Highland Truck Accident Lawyer

TorHoerman Law gives Highland truck accident victims access to a personal injury practice with deep roots in Southern Illinois and the resources to take on trucking companies, commercial insurers, and other corporate defendants.

Our nearby Edwardsville office serves clients throughout Madison County and the surrounding Metro East region, giving Highland residents local access to attorneys who understand Illinois personal injury law and the courts where these cases may be handled.

Eric Terry leads TorHoerman Law’s single-event personal injury practice and has more than two decades of experience representing people injured in trucking accidents, motor vehicle crashes, catastrophic injury cases, and wrongful death claims.

Our law firm has helped secure more than $4.5 billion in verdicts and negotiated settlements for clients nationwide.

Truck accident claims may involve trucking companies and commercial insurers with substantial resources, making experienced legal representation especially important in serious injury cases.

Truck cases may also involve evidence and regulations that do not normally arise after an ordinary passenger-vehicle collision, including driver logs, hours-of-service records, maintenance requirements, electronic vehicle data, cargo records, and federal motor carrier safety regulations.

Reasons truck accident victims in Highland choose TorHoerman Law include:

• Local access backed by broader resources: Highland clients have access to our nearby Edwardsville office while benefiting from the investigative, litigation, and financial resources of a law firm that handles complex personal injury cases throughout Southern Illinois and nationwide.
• Experienced single-event personal injury attorneys: Eric Terry leads our single-event personal injury practice and concentrates on cases involving people harmed by negligence, including trucking and other serious motor vehicle accidents.
• A history of substantial results: Our law firm has helped secure more than $4.5 billion in verdicts and negotiated settlements for clients nationwide, although previous results do not guarantee a similar outcome in another case.
• Knowledge of trucking litigation: Our attorneys understand that determining liability may require examining driver logs, hours-of-service compliance, maintenance and inspection records, electronic data, dispatch communications, and other trucking-industry evidence.
• Fast action to preserve evidence: Important records and electronic information may be controlled by the trucking company or other businesses after a collision. Our legal team can act quickly to protect potentially important evidence and, when appropriate, arrange for investigators or experts to examine the vehicles and crash circumstances.
• Resources for complex cases: Depending on the circumstances, our attorneys may work with accident reconstructionists, medical professionals, trucking-industry specialists, economists, and other experts to evaluate liability and document the full effect of serious injuries.
• Experience dealing with insurance companies: Commercial insurers may dispute fault, challenge medical expenses, or attempt to limit the value of a claim. Our attorneys handle those negotiations while documenting medical costs, lost income, future treatment needs, and other damages before evaluating potential settlement offers.
• Preparation for litigation and trial: Our attorneys do not have to accept an inadequate settlement simply because an insurer refuses to make a reasonable offer. TorHoerman Law has the litigation experience and resources to pursue a case in court when the circumstances warrant it.
• Personalized attention and communication: Our law firm emphasizes personalized attention, responsiveness, and keeping clients informed as their cases develop rather than treating an injured person as simply another claim number.
• No upfront attorney fees: Eligible truck accident cases are handled on a contingency fee basis, allowing clients to obtain legal representation without paying attorney fees upfront.

Truck accident claims can look similar at first but involve very different defendants, evidence, insurance coverage, and regulatory issues once an investigation begins.

Our attorneys examine those individual circumstances to determine liability, identify all potentially responsible parties, and calculate the losses associated with the crash.

Throughout the process, TorHoerman Law works to protect our clients’ rights while providing the resources and personalized attention needed to pursue a well-supported claim.

Truck Accident Cases TorHoerman Law Handles in Highland

TorHoerman Law handles truck accident claims involving a wide range of commercial vehicles, crash types, and negligent conduct in Highland and throughout Southern Illinois.

These cases may involve driver fatigue, speeding, impaired driving, bad weather, intersection collisions, or crashes involving other vehicles.

Truck accidents can create a greater risk of severe injury than a typical car accident because of the size and weight of commercial vehicles.

They may also involve higher insurance policy limits and more complex liability issues, even when another case appears to involve similar circumstances.

Truck accident cases our attorneys may handle include:

• Rear-end truck accidents
• Jackknife accidents
• Rollover crashes
• Underride accidents
• Head-on collisions
• Intersection accidents
• Wide-turn crashes
• Blind-spot and unsafe lane change accidents
• Speeding-related crashes
• Driver fatigue accidents
• Distracted driving accidents
• Drunk or drug-impaired driving crashes
• Tire blowout and brake failure accidents
• Lost-load and improperly secured cargo accidents
• Delivery truck accidents
• Dump truck accidents
• Tanker truck accidents
• Multi-vehicle collisions involving commercial trucks
• Fatal truck accidents and wrongful death claims

How Much Does It Cost To Hire A Truck Accident Lawyer?

