Illinois saw 311,679 motor vehicle crashes in 2017. Of those crashes, 66,889 caused injuries; 998 were fatal. Being involved in a car accident is a terrifying experience and can put your life on hold. Injuries can keep you from going to work and also prevent you from maintaining your household. At the same time, you’re trying to stay on top of your financial responsibilities, and the costs of hospital care and medical expenses can be high. While you may feel overwhelmed with the outcome of the crash, know that you can seek legal options with a Peru car accident lawyer from Schweickert Ganassin Krzak Rundio, LLP.
A negligent driver can cause a lot of damage in an accident. If someone’s negligence has harmed you or a loved one, you shouldn’t have to be the one paying for it. You should get in touch with our firm as soon as possible—we may be able to provide you with the assistance you need. While it may be tempting to settle the matter immediately with an insurance adjuster, they are often only trying to protect their bottom line, which could leave you with less compensation than you deserve. Our attorneys in Peru fight for our clients to get them the result they are owed through a settlement or trial so they don’t have to bear the burden of the financial losses from the accident.
Before learning more about how we can help, it may benefit you to know more about car collisions. Let’s take a look at the various ways these accidents can occur in Illinois.
What Are the Different Types of Car Wrecks?
While each car crash case will have unique details, there are common ways that people are involved in car accidents. Here are some examples:
- Rollover. A rollover occurs when a vehicle falls on its side. Drivers and passengers can sustain severe injuries when a car flips over.
- Rear-end collision. This occurs when a car hits the rear of the car in front of them. While it’s common for the rear car to be at fault, there may also be situations where the car in front didn’t signal a turn or their brake lights didn’t work, so the car behind them wouldn’t know they were trying to slow down.
- Head-on collision. A head-on collision can cause catastrophic injuries because the impact affects the front of the car and often pushes the steering wheel or other parts of the vehicle into the driver or passenger.
- Side-swipe. Cars traveling in the same direction may be involved in a side-swipe accident, where one vehicle’s right side hits the other vehicle’s left side. These can happen if a car drifts out of its lane.
- T-bone. Also known as broadside collisions, a t-bone accident occurs when the front of one vehicle hits the side of another vehicle.
- Multi-vehicle. These are typically more common on the highway, when an accident causes a chain-reaction that involves many other vehicles on the road. For example, if cars are sitting in traffic and someone hits the last car in the line, the force of the impact could make each vehicle hit the one in front of it.
- High-speed collision. While any accident can cause injuries, a high-speed collision has the potential to be more severe. These accidents are also more likely to occur on the highway.
Along with the various ways that car accidents occur, there are also several reasons why the accidents happen in the first place. Let’s take a look at typical actions that lead to auto wrecks.
What Causes Car Collisions?
When drivers don’t prioritize safety, they often make negligent decisions that puts everyone else on the road in danger. Unfortunately, this doesn’t prevent some drivers from continuing dangerous driving behaviors until an accident occurs. Here are some common reasons why Illinois car crashes happen:
- Distracted driving. Many drivers have distractions in the car that diverts their attention from the road and sometimes keeps one hand off the steering wheel. Distracted driving claimed 3,166 lives in 2017. Cell phones are the main distractors to drivers, whether it’s sending a text or changing music. There are other distractions as well. Fiddling with the radio, trying to eat or drink, or rubbernecking are all other ways that a driver can become distracted and cause a collision.
- Drunk driving. Driving while intoxicated is dangerous, illegal, and can result in tragedy. An intoxicated driver will not be able to safely control their vehicle and can easily run off the road or swerve into the lane next to them.
- Reckless driving. Drivers don’t always obey the rules of the road. Speeding, tailgating, failure to stop at a red light or stop sign, and driving aggressively are all ways that make a driver more likely to have less control of their vehicle and cause a wreck.
A negligent driver can do more than collide with another motorist. Cyclists often share the road with cars. A distracted driver may not notice a cyclist up ahead and could collide with them.
There’s also an accident that’s more common in cities and towns—dooring. This is when a person in a car doesn’t check before they open their car door and they open it right as a cyclist is passing by. A bicycle accident such as this can cause terrible injuries to the cyclist. If you’re a cyclist who’s been injured because of an auto accident, our attorneys in Peru may be able to help you.
Car Wreck Injuries Can Be Severe
While cars have safety measures in place like seat belts, air bags, and an autobody built to absorb impact, people can still sustain terrible injuries that could potentially affect them for the rest of their lives. They will likely need some form of treatment, which could include staying in the hospital. Future surgeries or months of rehabilitation could also be required.
Our auto accident lawyers are familiar with the consequences of car collisions:
- Traumatic brain injury. In an auto wreck, the vehicle occupants are in danger of hitting their head against the window, head-rest, dashboard, or something could come through the windshield and possibly penetrate their skull.
- Paralysis. Trauma to the spinal cord could result in some form of paralysis. Depending on where the injury site is, someone could potentially lose use of their legs, called paraplegia, or arms, trunk, and legs, called tetraplegia.
- Broken bones. The force of the accident can break bones which can take months to heal. This painful injury can also be frustrating, because at some point the person will likely be able to return to work, but the healing process can take a significant amount of time.
- Soft tissue injuries. Auto collisions can cause whiplash, which is when the head is jerked violently back and forth. Other soft tissue injuries can include sprains. These injuries may not be as life-threatening as others, but they can cause chronic pain and problems if they’re left untreated.
If you have another kind of injury than those listed above, you should still seek out help from a Peru car accident lawyer. We will look into your medical records and investigate the cause of the accident. After analyzing the extent of your injuries and physical evidence from the accident, we’ll have a clearer idea of what happened and how it happened. Then, we can get started on helping you get the compensation you deserve.
Protecting Your Claim in Illinois
Our lawyers will help you protect your auto accident claim. There are actions you can take at the scene of the accident that may help your claim later. If you are able to communicate with the other party in the accident, don’t apologize. It’s common for people to say this after an accident regardless of fault, but the defense attorney may try to use such a statement against you as admission of some fault for the accident.
You may also speak to a police officer as they’re making a traffic crash report. When you’re giving your side of the story, only report details that you remember. Trying to fill in details that you’re unsure of may not match up with what actually happened, which could be used to show that your account is unreliable.
The traffic crash report could be a significant help in your claim. However, you may not be familiar with how to read the report. Our Peru attorneys can go over the traffic crash report with you and answer any questions you may have.
You may also have questions about how bringing an action can help you. When you’ve been injured in a car wreck, you’ll likely have medical bills, will likely miss work, and may need treatment in the future. Not everyone can afford those costs out of pocket, and they shouldn’t have to when they weren’t at fault for the accident.
The way compensation works varies by state. In Illinois, there are a few ways you can seek compensation because it’s an at-fault state, meaning that the party responsible for the accident will compensate the injured party for their losses. Our Peru car accident attorney will help you file a claim or lawsuit that will give you the best chance of getting full and fair compensation.
Schweickert Ganassin Krzak Rundio, LLP Is Here for You
We understand how disorienting filing a claim can be for car accident victims. Our team will help simplify the process. Our Peru lawyers have the skill and tenacity needed to fight for your rights and make sure that your voice isn’t ignored.
Getting started on your case as soon as possible will get you on the path to peace of mind. Give our firm a call today. After scheduling a free consultation, you’ll be able to assess your options and do what’s best for you. The attorneys at Schweickert Ganassin Krzak Rundio, LLP will be at your side every step of the way.
