Murphysboro Car Accident Lawyer

Common Causes of Car Accidents in Illinois

Not all car accidents are preventable, but there are some safety precautions you can take to avoid accidents. Following the speed limit, paying attention to the road, and driving defensively are all great ways to prevent car accidents. But the trouble is that you can only do so much as a driver when another person is not driving safely. Human error accounts for most car accidents and can usually be prevented if the driver is paying closer attention to the task at hand—driving.

Whether you’re driving on empty rural roads, busy city streets, or highways across the state, these are some of the most common forms of negligence that cause car accidents in our state of Illinois:

Distracted Driving

Distracted driving is doing other than focusing on the road while you’re driving, which means if you’re texting, messing with the radio, eating, putting on makeup, or doing anything that requires you to multitask, you are at a higher risk of causing a wreck.

A 2022 Illinois Highway Safety Plan Annual Report published by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) shows that at least 3.6% of all motor vehicle collisions the prior year involved distracted driving. This means that distracted driving accounted for 4.8% of injuries and 0.8% of fatalities motorists suffered through their involvement in these wrecks.

Speeding

It’s important to always follow the posted speed limit. Overall, speeding accounted for over 29% of fatal car crashes nationwide in 2022, per the National Safety Council. On top of that, speed caused nearly 37% of fatal crashes and nearly 38% of accidents resulting in injury.

Driving Under the Influence

Even though the legal limit for blood alcohol content (BAC) is .08 in Illinois, your judgment can still be impaired when you’re at .01 BAC, so it’s safest not to drive if you’ve had anything to drink.

The Illinois data shared by the NHTSA that was cited above suggests that 30% of Illinois traffic fatalities are caused by a motorist being impaired by either drugs, alcohol, or another controlled substance (or some combination of several of them).

Other factors that we often see give way to Murphysboro, IL car accidents at our law office aside from the above include:

• Ignoring traffic lights, signs, and rules. Distracted driving and driving under the influence can sometimes cause drivers to ignore stop signs, stop lights, and other rules of the road. This can cause a serious accident when other drivers are following the rules of the road.
• Fatigue. Driving while tired can sometimes be just as dangerous as driving while under the influence. If you’re drowsy and dosing off, you could fall asleep behind the wheel and lose control of your vehicle.
• Poor road conditions. In Illinois, we have all four seasons, so snow, ice, and rain can all cause poor road conditions. Those weather conditions can also affect our roads and cause potholes and broken pavement. Whether you’re driving in poor weather or just on a rough road, pay attention and use caution.

What Affects the Value of Your Car Accident Claim in Jackson County?

When you decide to file an insurance claim, you might be wondering how your Murphysboro car accident lawyer will calculate the amount that is owed to you. Here are some of the factors that motor vehicle collision attorneys like ours take into consideration when calculating your losses to ensure the financial compensation you receive is fair:

• Medical bills. Documentation of your injuries, both physical and emotional, as well as bills from all your doctor’s visits will give us an accurate idea of how much the injuries from this car crash have cost you.
• Mechanic bills. It’s likely that your car was damaged in the wreck as well. Save any bills that you received from your mechanic for damages to your car so we can include those costs in your claim.
• Missed work and lost wages. If your injuries from the crash kept you from going back to work, and as a result, you lost wages, you should be able to get that money back. Your paystubs will be integral to proving how much money you lost by missing work from the collision.
• Pain and suffering. The injuries from your accident could cause you physical or emotional distress, which is known as pain and suffering. These are harder to calculate because they don’t come from solid numbers, like bills, but you could recover these damages if you had to endure added suffering from your accident.

Let Our Murphysboro Car Accident Lawyer Help You Secure a Financial Recovery

When you come to Prince Law Firm with your car accident claim, you will be treated with the care and compassion you deserve while we fight hard for your rights. You shouldn’t have to go through the legal process alone, which is why we’ll be there for you every step of the way.

Contact our law office today so a Murphysboro car accident lawyer can get started working on your potential case. With over 20 years of experience, you can feel peace of mind having us on your side after a motor vehicle collision in or around Jackson County, IL seriously hurt you or took the life of a close family member. All initial consultations with our car crash attorneys in our office are free.