TorHoerman Law handles eligible truck accident cases on a contingency fee basis, which means clients do not pay attorney fees upfront.

Our law firm receives a percentage of the compensation recovered through a settlement or verdict, subject to the terms of the fee agreement.

This arrangement allows injured people to pursue a claim without paying hourly legal fees while they are already dealing with medical expenses, lost income, and other accident-related costs.

TorHoerman Law also offers free consultations so potential clients can discuss their case and learn more about their legal options before deciding how to proceed.

If no compensation is recovered, clients generally do not owe attorney fees under the contingency fee agreement.

If you were involved in a truck accident in Highland, IL, your first priority should be safety and medical attention.

The first 24 hours after a serious truck crash can shape both medical recovery and any personal injury claims that follow.

Truck accidents can cause traumatic brain injuries, spinal cord injuries, fractures, internal injuries, and other conditions that may leave an injured person unable to gather information, take photographs, or communicate clearly at the scene.

When injuries are incapacitating, immediate medical care should take priority over trying to complete every recommended step.

A family member, witness, or responding officer may be able to preserve some information, while an attorney can later obtain police reports, vehicle records, electronic data, witness statements, and other evidence on the injured person’s behalf.

Truck accident lawyers can also send preservation requests to trucking companies and insurers before important records are lost or overwritten.

In fatal truck accidents, surviving family members should not be expected to investigate the collision themselves while dealing with the immediate consequences of the loss.

Our attorneys can step in to preserve evidence, identify potentially responsible parties, and begin the legal investigation while the family focuses on personal and funeral arrangements.

After a truck accident in Highland, the following steps may help protect your health and legal rights:

1. Call 911 and report the crash.
2. Move to a safe location if you can do so without worsening your injuries.
3. Seek immediate medical attention and follow the recommendations of emergency personnel.
4. Obtain the truck driver’s name, employer, insurance information, license plate, and trucking company information if you are physically able to do so.
5. Photograph the vehicles, roadway, skid marks, debris, cargo, road conditions, and visible injuries when possible.
6. Get the names and contact information of witnesses.
7. Avoid admitting fault or speculating about what caused the collision.
8. Ask how to obtain police reports and other official crash records.
9. Keep medical records, bills, repair estimates, wage-loss documentation, and other accident-related records.
10. Contact a Highland truck accident lawyer as soon as possible so trucking records, electronic data, and other evidence can be preserved.

Not every injured person will be physically able to complete these steps, and failing to do so does not necessarily prevent a claim.

Our legal team can help fill evidentiary gaps by obtaining records and investigating the circumstances surrounding the crash.

Early legal involvement can be especially important in serious injury and fatal truck accident cases because critical trucking evidence may be controlled by companies with their own insurers and legal teams.

Truck accident claims often involve more parties, evidence, and insurance issues than standard passenger-vehicle cases.

Commercial truck accident cases may also involve higher insurance policy limits, which can lead to more aggressive disputes over liability and damages.

Illinois follows a modified comparative fault system, meaning an injured person may still recover damages if they are not more than 50% at fault, although compensation can be reduced by their percentage of responsibility.

Disputes over fault can complicate negotiations with insurance companies, especially when multiple drivers or companies may share responsibility for the crash.

Our attorneys guide clients through each stage of the process while gathering evidence, calculating damages, and protecting the claim from attempts to shift blame.

The legal process for a Highland truck accident case may include the following steps:

1. Free consultation and case review: Our attorneys evaluate how the crash occurred, the injuries involved, available insurance coverage, and potential legal claims.
2. Investigation and evidence preservation: Our legal team gathers police reports, medical records, witness statements, photos, electronic vehicle data, driver logs, maintenance records, and other relevant evidence.
3. Liability analysis: Our attorneys determine whether the truck driver, trucking company, cargo loader, maintenance provider, manufacturer, another driver, or other party may share responsibility.
4. Damages assessment: Medical expenses, lost income, future treatment needs, property damage, pain and suffering, and other losses are documented and calculated.
5. Insurance claim and settlement negotiations: Our law firm presents the claim to the appropriate insurers and responds to disputes involving fault, coverage, or damages.
6. Filing a lawsuit when necessary: If the insurance companies do not offer a fair resolution, our attorneys may file a personal injury lawsuit and begin formal litigation.
7. Discovery and expert review: The parties exchange evidence, take depositions, and may work with accident reconstructionists, medical professionals, or trucking experts.
8. Resolution: The case may conclude through settlement, mediation, court judgment, or a jury verdict.

Who Can Be Held Liable for a Truck Accident?

Truck accident claims can involve multiple parties because responsibility may extend beyond the truck driver who was operating the vehicle.

A trucking company may share liability when unsafe scheduling, poor supervision, inadequate training, or other company practices contribute to a crash.

Driver fatigue can also become an important issue when a driver spends long hours on the road without adequate rest.

