Peoria Illinois Personal Injury Law Blog

A head-on collision between a bus and a semi-truck claimed two lives in Illinois on an early December day in 2018. The driver of the truck and a passenger on the bus involved in the accident lost their lives, and other passengers on the bus suffered injuries that required medical attention. Just recently, the widow of the bus victim who died in the crash filed a lawsuit claiming losses for his wrongful death.

She alleges that the driver of the truck failed to use reasonable care in the operation of the truck, and as a result her lawsuit includes as defendants the owner of the truck and his trucking company. According to information released about the crash, the truck driver allowed his rig to cross the center line of the road and crash head-on with the bus.

Illinois motorists commit grave errors every day on the road. Fortunately, in the vast majority of cases, making a serious mistake doesn't result in a crash. However, when you commit errors and do dangerous things on the road again and again, eventually it could result in a catastrophic or fatal incident.

To help you stay safe and prevent injuries to you, your family and other people on the road, here's an important "Do Not Do" list:

Truck drivers spend days on the open road. Mile after mile, state after state, they must stay alert to avoid collisions with other motor vehicles and to prevent themselves from becoming unsafe through exhaustion or distraction. In Illinois and throughout the country, truck drivers and other commercial vehicle drivers are prohibited from using cellphones and other electronic devices that can take their eyes off the roads while they drive.

Under regulations promulgated by the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration, truck drivers may not send messages or make phone calls if doing so require them to push more than one button on their handheld devices. If a device requires them to use a keyboard, enter passwords or otherwise engage in multiple button pushes, it is not permissible for commercial drivers to use the device.

Most canine pets are loyal, kind members of Illinois residents' families. Whether they are big or small, active or peaceful, dogs can enrich the lives of the people who own them. When dog owners act responsibly and take proper care to manage and train their pets, those pets can interact without incident with others. However, some pets are not given the support they need by their owners and can lash out when they are startled, provoked, or otherwise confronted with strangers.

After suffering a dog bite or related attack, it is important that a victim is seen by a medical professional. While the passage of diseases from dogs to humans is rare, it is possible for rabid dogs to transmit rabies to individuals through their saliva. Rabies can be fatal to humans and requires medical treatment to cure and therefore consulting with a doctor after one's attack is a necessary and critical step in their recovery.