Car Accidents

Illinois roads can be dangerous. According to the Illinois Department of Transportation, there were 957 deaths in 887 auto accidents in 2012, an increase over 2011. Of the 887 fatal accidents, 130 happened in Chicago, reflecting a 19 percent increase over 2011. For all of Cook County, there were 243 fatal car crashes, more than 27 percent of the state’s total.

Laws are in place to protect the rights of injured victims and the families of those who lost a loved one in an auto accident. As Chicago car accident lawyers we strive to protect your rights.

With a team of experts, including safety engineers, accident reconstructionists, and forensics specialists, we conduct thorough research into the facts of your automobile accident.

A comprehensive assessment of the facts surrounding an accident often includes an examination of the following:

Many different factors and circumstances can lead to an accident. Organizations such as the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) and the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) routinely monitor accident facts and figures. The following are the most common reasons why car accidents happen.

There are certain locations that tend to be more dangerous and risky for drivers. According to the NHTSA’s Report to Congress:

Auto accident fatalities vary dramatically from state to state, according to figures from the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety. These figures are generally not calculated in percentages, but rather, by the number of accidents per 100,000 people.

To illustrate the degree of variance by state, in 2015, the District of Columbia saw a fatality rate of 3.4 people per 100,000, while Wyoming saw a fatality rate of 24.7 per 100,000 people. In 2015 — the most recent figures available — the U.S. saw 32,166 fatal car crashes, resulting in 35,092 deaths.

Estimates vary, but on average, it’s believed that approximately 5% of car accident cases go to trial.

A fairly large portion of cases are settled before a personal injury lawsuit is even filed. Of the cases that do result in a lawsuit, about half of those cases are settled before going to trial.

It is possible to settle a car accident without insurance. Some drivers have coverage that protects them from losses in a crash involving an uninsured driver. In other cases, a lawsuit may be filed and the uninsured driver could be held personally liable for damages. This type of case may be settled pre-trial or at trial.

To get you full and fair compensation, your attorney must prove the other driver was negligent. We prepare your case with the intent to show:

By Illinois state law, you usually have two years from the date of the injury to file a claim. Bear in mind that multiple parties may be negligent, such as a municipality for road defects or a car manufacturer for faulty design or manufacturing.

You must notify your own insurance company when you have been involved in an auto accident. An adjuster will be assigned to your claim and will send you paperwork for its own investigation of the auto accident, such as:

When our car accident attorneys file an automobile accident claim on your behalf with the court, we apply our experience and the trusted opinions of your medical professionals to place a value on your damages. We know the games insurance companies play—at your expense. These include