Other cases may involve defective equipment, overloaded cargo, negligent maintenance, or the actions of other drivers.

Potentially liable parties may include:

• Truck driver: A driver may be liable for negligent behavior, speeding, distracted driving, driver fatigue, unsafe lane changes, impaired driving, tailgating, or failure to follow traffic laws.
• Trucking company: A trucking company may be responsible for negligent hiring, inadequate training, unsafe scheduling, failure to monitor driver logs, or pressure to violate safety requirements.
• Cargo loaders: Cargo loaders may be liable when overloaded cargo or improperly secured freight affects braking distance, vehicle stability, or the driver’s ability to safely control the truck.
• Maintenance contractors: Maintenance providers may share responsibility when missed inspections, faulty repairs, or inadequate maintenance contribute to a crash.
• Vehicle or parts manufacturers: A manufacturer may be liable when defective equipment, tires, brakes, steering systems, underride guards, lights, or other components contribute to the collision.
• Other drivers: Other drivers may share fault when their conduct causes or contributes to a truck accident.
• Government entities: A public entity may potentially be involved when unsafe road design, defective traffic signals, inadequate signage, or roadway maintenance issues contribute to the crash.

Our attorneys can investigate the circumstances surrounding the collision, review trucking records and other evidence, and identify each party that may share legal responsibility.

Determining liability can also help identify the insurance policies and other sources of compensation that may be available.

Fatal truck accidents can leave surviving family members facing funeral expenses, lost financial support, and the long-term effects of losing a loved one because of another party’s negligence.

Under Illinois law, eligible survivors may be able to pursue a wrongful death claim, while a separate survival action may address certain losses the deceased person experienced before death.

Wrongful death damages may include funeral and burial expenses, loss of financial support, loss of companionship, grief, sorrow, and other losses recognized under Illinois law.

The damages awarded to families or an estate depend on the type of claim, the relationship to the deceased, the available evidence, and the financial and personal impact of the death.

Our attorneys can investigate the accident scene, driver conduct, trucking company records, electronic data, maintenance history, insurance coverage, and other evidence needed to determine who may be responsible.

TorHoerman Law can help surviving family members pursue fair compensation while handling the legal and investigative demands of a fatal truck accident claim.

Commercial truck accident claims may require an investigation into whether a driver or motor carrier violated specific state or federal safety regulations before the crash.

Illinois incorporates many Federal Motor Carrier Safety Regulations into state law, including rules governing driver qualifications, hours of service, vehicle equipment, maintenance, drug and alcohol testing, and financial responsibility.

These requirements can produce important evidence such as electronic logging data, inspection records, driver qualification files, maintenance records, and post-accident testing results.

Some regulations apply only to certain commercial vehicles, carriers, cargo, or interstate operations, so our attorneys review the specific circumstances of the crash before determining which rules are relevant.

Violations may help establish how a trucking company, driver, maintenance provider, cargo loader, or other party contributed to a Highland truck accident.

State and federal trucking regulations that may be relevant to a claim include:

• Hours-of-service limits: Under federal rules, many property-carrying commercial drivers may drive no more than 11 hours after 10 consecutive hours off duty and generally cannot drive beyond the 14th consecutive hour after coming on duty. Drivers must also take a 30-minute break after eight cumulative hours of driving without a qualifying interruption.
• Electronic logging and driver records: Hours-of-service records can help determine whether fatigue or excessive driving time contributed to a crash. Illinois applies federal motor-carrier rules to many interstate and intrastate operations, subject to specific exemptions, including certain short-haul and agricultural operations.
• Driver qualification requirements: Federal regulations require commercial drivers to meet minimum qualification standards, and carriers must maintain driver qualification information that can become relevant when negligent hiring, licensing, medical fitness, or prior driving history is disputed.
• Drug and alcohol testing: CDL drivers subject to FMCSA requirements must participate in federally regulated drug and alcohol testing programs. Post-accident testing may be mandatory after a fatal crash and in certain injury or tow-away crashes when the commercial driver receives a citation.
• Inspection, repair, and maintenance requirements: Motor carriers must systematically inspect, repair, and maintain commercial vehicles under their control, and commercial vehicles generally must undergo a periodic inspection at least once every 12 months. Records showing unrepaired brake, tire, steering, lighting, or other mechanical problems can become important evidence in a truck accident case.
• Cargo securement rules: Federal regulations require cargo to be immobilized or secured using appropriate tiedowns, blocking, bracing, or other systems. Separate requirements apply to certain freight such as metal coils, logs, heavy machinery, concrete pipe, automobiles, and intermodal containers.
• Illinois truck weight limits: Illinois generally limits vehicles to 20,000 pounds on a single axle, 34,000 pounds on a tandem axle, and 80,000 pounds gross weight for many five-axle vehicle combinations, subject to statutory exceptions and permitting rules. Excessive weight can affect braking distance, vehicle stability, and the severity of a collision.
• Commercial driver’s license requirements: Illinois defines certain vehicles weighing 26,001 pounds or more, passenger vehicles of specified capacities, and vehicles transporting placarded hazardous materials as commercial motor vehicles subject to CDL requirements.
• Federal insurance requirements: Interstate for-hire property carriers operating vehicles weighing at least 10,001 pounds generally must maintain at least $750,000 in public liability coverage, while certain hazardous-material carriers may be subject to $1 million or $5 million minimums.
• Safe vehicle operation requirements: Federal motor-carrier rules address how commercial vehicles are operated, including compliance with traffic laws, safe operation in hazardous conditions, and other driver conduct. Illinois has adopted federal motor-carrier safety provisions for many commercial operations within the state.

