Content Reviewed by:
John J. Perconti
Content Reviewed by: John J. Perconti
John J. Perconti is one of the nation’s leading medical malpractice attorneys with over 40 years of experience litigating medical malpractice and personal injury cases in state and federal courts. He studied pre-med before law school, which gave him an in-depth understanding of complex medical issues that have played an important role in his success. Having lost his father at age nine, he understands how injuries and deaths affect families. He has won numerous multimillion-dollar record verdicts. His honors and awards include a Lead Counsel Rating in Elder Law, Best Lawyers in America, and Illinois Super Lawyers.
One negative aspect of being a tractor-trailer driver has to deal with road rage. Though normally it is the vehicles around the tractor-trailer with road rage, tractor-trailer drivers themselves tend to exhibit road rage behaviors, too.
In short, road rage is defined as a driver’s uncontrolled anger that is normally provoked by another driver’s irritating act and is expressed in aggressive or even violent behavior. Road rage sometimes results in death! For instance, on Highway 10 in Jacksonville, Florida, in an act of road rage, one tractor-trailer driver pulled up beside a second tractor-trailer driver and fired a fatal gun shot at the driver!
Relevant Statistics and Causes
According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) 94 percent of all traffic accidents are a direct result of driver error. 33 percent of those accidents can be linked to behaviors associated with road rage. SafeMotorist.com found that 66 percent of recent traffic fatalities could be linked to acts of road rage.
There are countless causes of road rage. The most common ones include lack of sleep, heavy traffic, feeling stressed, overuse of a vehicle’s horn, angry gestures or screaming, cutting off another driver, slow traffic, et cetera.
Given the massive size of tractor-trailers, if the driver has road rage, and causes an accident, the result can easily be serious or even fatal. If you are a victim of such an accident, you should hire an experienced truck accident attorney to ensure you are adequately compensated.
Compensation
If you are involved in an auto accident at the fault of a tractor-trailer driver, and it was found that the tractor-trailer driver exhibited acts of road rage, you may be entitled to compensation. Such compensation includes, but is not limited to, medical expenses, lost wages, pain and suffering, emotional distress and loss of enjoyment of life.
However, please note that your damages may be limited if it was found that you were partially at fault for the accident. Per 735 ILCS 5/2-1116, in Illinois, if you are involved in an auto accident with another driver and property damage or personal injury results, the responsibility of the accident will be shared. This is called Illinois’ comparative fault law and it determines who will be the recipient of compensation and how much compensation is owed to that person.
Why is this something to worry about in road rage accidents? Well, according to AAA, many victims of road rage turn into aggressors themselves. Nearly half of the victims of road rage admit to committing acts of road rage in response. If it was found that you also exhibited road rage behavior at the time of your accident, it may be found that you were partially at fault. Hence, your damages will then be reduced per your degree of fault.
Take Action
If you are injured from a tractor-trailer-related accident, it is imperative that you hire an experienced personal injury attorney for your case. The Illinois personal injury lawyers at Levin & Perconti have the skill and experience needed to aggressively represent you during this difficult time. Call us today at (312) 332-2872 or toll free (877) 374-1417 to schedule a FREE consultation.
