Getting hit from behind in a rear-end collision can cause severe injuries and lead to substantial medical expenses. Unfortunately, in Illinois, who ends up paying your post-accident medical bills depends on several factors. An Illinois attorney can help you figure out who is the responsible party for your medical bills for your specific situation.

The Other Driver’s Auto Insurance

If the driver who hit your vehicle carries the state minimum liability coverage, their insurer should pay up to $25,000 total for all medical expenses stemming from the accident. This assumes their policy covers the at-fault driver.

Your Own Auto Insurance

Under your own policy’s medical payments (MedPay) or personal injury protection (PIP) coverage, your insurer will also pay approved medical costs related to the accident up to your selected limits (typically $5,000-$10,000).

Being involved in a car accident is difficult enough, but finding out the other driver is unlicensed makes it even more troublesome. With no valid license, the at-fault motorist also lacks insurance to cover your damages. 

This complicates the claims process significantly. However, there are still options for recovering compensation after an accident with an unlicensed driver, and an Illinois lawyer can help.

Report the Accident and Unlicensed Driver

Contact the police to file an official report on the accident. Provide details about the other motorist operating without a valid driver’s license. Ask if the responding officer can issue traffic citations to the unlicensed driver for their infraction. The report and any ticket issued helped substantiate that the other party was at fault and driving illegally.

Many people assume hiring an attorney is unnecessary for a small fender-bender. However, even minor car accidents in Illinois can lead to injuries and financial burdens requiring experienced legal help. Here is guidance on when to retain counsel after a less serious collision.

Injuries May Not Appear Serious at First

Even low-speed, minor crashes can cause painful soft tissue injuries like whiplash or aggravate preexisting conditions. These injuries are often not immediately apparent and worsen over time. Having a lawyer ensures you receive proper medical documentation of developing symptoms if they persist.

The Other Driver May Blame You

While the accident may seem obviously the other driver’s fault to you, they will likely downplay their responsibility when insurance gets involved. Skilled counsel deals with these disputes and proves your innocence through evidence like crash site analysis and police reports. Do not assume the insurer will see it your way.

A motorcycle ride can be a fun and exciting way to see Illinois. But it can also be dangerous. Motorcycle accidents claim the lives of thousands of people each year and even more are injured. Even if the crash is not fatal, these accidents usually result in serious injuries because of the lack of protection the motorcycle provides. Injured motorcyclists may want to work with an Illinois personal injury attorney to protect their rights.

How Can You Prove Negligence in a Motorcycle Crash?

If you get hurt in a motorcycle accident in Illinois, state law requires it be proved that someone else was acting carelessly. You have to prove that the injuries or fatalities were caused by another person not driving responsibly or safely.

Sometimes, people think of motorcyclists as thrill-seekers who like to take risks. This idea can make it tough for injured bikers to make a strong case after being injured in a crash. That is why it is important to have an experienced lawyer who knows how to use eyewitness testimony, video from traffic cameras, and evidence from the accident scene to show that another driver caused the crash.

When dealing with a personal injury case, documentation is vital. Among the most valuable forms of documentation is the police report. A comprehensive and accurate police report serves as a crucial piece of evidence, playing an instrumental role in validating claims and ensuring fair outcomes for all parties involved. In the wake of your injury, contact an experienced attorney to ensure all appropriate documentation detailing the facts of your injury, including the police report, can be effectively gathered and used to benefit and support your pursuit of compensation in a personal injury case.

Ensuring an Objective Account

A police report serves as a neutral third-party, objective account of the incident. In many cases, a police report may be a critical piece of evidence in personal injury cases involving car accidents. Officers respond to the scene, assess the situation, talk to witnesses, and document their findings. Since police officers are trained to gather and analyze evidence, their reports carry substantial weight in court. By providing a detailed account of the incident, a police report helps establish a reliable and credible record of events independent of the involved parties’ testimonies. 

Establishing Liability

One of the primary reasons a police report is crucial in personal injury cases is its role in 

Drunk driving continues to be a problem in Barrington and across the nation. A significant percentage of car accidents resulting in serious and fatal injuries are caused by intoxicated drivers. Illinois law allows drunk driving car accident victims to file a personal injury claim and pursue financial compensation for their damages.

If you or someone you love has been injured in a drunk driving accident, it is important to contact an experienced personal injury lawyer as soon as possible. An experienced attorney can help you seek compensation for your medical expenses, lost wages, pain and suffering, and other damages.

