Compensation law firms in Illinois, with over $2 billion recovered for our clients in our more than four decades in practice. We have the experience, the resources, the determination, and the proven record of success you need to help you get the justice you deserve.

If you have been hurt in a large truck accident, contact GWC today to schedule a free, no-obligation consultation with one of our attorneys. Call our office at (312) 464-1234 or click here to chat with a representative at any time.

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