By Dan Noll on July 16th, 2025 in Articles, Semi-Truck Accidents
What Is the Average Settlement for an 18 Wheeler Accident in Central Illinois?
Trucking accidents often cause catastrophic physical, emotional and financial damages for victims and their families. This is because life-changing injuries often lead to unexpected medical bills and lost income due to the inability to work. That’s why Illinois has laws that allow victims and their families to recover compensation against negligent defendants, including truck drivers, companies, manufacturers, repair companies and other third-parties who may have contributed to these damages. The experienced trucking accident lawyers at the Noll Law Office know that the majority of these cases result in a settlement, with some figures indicating roughly 95% of all civil cases settle and other figures reporting as low as only 2% of all cases go to trial. This means that victims and their families often want to know what the average settlement for an 18 wheeler accident in Central Illinois may be.
At the Noll Law Office, Dan Noll and Sarah Noll understand the importance of recovering a just and fair settlement for damages caused in a Central Illinois trucking accident. Generally, settlements typically range between $80,000 and $750,000, but severe injury cases can exceed $1 million, depending on injury severity, liability and damages. However, there are significant variations into what the average settlement for an 18 wheeler accident may be, including on the type of injury itself and some biographic information about the victim such, as age, gender, county of residence, general health and other factors. There are also certain legal issues that arise in many personal injury cases, including issues such as comparative negligence.
That’s why victims and their families should schedule a free case evaluation with the Noll Law Office to learn more about their rights to a possible trucking accident settlement. Dan Noll and Sarah Noll are Central Illinois trucking accident lawyers and offer free case evaluations with no obligation to sign up for a case. If you hire them and if they accept your case, there is also no upfront cost for case fees or legal bills, which are only reimbursed and paid after a recovery is made in your favor. Schedule your free case consultation today to learn more about your rights to a trucking accident settlement.
Types of Injuries and Possible Settlement Figures at a Glance
The average settlement for an 18 wheeler accident in Central Illinois largely depends on the type of injury that a victim sustains in a crash. There are many different types of injuries that could be caused in a trucking accident wreck, all with different levels of disability and possible pain and suffering. The type of injury is often the most important or influential factor in determining the settlement value of a case, particularly when considering the specific injury.
For instance, broken bone cases are often more valuable than soft tissue cases, but a broken finger will not be entitled to the same settlement as a broken leg. And even though a broken bone may be more valuable than most soft tissue cases, that broken finger will generally not be entitled to the same settlement as a torn rotator cuff.
Some of the most common types of injuries and their estimated average settlements include the following:
Soft Tissue Injuries: $50,000–$200,000
Soft tissue injuries involve damage to connective tissue that is not a bone or organ, such as muscles, tendons, ligaments and related tissue. Common examples of soft tissue injuries are rotator cuff tears, knee injuries to ligaments or other structures near there (ACL, PCL, MCL, LCL or meniscus tears), or neck and back injuries (such as whiplash which causes several disc or nerve injuries). The value of a soft tissue injury depends on the type of injury, whether there was surgery, use restrictions, and other factors relevant to past and future pain and suffering.
Fractures: $100,000–$500,000
Broken bones can result in a very high settlement, depending on the type of fracture (closed versus open or compound), whether there was surgery, scarring, use restrictions, and other factors. Generally, fractures are more valuable the closer they are to the center of your body, and the closer they are to your head. For instance, a fractured toe is usually worth less than a fractured tibia, which is usually worth less than a fractured humerus, which is usually worth less than a fractured skull. There are exceptions to that rule, such as a broken femur being worth more than a broken rib, but this is generally a good rule of thumb.
Additionally, whether there was surgery is a big factor in determining compensation for a broken bone. This includes where a fracture is open, or compound, meaning that it has ruptured through the skin. Or whether a fracture requires painful hardware, such as pins, screws, plates, rods, or other metal pieces to stabilize the broken bones so that they can heal. Oftentimes, the insertion of these painful pieces of hardware results in the removal of them later in a second surgery, which often increases the price further.
Permanent disability or wrongful death: $500,000–$2 million+
Victims who suffer a permanent disability in a Central Illinois trucking accident often have significant damages. Although the total amount of a settlement is very difficult to determine, these cases are often worth more than other types of personal injuries because of the future pain and suffering. As a result, the amount of future pain and suffering is largely dependent on the age of the victim and the victim’s needs.
In cases involving a wrongful death, the value can be much higher where the victim had many dependents, had a high income, or suffered extreme pain and suffering that resulted in his or her passing. As a result, these cases should be handled by very skilled and experienced personal injury attorneys such as Dan Noll and Sarah Noll in Central Illinois.
What Affects Settlement Amounts in Illinois Truck Accident Cases?