How Does a Drunk Driver Accident Injury Claim Work?

When you file a claim for an injury caused by a drunk driver, you will not have to prove that the other driver was negligent or reckless. Illinois considers a drunk driver to be negligent "per se." The police report showing that the driver was under the influence will establish negligence. However, this does not mean that the process of recovering compensation will be easy.

Dogs can be loving companions, but they are also animals with sharp teeth and powerful jaws. When a dog attacks somebody, it often goes for the person's face and neck. The tissues on our face are fragile and can be easily cut and torn, leading to nerve damage, loss of functioning, and disfigurement.

If you, your child, or another family member suffered facial injuries because of a dog bite, you should be aware of your legal rights in this situation. Injuries caused in a dog attack fall under the legal doctrine of strict liability in the state of Illinois. This means that the dog's owner may be liable for your injuries. The owner may be required to reimburse you for financial losses such as medical bills as well as compensate you for the non-financial suffering resulting from the attack.

Illinois Dog Bite Laws

In some states, a dog owner may be able to avoid legal responsibility for a dog attack if the owner had no reason to believe the dog was dangerous. This is sometimes referred to as a “one-bite rule” because the owner is not typically liable the first time their dog bites someone.

When accidents involving pedestrians occur, the results are often catastrophic. Pedestrians who are struck by vehicles may suffer broken bones, internal organ damage, traumatic brain injury, or even paralysis. These injuries often lead to long-term medical needs with a massive price tag. Pedestrian accident victims may need surgery, home healthcare, physical therapy, and years of follow-up care. If you or a loved one were hurt in a pedestrian accident, you may be able to recover financial compensation for your damages. 

Gather Evidence and Documentation

Collecting and preserving any evidence and documentation related to the accident is crucial to support your claim. This can include photographs of your injuries, witness statements, and medical records. Having this information at your disposal can help clarify the circumstances surrounding the accident and strengthen your case.

Disputes between pedestrians and drivers often involve complex legal issues, so consulting with an attorney with experience handling similar cases is essential. A skilled attorney can help you understand your rights and obligations and explore all available legal options to resolve the dispute.

Some U.S. industries are inherently more dangerous than others. For example, individuals who work in the logging, commercial fishing, and construction industries are more likely to suffer work-related harm than many others, simply because their job duties often involve embracing a heightened risk of occupational accidents and injuries.

However, anyone can be hurt while they are on the job. Office workers regularly slip and fall, healthcare professionals get attacked with alarming frequency, and agricultural and factory workers often sustain crush-related harm.

Regardless of the type of accident that impacts an individual worker, it is important for them to understand that they may be entitled to one or more types of compensation as a result of their circumstances. If you have sustained occupational injuries as a result of an accident, you may have been led to believe that filing for workers’ compensation is your only option at this time. Depending on the nature of your circumstances, you may be entitled to far more compensation than the workers’ comp system alone will provide.

Car accidents occur in Illinois and across the world for countless reasons. Sometimes, it does not matter how careful you are behind the wheel, mistakes by other drivers can lead to a collision. If you are involved in a car accident, you may be entitled to financial compensation for your vehicle damage, medical expenses, and other losses. We will break down the common types of car accidents in the state of Illinois below.

Driver Error

Driver error is one of the leading causes of car accidents in Illinois. Distracted driving is a major issue, as it can easily lead to collisions. Some of the types of distracted driving are:

• Texting, talking on the phone, and checking social media

  ...

We all rely on the work of truckers, from getting food to the grocery stores to medications on pharmacy shelves. Trucks move some 70 percent of all sellable merchandise nationwide. But being on the roads does not come without risk. In 2020, about 4,840 fatal crashes involved large trucks. What makes these truck accidents so dangerous is their mere size and the cargo they carry. Sometimes that can include pallets, objects, and even dangerous chemicals that wind up on the road. If you are involved in an accident and injured due to a truck driver’s negligence, you could be entitled to compensation.

When Cargo Becomes a Road Hazard

When truck drivers operate their vehicles carelessly and negligently they are dangerous to other drivers on the roads. A big part of their responsibility is to ensure that their cargo does not shift or spill out of the truck onto the roadway and pose a hazard. The cargo must be secured so it does not move around, even at high speeds. In a truck crash, a trailer door may open, and cargo can spew across the highway. Drivers on the road may not be able to react in time and stop, causing a chain-reaction crash. Loose or shifting cargo can also lead a truck to become unbalanced and difficult for the driver to control. 

