If you suffered any kind of injury related to a car accident, you may face substantial medical costs, the inability to return to work due to your temporary or permanent injuries, pain and suffering, and property damage. If you feel overwhelmed with everything you need to do to file a claim with insurance or file a legal claim in a court of law, consider contacting our Tinley Park car accident lawyer team at Pintas & Mullins Law Firm to learn how a Tinley Park car accident lawyer may help you with your personal injury case.
Causes of Car Accidents
There are several different causes for car accidents; however, some automobile crashes are a direct result of the negligence of another driver.
Distracted Driving
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration defines distracted driving as anything that a driver does that takes their attention away from the road. Texting and driving may cause distraction while driving, as does talking on a cell phone. Other forms of distracted driving include visiting with another passenger, checking a navigational app on their phone, eating or drinking, or attempting to grab an object or change the radio station. If a driver remains distracted for any period of time, they may not have both hands on the steering wheel, or may not be able to react quickly enough to avoid an accident. If your accident was due to a distracted driver, you may have the legal right to file a claim for compensation for your injuries.
Failure to Follow the Rules of the Road
If a driver fails to follow traffic laws and signs, they are negligent or even reckless in their behavior. Speeding, running stop signs, failing to yield the right of way, or weaving in and out of traffic are all examples of careless and negligent behavior. If a driver fails to follow these laws, they may directly cause an accident with another motorist, bicyclist, motorcyclist, or pedestrian, potentially resulting in serious injuries or even death.
Driving Under the Influence of Drugs or Alcohol
Driving over the legal blood alcohol concentration limit may be a crime under certain circumstances, and the driver under the influence is certainly reckless in their decision to get behind the wheel of a car while inebriated, according to the Illinois Criminal Justice Information Authority. Drunk drivers, or drivers that are under the influence of drugs, often cause severe accidents leading to substantial injuries for other drivers or passengers on the roadways.
Driver Fatigue
If a driver operates a motor vehicle while they are drowsy or fatigued, it may disrupt their cognitive function as much as driving under the influence of drugs or alcohol. Driver fatigue can easily lead to slowed reaction times, inattention to the roads, and the decreased ability to make quick decisions. If you were in an accident as a result of another driver falling asleep at the wheel or being too fatigued to drive appropriately, you may have the legal right to pursue damages and losses.
Poor Road Maintenance
If you were in an accident due to a state or local construction site on the roadway, or damage to the road, such as a pothole, you may have the right to sue the governmental entity responsible for that area of the roadway. Filing a claim against a government entity is a challenging and complex legal matter, and there are certain guidelines you must follow as a victim of such an accident that are substantially different than that of a traditional personal injury claim with an insurance company or legal lawsuit.
Types of Car Accidents
There are different types of car accidents, some that will cause greater damage and catastrophic injuries. Some of the types of car accidents include the following.
Rear-End Collision
These car accidents occur typically when one driver is following too closely to the vehicle in front of them, and they are unable to stop in time to avoid an accident. In some cases, except for extenuating circumstances, the driver that crashed into the vehicle in front of them will remain liable for any damages or injuries to victims of that accident.
Sideswipe Collision
If a driver attempts to change lanes without paying attention to his or her surroundings or check their blind spots appropriately, they may actually have an accident called a sideswipe collision where the side of their car hits the side of the other vehicle. These accidents may happen at a high rate of speed, making the accident even more deadly or causing a multiple car pileup.
Multiple Car Pileup
There are several reasons why a multiple car pileup would occur. In some cases, there is a primary accident, and other drivers slow down to look, causing a secondary accident. In other cases, there is a primary accident, and other vehicles behind the primary accident are unable to stop in time to prevent additional collisions. These types of accidents often require accident reconstruction specialists as there are multiple parties with liability and responsibility for damages and injuries.
T-bone Accident
When one vehicle hits another perpendicularly, this is a broadside collision or a T-bone accident. These accidents often happen at intersections when one driver is negligent and fails to judge the speed of another vehicle, or simply fails to notice other vehicles near them.
Head-on Collision
In a head-on collision, both vehicles are traveling at high rates of speed and immediately impact each other with the front of both vehicles. Sometimes a passenger or driver actually ejects from the front seat if they are not wearing a seatbelt. As a general rule, these accidents are catastrophic and, in some cases, deadly.
For a free legal consultation with a Car Accidents Lawyer serving Tinley Park, call (800) 794-0444
How a Tinley Park Car Accident Lawyer May Help
If you suffered injuries due to due to any type of car accident, consider consulting Pintas & Mullins Law Firm to help you understand how a Tinley Park car accident lawyer may be able to help you with your case.
Call or text (800) 794-0444 or complete a Free Case Evaluation form