The average settlement for an 18 wheeler accident in Central Illinois depends on many different factors. That is why most of these cases are considered on a case-by-case basis. Some of the most important factors in valuing a tractor trailer accident case include the following:
Injury Type and Severity
The type of injury and the severity are the most important factors in valuing a trucking accident settlement in Central Illinois. Spinal cord injuries, traumatic brain injuries, and amputations often result in some of the highest settlements. Whereas broken bones and fractures often result in a more stable and predictable value of cases, which depends more on whether there was surgery and the age of the victim. In contrast, soft tissue injuries and scarring/disfigurement often result in the greater variation for settlement values because of many other factors, such as age and gender. With all cases, medical evidence, long-term care needs, and recovery time directly impact value.
Fault and Comparative Negligence in Illinois
Fault is another way of saying liability in a personal injury case. Trucking accident cases with stronger liability against a defendant result in less risk for a victim in a trial. Since there is less risk, that means there is a better chance that a victim will recover a higher award from a jury. As a result, cases with stronger liability often settle for more money than cases where liability may be questionable, because questionable cases result in higher risk, and a higher chance that a victim may not recover compensation at all from a jury.
In addition to this, fault also looks at the victim’s conduct. This is called comparative fault, and it can be used to proportionally reduce the victim’s compensation. Illinois follows a modified comparative fault rule, which means that victims must be 50% or less at fault for an accident in order to recover compensation. Victims who are over 50% may be completely barred from recovering any compensation – even if their damages are catastrophic or result in wrongful death.
Insurance Policy Limits
The insurance policy limits often dictate what amount of compensation that a victim may recover. Under the regulations promulgated by the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA), most commercial trucks are required to carry a minimum $750,000 liability coverage. This amount may increase for hazardous materials or certain other cargo, but it also could be less depending on the size of the vehicle and cargo. It is also important to ask an experienced Central Illinois trucking accident lawyer for help determining the policy limits. This is particularly true because some carriers and haulers hold excess umbrella policies above $1 million or even $3-$5 million, and therefore it should always be examined.
Economic and Non-Economic Damages
The value of the average settlement for an 18 wheeler accident in Central Illinois also depends on economic and non-economic damages. Economic damages are those which can be calculated, such as lost wages, medical bills, future earning capacity, nursing costs, medical equipment, and other related expenses that can be readily determined.
Whereas non-economic damages are those which are not easily calculated, and often result in some form of evaluating the subjective and objective evidence. These types of injuries largely include pain and suffering, and are broken up between past pain and suffering (date of injury to settlement) and future pain and suffering (date of settlement for the rest of life). Other non-economic damages include loss of consortium and relations with a spouse, but also normal familial relations with family such as other dependents like children, siblings, or parents. Oftentimes, non-economic damages are the most significant part of a settlement.
How Long Do 18 Wheeler Accident Settlements Take in Illinois?
The length of time that a trucking accident case may settle depends on many factors, and is often only considered on a case-by-case basis. Generally, more complex cases involving catastrophic injury or wrongful death will often take one to three years to settle, sometimes longer. Whereas other types of more straightforward cases may resolve within 3 months to 18 months.
Some of the main factors that dictate how long it takes to settle a case includes the following:
- Complex or catastrophic injury cases
- Contested liability
- Comparative fault on behalf of the victim
- Multiple defendants
- Municipal or State defendants or co-defendants
- ERISA liens (private insurance), workers’ compensation liens, or CMS liens (Medicaid/Medicare)
- Settlements with less than all defendants (i.e., due to policy limits)
- Medical treatment still in process
- Insurance carrier or adjusters
- Difficult or unreasonable defense lawyer or insurance adjuster
- Police investigations or FMCSA investigations into the truck driver or trucking company
- Drug or alcohol investigations into the defendant
- Prolonged treatment including surgeries
- Wrongful death cases and the need to set up an estate, and
- Other factors that may affect how quickly a case may settle in Central Illinois.
Still Unsure of the Average Settlement for an 18 Wheeler Accident in Central Illinois? Call the Experienced Trucking Accident Lawyers at the Noll Law Office for Help
If you’ve been hit by an 18-wheeler in Central Illinois, do not leave money on the table trying to settle the case by yourself. Speak directly with a local attorney who understands trucking laws, insurance strategies, and Central Illinois court trends. Dan Noll or Sarah Noll at the Noll Law Office are fifth-generation lawyers who have built a reputation on representing victims and their families against some of the largest insurance carriers and defense law firms in the region, if not all of Illinois. They understand these local trends just as well as the law, medicine, and how to handle difficult defense lawyers or insurance adjusters who seek to protect dangerous drivers instead of fairly and justly compensate victims.
To learn more about how they can help you after a serious or catastrophic trucking accident in Central Illinois, contact them today to schedule a free case evaluation by dialing (217) 414-8889 or by sending a message here. They can discuss your case with you at their law office, your residence, a hospital, virtually, over the phone, or any other reasonable accommodation that you may need.
Prior settlements do not guarantee similar outcomes. Prior settlements and figures are estimates provided herein are for educational and entertainment purposes only. Settlement values must be reviewed on a case-by-case basis.