Many senior adults want to remain as independent as possible and drive themselves to go to the store, see a doctor, or visit a friend or family member. Although many older adults are cautious drivers, the effects of aging can lead to traffic accidents.
If you were hurt in a car crash involving an elderly driver, you might have suffered a wide range of injuries, such as a concussion, whiplash, broken bones, cuts, and paralysis. You also may have been treated at a hospital and are now receiving care in a rehabilitation facility or visiting a chiropractor or a physical therapist regularly.
If you suffered severe injuries, you could have a long road ahead of you. You may eventually make a full recovery or continue to have trouble walking and other problems that will affect your ability to care for your children and perform household tasks.
The accident may have left you unable to work. If you eventually get the green light to return, you may be able to work only on a part-time basis or perform a fraction of your duties. You may be offered another position that is less physically demanding, but the pay might be significantly less than your old job, leaving the possibility open that you might have to look for a new position either with the company you work for or another company.
The sudden loss of your income may be causing your family to suffer financially. You and your spouse may be struggling to scrape together enough money to cover basic living expenses, such as housing and groceries. Dreams of retiring comfortably and sending your children to college may have been dashed. On top of all that, you may have a growing pile of medical bills that you cannot pay. All of this may be taking an incredible emotional toll on your entire family.
An Aurora elderly driver accident injury lawyer might be able to help you financially recover from the accident. Depending on the details of your case, Pintas & Mullins Law Firm could file a personal injury lawsuit against the individual who hit you and seek a financial award to compensate you for your medical bills, lost income, and pain and suffering. Call us today at (800) 223-5115 to schedule a free consultation.
How Elderly Drivers Can Cause Car Accidents
As people age, they often experience symptoms of physical and cognitive decline. Those changes may increase their risk of being involved in motor vehicle crashes.
Elderly people may experience vision and hearing changes that make it difficult for them to see and hear vehicles and other hazards around them. They may also suffer declines in coordination and slowed reaction times that can hinder their ability to respond quickly to a dangerous situation.
Older drivers are sometimes overly cautious about compensating for these changes. For instance, an elderly person may travel well below the speed limit to avoid an accident, but that could create a hazardous situation if other drivers are traveling at or above the speed limit and cannot slow their vehicle down in enough time to avoid a collision.
Senior drivers may also experience symptoms of Alzheimer’s disease or dementia. A driver who becomes confused or lost can miss a turn, turn the wrong way down a one-way street, stop at a green light, enter an intersection when the light is red, or make other mistakes that can put drivers, bicyclists, and pedestrians in danger.
Many elderly people take medications to treat various medical conditions. Those drugs may produce side effects such as vision changes, dizziness, lightheadedness, and fatigue, making it dangerous to operate a car. A person may feel fine when setting out on a trip but could begin to experience problems while driving, leading to a crash.
How an Aurora Elderly Driver Accident Injury Lawyer Could Help
Pintas & Mullins Law Firm might be able to help you pursue compensation to cover your losses stemming from a traffic accident.
Our team can begin your case by reviewing the police report to understand the circumstances that led to the collision. If we have reason to believe the other driver was operating a vehicle unsafely because of a physical or mental decline or because of medication side effects, we might be able to file a personal injury lawsuit on your behalf.
You could receive a financial award to cover your bills for past and future medical care, lost income, lost or reduced earning potential, and pain and suffering.
An attorney representing the driver who hit you may claim that your actions contributed to the crash and that you share liability for your own injuries. If that is true, you could still receive payment. Under Illinois’ comparative negligence law, 735 ILCS 5/2-1107.1, you may be entitled to compensation if you were no more than 50 percent at fault for the accident. An award that you would have received if you had not shared any blame for the collision can be reduced by a percentage to reflect your degree of responsibility.
Pintas & Mullins Law Firm might be able to negotiate a settlement with an attorney representing the other driver. This agreement could help both sides avoid a long and expensive trial. If that is not possible, we could take the matter to court to pursue compensation that we consider fair and reasonable. Call us today to discuss your legal options with a member of our staff.
For a free legal consultation with a Elderly Driver Accidents Lawyer serving Aurora, call (800) 223-5115
Get in Touch with an Aurora Elderly Driver Accident Injury Lawyer
Many people hurt in car crashes sometimes opt not to contact an attorney because they think they could not afford legal fees. Pintas & Mullins Law Firm works on contingency, which means we do not charge clients any money upfront. We only receive payment if we win financial awards on our client’s behalf.
If you were hurt in a collision with an elderly driver, you might be entitled to financial compensation, but you have a limited time to file a lawsuit, as explained in 735 ILCS 5/13-202.
According to that law, the statute of limitations to file a personal injury lawsuit in Illinois is two years. If you do not sue within that window of opportunity, you may forfeit your right to receive compensation, even if you have a valid claim. Call Pintas & Mullins Law Firm today at (800) 223-5115 so that we can get to work for you as soon as possible.
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