Trucking expert witnesses may opine on federal motor carrier safety regulations, interstate motor carrier operations, and federal motor vehicle safety standards, as well as related issues. Here, the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration reports that the number of large trucks involved in crashes where at least one person needed immediate medical attention or a vehicle had to be towed away because of “disabling damage” has decreased nationally in the years since 2005. However, the number of those types of crashes has risen in the state of Illinois.
With more than 8,000 serious crashes in the state in 2008, the most recent year for which data is available, highway safety is a concern for Illinois drivers. The Illinois Department of Transportation reports that, in 2008, 94,021 people were injured and 1,043 people died in accidents.
Semi-trucks or tractor-trailer crashes are a particular concern because of the increased potential for serious and catastrophic injuries. In 2008 there were 14,632 crashes involving trucks in Illinois. Fatal truck accidents accounted for 10.5 percent of all fatal crashes in the state, with 115 deaths resulting from trucking accidents.