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What the Car Accident Scene May Reveal in Your Personal Injury Case
Fault in car accidents is not always readily apparent. There is hardly an infallible mechanism for making a concrete determination regarding what has occurred unless the accident was captured on film clearly enough to reveal each driver’s behavior prior to the accident. Even if video footage can be located, rarely is the picture sufficiently detailed and lengthy enough to show the movements of each driver in the minutes preceding the collision. Rather, cameras are limited in their range of view and may fail to capture critical information.
Much of the events can be revealed through a skilled forensic examination of the accident scene. Your attorney may, in some cases, use an expert reconstruction or involve a private forensic investigator if there is a significant dispute as to the cause of the accident and scientific evidence is needed. However, to reap the full benefits potentially available from a forensic examination, it is critical to contact an attorney promptly, before cleanup efforts by first responders or even unfavorable weather patterns erase or conceal needed evidence.
What to Do if You Think the Driver Who Hit You Is Intoxicated
The impact usually comes out of nowhere when the at-fault driver is drunk or high on drugs. Intoxicated drivers tend to make unpredictable, erratic movements, so you may not have even seen them coming. Then, when you make it out of your car and go to get the other driver’s insurance information, you are greeted by a clearly intoxicated person. Maybe you smelled the whiskey on their breath as you approached, or happened to notice that their pupils are the wrong size. Dealing with an intoxicated driver who has just caused an accident can be frustrating at best, and dangerous at worst. It is important that you use caution and call the police right away. Proving their intoxication may become a major part of your claim later. In Illinois, if you can show that the driver broke the law by driving drunk, he or she may be automatically considered negligent under a legal concept known as negligence per se.
3 Most Common Causes of Driver Distraction
Even though cell phones only became commonplace in the fairly recent future, drivers have been getting distracted as long as humans have been driving. That does not mean that someone who causes a crash and hurts someone because they were distracted has an excuse. Student drivers are taught from day one that they must keep their eyes and focus on the road at all times. It only takes a few seconds of distraction to cause a serious car crash. Distracted drivers can fail to notice a line of cars braking ahead of them and cause a rear-end collision. Perhaps scarier, distracted drivers can fail to notice a red light, stop sign, or pedestrian. Distracted driving is dangerous for everyone on or near the road. If you were injured by a distracted driver, then you may be entitled to financial compensation.
Top 3 Causes of Intersection Accidents
If you have the green light, you should be able to proceed safely through the intersection. When you have the red light, you and everyone else in your lane should stop - on time. Everyone who is old enough to sit in the front seat knows the rules. In a perfect world populated by cautious drivers, this is exactly how it would work. Unfortunately, in the real world, drivers are often not as careful as they should be when crossing an intersection, even if there is a red light camera. Statistically, you are more likely to get into an accident at or near an intersection than you would be anywhere else, even on the highway. According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, roughly 40% of all motor vehicle accidents happen at intersections. If you were hurt in a car accident at an intersection, an attorney may be able to help you recover financial compensation.
Back to School Safety Tips for Children
This month, children all over Illinois are returning to school - most of them in person. Whether your children are excited to be going back or resisting the early-morning wake-ups, their safety comes first. While all parents are somewhat anxious about sending their children off to brick-and-mortar schools this year, the risk of them sustaining a serious injury is fairly low - but not nonexistent. Typically, the most dangerous part of the school day is getting to and from school. No matter how your children get to school - walking, biking, riding the bus, using public transportation, or taking a car - there is some level of risk involved. If your child is injured on their way to school or home from school, you may be entitled to recover compensation on their behalf. An attorney can help fight for your child.
What Happens When a Car Accident Leads to Lasting Disability?
A car accident caused by a careless driver can change the entire course of your life in an instant. One second, you are driving along, maybe headed home from work or to the grocery store. Suddenly, you feel a tremendous impact - someone has crashed into you, hard. From that moment on, your life may be completely different. Tragically, quite a few people do sustain life-altering physical injuries in car accidents. It is something that no one should have to deal with, ever. If this is the situation you are in, there is help available. Our attorneys can fight for you to receive a settlement or award that fully compensates you for everything you have lost. Although no amount of money can make up for a life-altering injury, you deserve to be in the same financial position you were in before the accident - and then some.