Our attorneys can compare the evidence from a Highland truck crash with the state and federal regulations that applied to the driver, carrier, vehicle, and cargo involved.

Records showing excessive driving hours, inadequate maintenance, improper cargo securement, driver-qualification problems, or other safety violations can help establish liability.

These records can also identify additional parties whose conduct contributed to the collision.

You may qualify for a truck accident claim if another person, company, or entity caused or contributed to the crash and you suffered injuries or other losses as a result.

Potential claims may involve negligent truck drivers, trucking companies, maintenance providers, cargo loaders, manufacturers, or other responsible parties.

Serious injuries, medical expenses, lost income, property damage, and long-term limitations can all affect the value and scope of a claim.

A lawyer can investigate how the collision occurred, identify available insurance coverage, and determine whether state or federal trucking rules were violated.

Truck accident claims may also involve multiple insurance carriers and commercial policies with higher limits than those found in many standard car accident cases.

An experienced personal injury lawyer can handle negotiations with insurance companies that may have their own legal teams working to minimize payouts.

Even if fault is disputed, you may still have legal options depending on the evidence and your share of responsibility under Illinois law.

TorHoerman Law can review the circumstances of the crash and explain whether you may have grounds to pursue compensation.

Evidence In A Highland Truck Accident Case

Evidence is central to establishing how a truck accident occurred, who may be responsible, and how the crash affected the injured person.

Truck accident claims often involve records controlled by trucking companies, insurers, medical providers, and other third parties, making early preservation especially important.

Strong evidence can help support liability, document injuries, and show the financial losses connected to the collision.

Our legal team can gather, preserve, and organize records such as medical records, trucking documents, electronic data, and expert analysis to build a well-supported claim.

Important evidence in a Highland truck accident case may include:

• Police reports
• Photos and videos of the accident scene
• Photos of vehicle damage
• Photos of visible injuries
• Medical records and bills
• Witness statements
• Dashcam, surveillance, and traffic camera footage
• Truck driver logs
• Electronic logging device data
• Black box or event data recorder information

Damages In Truck Accident Cases

Damages are the financial and non-financial losses caused by a truck accident.

Special damages cover economic losses such as medical bills, lost wages, lost earnings, property damage, and costs associated with medical appointments and ongoing treatment.

General damages address non-economic harm, including pain and suffering, emotional distress, disability, disfigurement, and loss of normal life.

Our attorneys assess damages by reviewing medical records, employment information, future treatment needs, expert opinions, and the long-term effect of the injuries on a client’s daily life.

Punitive damages may also be available in limited cases involving especially reckless or intentional misconduct, but they are not awarded in every truck accident claim.

Compensation in a truck accident case may include:

• Medical bills
• Emergency and hospital expenses
• Surgery costs
• Physical therapy and rehabilitation
• Future medical treatment
• Transportation costs for medical appointments
• Lost wages
• Lost earnings
• Reduced future earning capacity
• Property damage
• Out-of-pocket expenses
• Pain and suffering
• Emotional distress
• Disability
• Disfigurement
• Loss of normal life
• Funeral and burial expenses in wrongful death cases
• Other wrongful death damages available under Illinois law
• Punitive damages in qualifying cases

TorHoerman Law represents people and families in Highland who have been harmed in serious truck accidents caused by negligence.

Our attorneys can investigate the crash, preserve trucking records and electronic data, identify responsible parties, and determine which insurance policies may provide compensation.

Our legal team also works to document medical expenses, lost income, pain and suffering, long-term care needs, and other losses connected to the collision.

When a truck accident results in catastrophic injuries or wrongful death, our law firm has the resources to work with medical professionals, accident reconstructionists, and other experts when necessary to build the case.

Eligible truck accident claims are handled on a contingency fee basis, meaning clients do not pay attorney fees upfront.

If you or a loved one was injured in a truck accident in Highland, contact TorHoerman Law for a free consultation to discuss your legal options and the next steps in your claim.

You can also use the chat feature on this page to connect with our legal team.