Founded in 1790, St. Clair County was the original and only county in the state of Illinois for years. Today, it has a landmass of just over 670 square miles and a population of nearly 270,000 residents along the Mississippi River just east of St. Louis, Missouri. Belleville serves as the county seat, and other large cities in the county include Columbia, East St. Louis, Lebanon, O’Fallon, Madison, Fairview Heights and Centreville.
Counties adjacent to St. Clair County include Madison, Clinton, Washington, Randolph and Monroe counties in Illinois along with St. Louis County in Missouri. Residents and visitors can travel through St. Clair County on four major interstates including I-55, I-64, I-70 and I-255 along with U.S. highways 40 & 50 and 13 Illinois state routes. Local area public transport is available on the St. Louis Metrolink in addition to the Madison County transit system and Metro bus.
As a major link between east/west and north/south trucking routes along the busy interstates, St. Clair County has a high incident rate of commercial vehicle accidents with injuries and fatalities.
Hiring St. Clair County Personal Injury Lawyers
Because the St. Louis area is a major hub of supplying products and goods throughout the Midwest, areas along the Mississippi River including St. Clair County have many commercial truck accidents. The huge demand for transporting goods increases the potential of commercial truck accidents in the area. The sheer weight and size of semi-trucks, 18-wheelers and large commercial vehicles often produce catastrophic results even in minor collisions. As a result, many victims will hire St. Clair County personal injury lawyers when seeking compensation from the trucker at fault for the accident.
Having an attorney on your side to obtain financial recompense is a wise decision. This is because trucking companies will usually send their own team of investigators to the accident site immediately. Their team is usually looking for ways to divert responsibility to other drivers in an effort to minimize the amount of financial compensation they will pay out to the victims.
Skilled personal injury attorneys who specialize in commercial truck accidents understand the tactics used by trucking companies and truckers, and can use effective strategies for determining fault. Your lawyer may be able to prove the cause of the accident, which could include:
- A shifting cargo load
- Improper commercial truck maintenance
- Faulty braking system or defective tires
- Poor visibility due to roadway or weather conditions
- Traveling with hazardous materials
- Carrying a heavy load, exceeding its limited gross weight
- Truckers driving impaired due to alcohol, drugs, fatigue or distraction including speaking with passengers, talking on cell phones, watching videos or texting
- Improperly trained and supervised truck drivers
Filing a Third Party Claim
Typically, claims for compensation are usually filed against the trucker determined to be at fault in the accident. However, in many situations, experienced St. Clair personal injury attorneys can file a claim against additional third parties that might also be responsible for the victim’s injuries or death. The lawyer might be able to prove the trucking company is also at fault for the accident by hiring inexperienced drivers or not providing adequate training and supervision.
The Chicago Injury Center website provides valuable resources to assist you in filing a claim against the driver and additional third parties. We can connect you immediately with our reputable legal teams of attorneys at to assist you in obtaining financial compensation for your injuries. The amount you receive should be adequate to pay for your existing medical bills and recoup any lost wages due to missed work along with your damages including car repairs or replacement, pain, suffering, emotional distress and anxiety.
We accept personal injury cases involving commercial vehicle accidents on contingency to avoid the need for paying our legal services upfront. We only receive payment if we win an award at trial or negotiate an adequate financial settlement for you out of court.