Types of Injuries That Cause Permanent Disability
Injuries that lead to permanent loss of function tend to fall into one of three categories:
What to Do After a Slip-and-Fall
Slipping and falling can be very serious. People who slip and fall typically land squarely on their back or tailbone, often hitting the back of their heads on a hard surface. Concussions or even more serious brain injuries can occur. So can major spinal cord or neck injuries. While it may be funny in a sitcom, slipping and falling in real life is no laughing matter. It is important for everyone to know what to do if they experience a slip-and-fall. Taking the right steps, both immediately at the scene and in the following days, can not only help your case but can also help you prevent further injury. Our attorneys can offer you more specific advice based on your own unique case.
Steps to Take After a Slip-and-Fall
In roughly chronological order, the steps you should take after slipping and falling include:
- Stay down - Do not try to get up until the paramedics arrive. Do not let anyone except the paramedics try to move you. If you have a suspected neck or back injury, you will need to be stabilized with braces before you can be transported to the hospital. Trying to get up on your own can worsen an existing injury. Do call EMS even if you are not sure whether you have been seriously injured.
Making a Drunk Driver in Illinois Pay for Your Injuries
There is a very good reason that drunk driving is against the law - it is incredibly dangerous for everyone on or near the road. Drunk drivers can be incredibly erratic in their behaviors and movements. They may swerve across multiple lanes wildly, drive the wrong way down a one-way city street, or blow through a red light. It is no surprise that accidents caused by unpredictable intoxicated drivers can be very bad indeed. Sober drivers may not even be able to see a drunk driver hurtling toward them until it is far too late to get out of the way. If you have been hit by a drunk driver, you will likely be able to recover compensation either through insurance or from the driver themself. An attorney can help you fight for the highest possible settlement.
What Are Negligence Per Se Laws and How Do They Affect Drunk Driving Crash Claims?
Negligence per se laws are a sort of legal shortcut to prove that the person who caused your injuries was negligent. In most cases, you have to prove that the other driver was behaving carelessly when they caused your accident. One way to do this is through negligence per se.
4 Common Types of Premises Liability Cases
You may know that if you slip and fall and get hurt, the party responsible for the premises you were in may be liable. However, premises liability is not limited to just slip-and-fall accidents, although this is a very, very common type of premises liability lawsuit. Generally, the party who has control of the premises or is tasked with maintaining it has a duty to keep the premises reasonably safe for those who are supposed to be there. If they fail to do so and a visitor to the premises is injured, the party responsible for the premises can likely be held financially responsible. Premises liability can be based on an almost limitless variety of accidents that occur on-site. However, there are a few very common categories of accidents that give rise to premises liability accidents. An attorney can help you determine whether you may have a case.
The Real Cost of Common Injuries in Rear-End Collisions
Rear-end collisions can be much worse than a typical fender-bender. Very hard impacts can occur when the driver behind was traveling at a high speed and failed to stop in time. Drunk or distracted drivers may not even manage to brake before impact. Injuries caused by rear-end collisions can be much more serious than a bit of minor whiplash. Many people who have been rear-ended suffer lasting injuries that can take them away from their jobs or keep them from performing the normal activities of daily living alone. If you were injured in a rear-end collision, you may be able to recover compensation for much more than just your ER bill. An attorney can help you calculate what your claim may be worth.
How Common Rear-End Collision Injuries Can Impact Your Life
Rear-end injuries can run the gamut from a sore neck that improves without treatment to a serious brain injury that requires surgery and extensive care in a hospital setting. Some common injuries sustained in rear-end crashes and the impact they can have include:
Contact a Lake County Vehicle Accident Attorney Who is Ready to Help You
If you or a member of your family has been injured in a motor vehicle accident, contact our office. Call 847-662-3303 to set up a free initial consultation at one of our four convenient locations. There is no risk because we only collect fees if you collect compensation. With offices in Libertyville, Waukegan, Richmond, and Chicago, we represent clients in Lake County, Cook County, DuPage County, and McHenry County.
Results listed are not a guarantee or indication of future case results.
