Car accidents can happen in the blink of an eye when you’re least expecting them to happen. No matter how much you try to drive safely and avoid an accident, all it takes is another person’s negligence to cause a wreck. When the collision wasn’t your fault and causes you injuries, whether minor or severe, you shouldn’t have to worry about covering the costs of your medical bills or other bills from damages. That’s where a Murphysboro car accident lawyer from Prince Law Firm comes in. We can offer you legal support to get compensation for all your injuries and damages.
Even though you might have thought that a car wreck wouldn’t happen to you, the reality is that it could happen to anyone, no matter how careful you are. In 2016, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) reported that nearly 40,000 people died in car crashes. Just over 1,000 of those deaths were in Illinois alone, according to the Illinois Department of Transportation (IDOT). At Prince Law Firm, we know how hard it can be to recover from a car accident. Let us help you recover financially so you can focus on healing physically and emotionally.
What Commonly Causes 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 was 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. According to the NHTSA, 6,000 people died last year as a result of distracted driving. Distracted driving is doing other actions instead of 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.
- Speeding. It’s important to always follow the posted speed limit. Overall, speeding accounted for over 33% of crashes in Illinois in 2017. On top of that, speed caused nearly 37% of fatal crashes and nearly 38% of accidents resulting in injury.
- Driving under the influence. It’s illegal to drive under the influence of drugs or alcohol. In 2017, 32 percent of fatal crashes were caused by a drunk driver. Even though the legal limit for blood alcohol content (BAC) is .08 in Illinois, your judgement can still be impaired when you’re at .01 BAC, so it’s safest not to drive if you’ve had anything to drink.
- 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?
When you decide to take on a car accident claim, you might be wondering how your car accident lawyer will calculate the amount that is owed to you. Here are some of the factors that we will take into consideration for your claim so we 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 accident have cost you.
- Mechanic bills. It’s likely that your car was damaged in the accident 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.
Prince Law Firm Can Help You with Your Car Accident Claim
When you come to Prince Law Firm with your car accident claim, you will be treated with the care and compassion you need 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. Contact our law office today so we can get started on your potential case. With over 20 years of experience, you can feel peace of mind having one of our personal injury lawyers on your side.