If a truck is carrying toxic chemicals, a crash that causes a chemical spill is also a serious safety concern for residents and cleanup crews. Sometimes, the exposure can last for days or weeks, causing additional injuries. Flammable or explosive loads could ignite in a crash, possibly leading to an explosion or fire that causes widespread injuries and damage.

‘Tis the season when many people will tie a Christmas tree to the roof of their cars to bring home. But what happens if your Christmas tree falls off of your car and causes serious injuries to someone? Research from AAA shows that 44 percent of Americans admit transporting a tree unsafely, and 16 percent say they have had a Christmas tree fall off of their vehicle on the way home. You have to remember that once you drive off the lot with the Christmas tree it is the driver’s responsibility to make sure it does not wind up being a hazard on the road.

Secure Cargo or Face Negligence Allegations

If the tree flies into oncoming traffic and causes an accident, anyone who is injured in the crash can file a lawsuit against you and sue for damages. Remember, if your vehicle does not have a roof rack, tying a tree to the roof of your car is probably not a good idea. Improperly fastened cargo can lead to serious legal consequences. If someone is harmed as a result of your falling Christmas tree you could be sued for negligence. 

How to Avoid Turning Your Christmas Tree into a Road Hazard

Road debris caused more than 200,000 crashes and 500 fatalities between 2013 and 2017. To avoid becoming a statistic this year, here are some things to consider before you pick out a Christmas tree and attempt to get it home safely: 

Hitting the road with the air on your face is a one-of-a-kind experience for motorcycle riders. But the reality is that motorcycle injury rates increased by ten percent between 2019 and 2020. Motorcyclists are 28 times more likely than a car passenger to die in a crash and four times more likely to be injured. These motorcycle catastrophic injury accidents can leave you facing everything from amputation to traumatic brain injuries, and they can certainly be fatal. They can harm the most experienced motorcyclists because often others fail to be safe on the roads.

Common Injuries Sustained by Motorcyclists

Some motorcycle injuries can permanently impact your ability to work and care for your children. Motorcycle accident injuries can result in serious bodily harm even at low speeds, compared to injuries suffered by people driving other types of vehicles. 

The most common injury in a motorcycle accident is head trauma including traumatic brain injury. These injuries typically occur because the rider is thrown from the bike with their head hitting the pavement with severe force. That is why wearing a helmet is critical. Other types of injuries that motorcyclists can experience in a collision include the following: 

Distractions and driving, especially when ghosts and goblins are roaming the streets for Halloween, can be a scary combination. It can lead to more than a traffic violation. It can spark a car accident and you could end up seriously injured. If you were recently hurt or lost a loved one in a Barrington car accident or truck accident, contact a personal injury attorney for help. 

Types of Distracted Driving

Anytime you are driving and doing something else that causes you to move your hands off

the steering wheel or keep your eyes on the road, that is considered distracted driving. The following three categories of distracted driving are common: 

September is one of the rainier months here in Illinois. The season is slowly starting to change from summer into fall. The intense heat waves that contribute to road rage in the summer are likely over. However, we will probably be dealing with a lot of rain. It is no surprise that car accidents are a bit more likely to happen while it is raining. When the rain first starts the roads are slick, as the bits of oil and grease from traffic have not yet washed off. As the rain is coming down hard, visibility can be impaired. Even after the storm, drivers are not done blaming their poor driving habits on the weather. If car accidents were truly unavoidable when it is raining or wet, it is not likely that people would continue to willingly get on the roads under these circumstances. If you were injured by a driver who claims that the weather was at fault, you may want an attorney to help pursue your claim.

Negligent Driving Habits and Inclement Weather

There are a few very common ways that car accidents occur while it is rainy. While the at-fault driver may be quick to blame Mother Nature, it is likely that your attorney will be able to identify a careless behavior that actually caused the crash.

Common examples include:

You are driving along in a lawful manner when suddenly, you get hit by a driver who was most likely doing something unlawful, like looking at their phone. After checking whether anyone needs an ambulance, one of the first things you do is ask the at-fault driver for their insurance information. Instead of reaching into their wallet, the responsible driver stares at you like a deer in headlights. You are hit with a horrible realization - they do not have an insurance company to pay for your damages. It may be an even worse feeling if your injuries are severe and you find out about their lack of insurance in the hospital, from the police. You are likely wondering how on earth you are going to recover compensation after a crash with an uninsured motorist. Our attorneys can help you identify any other party who could be liable or seek compensation in another way. 

