Car Accidents and Personal Injury

While most people take great care to exercise caution and good driving habits while driving, auto accidents can happen to anyone at any time, even to the most careful of drivers. Inclement weather, poor road conditions, vehicle malfunction, and reckless actions by other drivers can cause car wrecks. Collisions can cause serious injury to drivers and passengers in the vehicles, as well as severe damage to vehicles and personal property.

If you or someone you love has been seriously injured in a car wreck, it is important to know how you can pursue the compensation you deserve. A Chicago personal injury lawyer may be able to explain your legal options and help you with your case. We are happy to provide the following information about car accidents and personal injury cases to help you understand the legal process.

Auto Accidents: Who is at Fault?

In the event of a serious accident, drivers and passengers in the vehicles may suffer serious injuries that require hospitalization, medical treatment, and rehabilitation. Medical treatment can be very costly and can have a serious effect on a person's livelihood, and in many cases, serious accidents may force people to miss significant work-time as well.

Although some people may have a negative opinion of personal injury lawsuits and may not wish to go through the process of pursuing compensation, the significant financial impact of some auto accidents may give people no choice but to hold those accountable for the collision liable for their actions. If you need legal assistance, a Chicago personal injury lawyer may be able to help you with your case. Liability for an accident is often determined by:

• Official police reports detailing the facts of the accident
• State vehicle statutes that govern the rules of the road
• “No doubt liability” accidents that cannot be disputed in court, due to their nature

Police reports are often helpful in court because they often provide official accounts of the event by drivers involved and witnesses at the scene. In a personal injury case, the official police report is a helpful document that is usually taken very seriously by judges and juries.

Vehicle statutes in your particular state can also be very helpful when trying to prove liability following an accident. They often outline the “rules of the road” and if it can be proven that the other driver was in violation of those laws at the time of the accident, your case will typically be much stronger. State vehicle statues often include speed limits, road signs, and the “right of way”, and drivers who fail to observe such rules may be held liable for injuries and damages in the event of a collision.

“No Doubt Liability”

There are certain types of accidents that may fall under the category of “no doubt liability” in which there can be little question as to whom is responsible in the event of a car accident. Such accidents often include:

• Accidents involving drunk drivers
• Rear-end collisions
• Left-turn accidents

The term “no doubt liability” can be misleading at times, because there are still circumstances in which the circumstances of the accident may be unique to the type of collision and the party who is usually at fault may not have been the one who caused the accident. An example of this is rear-end collisions that are typically the fault of the driver who collides into the vehicle in front of it, but may be the fault of the first driver if he or she applied the brakes without warning, intentionally to cause an accident, or had burned-out or malfunctioning brake lights.

If you have been involved in an accident, it is important to consult an experienced Chicago personal injury lawyer to discuss your legal options. For more information, contact Friedman & Bonebrake, P.C at 314-466-8200 today.