What To Do After a Car Accident in Chicago, Illinois
What To Do After a Car Accident in Chicago, Illinois
In the moments immediately following a serious car accident, the number one priority above all else is getting to safety and receiving emergency medical attention. If possible, follow the following steps in the seconds, minutes and hours following your collision.
DO:
- Seek medical attention right away.
- Call 911 to file a report with a police officer.
- Collect necessary information from the other party or parties, including driver's license, vehicle VIN, insurance policy information and contact information.
- Take pictures of the damage to any vehicles, the surrounding scene and the location where the accident occurred.
- Take note of any significant details, such as the weather, road conditions, signage and other factors.
- Call a car accident lawyer in Chicago at (314) 500-HURT.
DO NOT:
- Admit fault or make statements suggesting that you did something wrong.
- Provide a recorded statement to the insurance company - say no.
- Sign anything from the insurance company.
- Accept a settlement offer or negotiate on your own.
- Post about the accident on social media.
- Put off speaking to a car accident lawyer.
In serious car accident cases with severe or catastrophic injuries, you and other injured individuals will most likely be transported to a hospital for emergency medical care. You may not be conscious or physically able to take any other action in relation to your legal Illinois car accident claim. Your job is to let first responders and emergency medical professionals manage your immediate injuries. Once you are safely on your way to your physical recovery, call our Chicago attorneys at (314) 500-HURT for help getting a complete financial recovery.
In other cases, however, you do have the capacity to take stock of the situation and your surroundings, and this does not necessarily mean that you are not injured or do not require medical attention. If you are able to, use the opportunity to collect as much evidence and information about the car crash as possible. Never risk your safety or anyone else's safety to do so.
It is always best to be prepared for emergency, high-stress situations like a car crash on a busy highway. But in the moment, adrenaline and nerves can take over. If you were not able to follow this list of dos and don'ts entirely, do not fret. Ultimately, once you are safely removed from the scene of the accident and have received critical emergency medical care for your serious Illinois car accident injuries, just talk to an auto accident lawyer about your case. We will take it from there and will help you make sense of your case, your recovery options and what you need to do next. Contact a lawyer with Burger Law today for a free review of your case.
Kinds of Car Accidents in Illinois
Kinds of Car Accidents in Chicago, Illinois
Car accidents are very common, and our Illinois car accident lawyers have worked with hundreds of car accident injury victims. Each case is different and requires acute knowledge and competent litigation skill from your auto accident attorney. Our team knows how to investigate hard-to-track-down hit and run cases, collect evidence of speeding and distracted drivers, calculate the complete extent of your damages and determine which party or parties are accountable for your injuries. Whatever the circumstances that led to your crash, Burger Law will get to the bottom of it and get you best possible outcome in your car accident case.
Some of the most common kinds of car accident cases in Illinois include:
Contact us now to discuss your Chicago car accident case and ask our Illinois car accident lawyers questions about your case at no cost to you. Find out how we are able to address the complications of your claim and what we can do to help you navigate, negotiate and win a settlement in your case.
Other Auto Accident Case Types in Illinois
Other Auto Accident Case Types in Illinois
When we talk about car accident cases, we are looking at a larger case category known as motor vehicle accidents. The vast majority of auto accidents that occur in Chicago and elsewhere in the state of Illinois are traditional car accidents, but our Chicago car accident lawyers are equipped for so much more.
It is true that passenger vehicles account for the overwhelming majority of vehicles involved in auto accidents. Of all the vehicles registered in our country, 92 percent are passenger vehicles like sedans, vans and SUVs. It follows that these common vehicles are most highly represented in traffic crash data, making up 76 percent of the vehicles in fatal crashes.
Car Accident Injuries - Types and Severity
Car Accident Injuries - Types and Severity
Car Crashes are violent events, even at low speeds. When these accidents happen, they can leave broken bones, internal injuries, and even cause death. Here are a list of the most common injuries that can result from a car accident:
- Whiplash - Whiplash Injuries happen when the neck or head is thrown around in a forceful jerking motion. The force is created when a vehicle in motion is struck from a direction that it isn't traveling. These types of injuries can lead to neck pain, back issues, spinal issues, tenderness in the shoulders, and many other medical issues.
- Concussions - During an accident, if enough force is applied to the head or the neck, the brain can bounce back and forth inside the skull which can cause bleeding, swelling, bruising, or other serious injuries to the brain. Concussions can lead to loss of motor functions, loss of memory, and can even be paralyzing.
- Broken Bones - When enough force is applied against a bone, it can snap or break, causing extreme pain. Car Accidents can easily lead to broken bones due to the force involved in the accidents. Broken bones can cause a loss of work, loss of function of the limb, and cause other health complications.
- Internal Bleeding - Internal Bleeding is a particularly dangerous injury that can result from a car accident because the injury isn't immediately apparent. Internal bleeding occurs when the organs inside your body are either punctured or rupture from the force of an accident.
- Spinal Cord Injuries - Spinal cord injuries are often very serious due to the importance of the nervous system. The spine protects the spinal cord which sends and receives information to and from the brain and the rest of the body. Any damage to your spine can often cause serious injuries throughout other areas of the body and can even result in the loss of use of limbs.
You should always receive medical attention as soon as possible after being in any kind of auto accident. Once a medical professional has examined your injuries, talk to our car accident firm in Chicago right away so that we can take on your claim and fight for you every step of the way. Call us now at (314) 500-HURT.
Quick Facts About Illinois Car Accidents
Quick Facts About Chicago, Illinois Car Accidents
All kinds of factors can contribute to the cause of auto accidents — weather, visibility, distractions, recklessness, neglect of the rules of the road. Though there has been dispute regarding the precise percent of car wrecks caused by mistakes by the driver or other involved parties (many cite a landmark study that attributed 93% of accidents to human error), it is safe to say that in most cases, one or more drivers hold the majority of the responsibility.
Each kind of car accident requires specific knowledge and legal expertise to help you win your case. Issues like liability can become very complicated. Our car accident lawyers in Illinois have seen all manners of car accident cases and use proven methods to substantiate claims, prove who is liable and demand maximum compensation.
- Car accidents can happen to anyone. According to data collected by the Illinois Department of Transportation, there were 246,752 car accidents in 2020 (the most recent year for which there is complete data). 72,989 people were injured and 1,195 were killed.
- Speeding kills. Speeding has consistently been a factor in car crashes and fatalities, accounting for close to one-third of motor vehicle deaths for most of the past two decades. Sadly, after a slight decrease in the previous two years, the rate of car accident fatalities caused by speeding increased to 29% in 2020.
- Texting and driving is illegal and dangerous. Texting and driving is as dangerous than drunk driving. As of 2019, it is illegal in Illinois to text and drive or use your phone while driving. More than one-third of teens admit to texting and driving despite acknowledging that it is dangerous.
- In 2020, there were more than ten thousand crashes involving commercial vehicles. 125 resulted in fatalities and 2,277 injuries. In those crashes, only 15 of those who were killed and 72 of those who were injured were occupants of the truck, meaning that the overwhelming majority of injuries and fatalities were the occupants of regular passenger vehicles.
- Icy roads are the most fatal weather condition. Annually, there are nearly 2,000 deaths involving icy roads. There are more deaths from slick roads than there are flood fatalities, extreme heat fatalities or extreme cold fatalities.
Being a diligent driver better protects you against the chance of an accident happening. However, we cannot control how other drivers on the road behave. We have laws and rules of the road for a reason: to keep everyone safe. Yet, as you can see, accidents happen and thousands of people every year in Chicago and throughout Illinois are involved in crashes, are injured or even killed. If you or someone you love has been injured in a car accident in Illinois and you believe another driver is at fault, contact our car crash lawyers in Illinois immediately. We will fight to make sure you get the medical care and financial recovery you deserve.