Identifying Those Who May Have to Pay

The most common way that people who have been hit by an uninsured or underinsured driver is through their own insurance company. In Illinois, all drivers are required to carry uninsured driver insurance. By law, uninsured motorist coverage must cover you up to $25,000 at minimum, although your particular policy may offer more. 

The problem here is that you may have far more than $25,000 worth of expenses. Your car alone may be worth more than that. Add in your medical bills and lost wages, and that may not be nearly enough. Your attorney may attempt to find other parties who could potentially be liable, such as: 

Getting attacked by a dog can be terrifying. A dog may seem perfectly calm or even happy one moment, only to turn into a snarling beast the next. Children are some of the most common victims of dog bites, in part because they may lack the skills needed to safely interact with a strange dog. Dog bites can be particularly harmful to young kids who may even be smaller than the animal. However, even adults should take a dog bite that breaks skin seriously and seek medical attention.

Even if the bite does not look too bad, it may require careful cleaning or preventative antibiotics. If you were not trespassing and did not provoke the dog, you can most likely recover compensation for any medical costs and more. 

4 Reasons to See a Doctor After a Dog Bite

Attempting to treat a dog bite at home has the potential to end badly. Boites can create deep puncture wounds, doing more damage than you can see right away. Seeking medical care for every dog bite is a good idea for these reasons:

Many, if not most, insurance companies have one goal and only one goal - and it is not to make sure that people their clients injure get fair settlements. In fact, the goal of a car insurance company after one of its drivers causes a crash is generally to get away with paying the lowest possible settlement. Settlements offered by insurance companies to unrepresented crash victims are often far too low to cover the costs and financial losses associated with a car crash.

Taking a settlement without speaking to an attorney could mean leaving thousands or even tens of thousands of dollars on the table. It is not likely that an insurance company will tell you that you can recover things like future care expenses and lost wages. They may even dishonestly tell you that they do not pay for certain costs that you could be legally entitled to recover. It is important to work with an attorney who understands your rights and will fight to protect them after a car accident injury. 

Tricks a Car Insurance Company Might Try

While you are still reeling from your crash, the insurance company may try all manner of less-than-ethical methods to get you to accept a fraction of what your claim is actually worth. You should be prepared for tricks like: 

We all know what speed limits are - whether one chooses to obey them is another matter. However, it is possible to be simultaneously obeying the posted speed limit and driving too fast. The posted speed limit applies when road conditions are normal. Drivers must also take things like the weather, the traffic, and any damage to the road itself into consideration when determining the appropriate speed. Even if the driver who caused your car accident was following the speed limit, they could still be found to have been driving at a negligent speed if they failed to take other conditions into account. If your accident was caused by a driver who was going too fast but not speeding, you will want to speak to an attorney as soon as possible to begin building your case. 

What is Speeding?

Legally, speeding means driving faster than the posted speed limit. It can be rather cut and dry. If the speed limit is 35 miles per hour and the driver was going 41, they were speeding. If they were going 36 miles per hour, they were speeding. As a practical matter, most law enforcement agencies tend to ticket drivers who exceed the speed limit by at least five miles per hour, but even one mile per hour over the limit is technically speeding.  

Of course, there is such a thing as driving too slowly as well. It is illegal in Illinois to drive so slowly that they are getting in the way of normal traffic. 

It is just straightforward common sense that a person is more fragile than a vehicle. While being inside a car certainly offers some protection, it is entirely possible for a car to be relatively unharmed while the people inside are hurt. People who have been injured in what appears at first glance to be a minor accident sometimes make the mistake of not taking their own injuries seriously. They may know that they feel pain somewhere, but they brush it off as probably nothing. This can be a mistake.

Underestimating your own injuries can lead to you losing out on the compensation you were entitled to. If you are in pain at all after a car accident, or even just feel that something is not right, it is a good idea to let a medical professional make that call. The next step is to call a car accident attorney for further help pursuing compensation. 

3 Reasons to Avoid Underestimating Your Injuries After a Fender-Bender

It may be tempting to simply exchange insurance information and then go about your day, ignoring what you might perceive as minor soreness or pain. Quite a few people look at the damage to their car to determine how serious the accident was when they should be looking at the damage to themselves. Reasons you should avoid this pitfall include: