A car accident is a terrifying experience, especially when it causes serious injuries as well as shock and trauma. In some cases, a defective auto part, dangerous road hazard, or inclement weather condition causes a car accident, but the vast majority of car accidents in Chicago and elsewhere result from a driver’s negligent, reckless, or wrongful actions.
All drivers owe a legal duty of care to take reasonable measures to avoid causing injury to others sharing the road. Breaching this duty of care by acting negligently behind the wheel leaves the negligent driver liable for an injury victim’s damages under fault-based insurance laws like those in Illinois.
Chicago’s busy streets and bustling communities experience an average of 100,000 car accidents each year. Car accidents are common in urban areas but also happen in the suburbs and on rural roadways. Two-car collisions are more common than single-car accidents, accounting for 71% of car accident injuries in the U.S. The most common types of car accidents include the following:
According to 2022 data, angle collisions caused the highest number of deaths at around 8,800 deaths, while head-on collisions caused 5,800 deaths. Rear-end collisions and sideswipe accidents caused about 3,400 and 1,600 deaths respectively.
Most car accidents are directly attributable to driver negligence. Even when accidents occur in inclement weather conditions, a driver could be held liable for damages if they failed to adjust their speed to accommodate the driving conditions or otherwise neglected to take reasonable care. The most common causes of car accidents in Chicago and elsewhere include the following:
In fault-based insurance states like Illinois, it takes a thorough investigation to determine the cause of the accident and identify the liable party or each driver’s portion of fault for the accident. While a negligent driver is most commonly at fault for a car accident, in a minority of cases, a negligent road maintenance agency or the manufacturer of a defective car part could be liable, or share liability, for an accident victim’s damages. Common damages in Chicago car accident claims include medical expenses, lost earnings, and compensation for pain and suffering. Sometimes compensation for other damages apply like loss of limb, disfigurement, the loss of one of the senses, or diminished quality of life.
Insurance companies often protect their profits at the injury victim’s expense. They investigate the accident with the goal of undervaluing a claim or assigning a portion of fault to the injury victim to reduce the amount of their claim by that percentage of fault under the state’s modified comparative negligence insurance system. By hiring an experienced Chicago car accident lawyer, a car accident survivor in Chicago has an ally on their side throughout the investigation process and during negotiations for a settlement with the at-fault driver’s insurance. Call Smith LaCien LLP in Chicago today for skilled legal counsel during your car accident claim for damages.
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