Illinois residents have the opportunity to participate in a wide variety of outdoor recreation opportunities. In the summer, thousands of Illinoisans enjoy boating on Lake Michigan and hiking throughout the state’s incredible parks and forests. In the winter time, Illinois is known for its expansive snowmobiling recreation areas. 

While snowmobiling is a fun outdoor activity for those that live in colder climates, snowmobile accidents are fairly common, and these accidents can lead to serious and fatal injuries. If you or a loved one are injured in a snowmobile accident, it is possible your injuries were caused by the reckless or negligent actions of another party. 

Snowmobiling Accidents Common in the United States 

Throughout the United States, more than two million people use snowmobiles each winter. Snowmobiles can be incredibly dangerous due to their size (some snowmobiles weigh over 600 pounds) and speed (snowmobiles can travel as fast as 90 mph). A staggering 14,000 people are injured in snowmobile crashes across the United States each year, and an average of 200 Americans are killed on snowmobiles on an annual basis. The leading causes of snowmobiling injuries include traveling at excessive speeds, consuming alcohol while operating a vehicle, and traveling on unmarked or unsafe terrain. Snowmobile injuries can range from broken bones to severe organ damage. The most common fatal snowmobiling injuries are traumatic brain injuries. 

On the afternoon of Monday, November 26th, 2018, five people were severely injured in a multiple car crash on the Ohio Street Feeder Ramp down to the Kennedy Expressway. According to the Illinois State Patrol, the accident was caused by dangerous winter driving conditions. 

Staying safe while driving in winter weather can be a difficult proposition. If you or a loved one are injured in a car accident this winter, you should seek out legal representation as soon as possible. 

Dangerous Areas and Conditions for Winter Driving

While driving in snow and ice can be dangerous no matter what the situation is, there are a number of road environments that are increasingly dangerous throughout the winter months: 

Every year, thousands of commercial trucking accidents occur throughout the United States. Many of these accidents are caused by reckless driving, such as speeding, inebriated driving, and drowsy driving. While driver error is the leading cause of commercial trucking accidents, a large number of these accidents have nothing to do with driver negligence and are actually caused by inadequate or improper maintenance. 

Commercial trucking companies have a responsibility to adequately maintain their vehicles to ensure the safety of the public. If you or a loved one have been injured in an accident involving a tractor-trailer truck, it is entirely possible that the accident was caused by negligence at the company level. 

Common Forms of Improper Truck Maintenance 

Despite stringent regulatory programs designed to ensure that commercial trucks never become part of a traveling fleet without receiving proper maintenance, commercial trucking companies throughout the United States continue to overlook basic maintenance procedures. These oversights can endanger the drivers and passengers of other vehicles, pedestrians, and anyone else who uses the roads. 

Throughout 2016, approximately 4,500 Americans lost their lives in accidents involving large commercial vehicles. This incredible number of fatalities involving commercial trucks and buses marked a 5% increase in comparison to 2015. 

Commercial truck drivers have a responsibility to drive safely, since the sheer size of their vehicles gives them the potential to cause a great deal of damage to standard passenger vehicles. Of all the fatalities involving large commercial vehicles in 2016, only 16% of those killed were the drivers of the commercial vehicles. If you or a member of your family have been injured in a truck accident, you should work with a legal team that will protect your right to compensation from the parties who were responsible.

Forms of Negligence by Truck Drivers

Despite the fact that all truck drivers are forced to go through rigorous training programs and testing before receiving their commercial driver’s license (CDL), hundreds of truck drivers throughout the United States drive negligently and endanger others on the road. Some common ways of doing so include: 

Every year, thousands of commercial trucking accidents occur throughout the United States. Due to the sheer size of the vast majority of commercial trucks, it should come as no surprise that many of these accidents lead to serious injuries or fatalities. Throughout 2016 alone, just under 4,000 Americans died in truck accidents. If you or a member of your family are injured in a commercial trucking accident, it is entirely likely that the accident was caused by a driver’s negligence or company oversight.

The Dangers of Drowsy Driving

Thousands of Americans die on an annual basis due to drivers falling asleep at the wheel. According to studies conducted by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), approximately 72,000 crashes occurred in 2013 due to drowsy driving. In all, over 800 Americans lost their lives in 2013 due to the negligence of drowsy drivers.

Drowsy driving is becoming increasingly common among commercial truck drivers. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) lists commercial truck drivers as one of the likeliest demographics to fall asleep at the wheel. Despite the fact that commercial truck drivers are only legally allowed to drive a maximum of 11 hours at a time, many truck drivers admit to violating this law. Driving for an extended amount of time has a direct correlation to collisions caused by driver fatigue.