Trucking | Best, Vanderlaan & Harrington | Chicago, Illinois
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Trucking

The lawyers of Vanderlaan Law Group have extensive experience defending catastrophic accidents involving personal injury, freight and property damage in the transportation and freight industry, including tractor-trailers, heavy equipment and buses, as well as other types of vehicles and modes of transportation. These types of claims often involve severe injuries and wrongful death claims.

In order to effectively defend such claims, an extensive investigation of the scene and vehicles involved must be undertaken. It is paramount to obtain and preserve all of the relevant evidence concerning the incident. This includes obtaining protective orders to preserve the vehicles and evidence from the scene and obtaining all of the relevant reports from the investigative agencies. It is also important to hire a qualified accident reconstructionist upon notice of a claim to properly evaluate and document the evidence.

Most recently, these claims are often targets of the Plaintiff's bar "reptile theory" of litigation. Having a lawyer with a comprehensive understanding of the trucking companies and driver's obligations under the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Act (FMCSA) and related state statutory rules and regulations is paramount to providing a defense that minimizes the admissibility of irrelevant alleged bad acts and directs the focus of the case to the issues actually giving rise to the alleged incident and related injuries. 

Our attorneys work together with accident reconstructionist and FMCA experts to effectively defend such cases. We have handled a variety of litigation matters, including claims involving multiple fatalities and catastrophic injuries arising from vehicular traffic accidents. Additionally, we are well versed in claims arising out of improperly loaded cargo, operator error, engine and equipment failure issues and violations of the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Act. Our attorneys have defended independent businesses, as well as acted as litigation counsel for several of our insurance carrier clients.