Six people were rushed to the emergency room after a limousine collided with an SUV on the South Side of Chicago on April 29, 2022. Fortunately, all of the crash victims survived. The accident serves as a reminder that car accidents can happen when we least expect it. Limousines are thought of as luxurious and safe, but car accidents involving limos can and do happen. In 2018, a tragic limousine crash caused by brake failure left 20 people dead. The owner of the Prestige Limousine was charged with negligent homicide after it was discovered that he knew about the brake problems and had received multiple warnings from the state to get the limo repaired before the deadly crash.

If you or a loved one were involved in a limousine collision, you may be able to hold the at-fault party accountable and recover monetary damages through a personal injury claim.

Crashes Involving Limos May Be Caused by Multiple Factors

What led to the recent Chicago limo crash that injured six individuals is still unknown. Limo crashes are often caused by driver error including speeding, failure to yield, and distracted driving. However, failure to maintain the vehicle, defective vehicle parts, and other issues may also lead to a limo crash. In the case of the limo wreck that killed 20 people, the National Transportation Safety Board determined that the crash both Prestige Limousine’s disregard for passengers’ safety as well as ineffective state oversight. Often, there are multiple parties at fault when a preventable accident causes injuries and deaths.

Illinois has legalized the recreational use of marijuana for adults. However, this does not change the fact that marijuana is an intoxicating compound. Whether it is inhaled, eaten in the form of a marijuana edible, or consumed in another state, cannabis products have serious psychological effects.

The drug impairs concentration and memory, increases reaction time, and harms cognition. Consequently, it is very dangerous to drive while high on marijuana. If you or a loved one were hurt in a car crash caused by a driver under the influence of marijuana, you may be able to take legal action and recover damages.

Car Crashes Caused by Drugged Driving

Driving under the influence of cannabis is illegal for a reason. Intoxicated drivers are more likely to make mistakes that can lead to injury-causing and fatal accidents. They are also more likely to react slowly to a dangerous situation on the road such as a stalled vehicle or dropped truck cargo. If you or a loved one were hurt in an accident and you suspect that the driver was intoxicated by marijuana, do not hesitate to take legal action. Contact a personal injury lawyer experienced in car crash injuries who can help. You may be able to hold the driver accountable for the harm caused to you or your loved one. You may also be entitled to financial compensation for your damages. Past and future medical bills, vehicle repair or replacement costs, and lost wages from missed work during your recovery may all be compensable. You may also be entitled to compensation for the crash's non-financial consequences on you and your family, such as pain and suffering and lost quality of life.

Auto insurance is mandatory in Illinois. Unfortunately, some people ignore the law and drive without insurance. In most car accidents, the at-fault driver’s insurance company pays for vehicle repair and other damages. If you were in a crash with an uninsured driver, you may be worried about what will happen. Will you get compensation for vehicle repair or replacement costs? What about your medical bills resulting from your injuries? Fortunately, individuals in this situation have options.

Accidents Involving Uninsured and Underinsured Drivers

Being in a car crash is already bad enough. Finding out that the person who hit you does not have enough insurance to cover the costs, or worse, has no insurance at all can be devastating. You may be worried that you will be on the hook for these expenses. However, you may be able to get compensation from your own insurance company. Uninsured/underinsured motorist coverage is designed for this exact situation. If you have liability coverage, you should have uninsured/underinsured motorist coverage. Unfortunately, getting the insurance company to properly compensate you may be harder than it should be. Insurance companies often try to avoid paying car accident victims what they deserve. This is why you need a skilled car accident injury attorney to represent you during the claim process.

Third-Party Personal Injury Claims

Car accidents are often complex. The actions of multiple parties may have contributed to your wreck. If another party was partly at fault for the crash, you may be able to bring a personal injury claim against that party. For example, if the driver was intoxicated, you may be able to bring a claim against the bar or restaurant that provided the driver with alcohol under dram shop liability laws. If the vehicle contained a defective part, you may be able to bring a claim against the company that designed, sold, or manufactured the defective part.

There are many different types of car accidents that can result in serious injuries and significant property damage. Rear-end collisions are some of the most common types of accidents, and they often occur at intersections, on roads where vehicles slow down to make turns, and in situations where drivers are unable to slow down or stop in time due to distracted driving or traffic violations such as speeding. Even though a rear-end accident may seem to be relatively minor, victims may experience multiple types of injuries, as well as other damages. To ensure that they will be able to address their financial losses and other ways they have been affected by a collision, victims can work with an attorney to determine the amount of compensation they may be able to receive.

Damages in Rear-End Collisions

To assess the value of their case, a car accident victim will need to consider multiple factors. The person who was responsible for the collision may be held liable for all of the economic and non-economic damages that they caused. These damages may include:

• Medical expenses - Depending on the extent of a person’s injuries, the costs of medical treatment can be significant. In many rear-end collisions, victims will suffer whiplash, which can result in ongoing neck pain and stiffness and loss of range of motion in the neck, shoulders, and arms. To treat these issues, a person may require ongoing physical therapy, or they may receive chiropractic treatment. The costs of these treatments can add up to tens of thousands of dollars. In more serious cases, such as when a collision results in spine injuries such as fractured vertebrae or herniated discs, a person may require surgery, which can cost tens or hundreds of thousands of dollars.
• Lost income - An inability to work while recovering from the injuries suffered in a car accident may lead to a significant loss of income. Depending on the income a person earns, the length of time when they were unable to work, and whether they were able to return to part-time or full-time employment, their losses may add up to thousands of dollars. If an injury results in a permanent disability, this may affect a person’s ability to earn an income and support themselves and their family throughout the rest of their lifetime. In these cases, damages may address the loss of future income, which can add up to hundreds of thousands of dollars over multiple decades.
• Property damage - A person should be able to cover expenses related to repairs for a vehicle that was damaged in a collision. These repairs may cost several thousand dollars, and in some cases, damage may be so extensive that a vehicle may need to be replaced, which can cost tens of thousands of dollars. Damages may also address the costs of replacing other property that was damaged or destroyed, such as valuables in a vehicle’s trunk that were damaged by the impact from another vehicle.
• Pain and suffering - In some cases, a victim may experience damages that are not easily quantifiable, such as physical pain or emotional trauma that has affected their quality of life. When determining the amount of compensation a person should receive for these damages, the ways they and their family have been affected will be considered. Non-economic damages may be calculated by using a multiplier that is applied to the amount of a person’s economic damages.

Contact Our Decatur Rear-End Accident Attorneys

Following a rear-end collision, the attorneys of Kanoski Bresney can gather evidence to demonstrate fault and document the full extent of a victim’s damages. We will work to ensure that a victim fully understands the value of their case, the forms of compensation they can receive, and the steps they can take to address their ongoing needs. Contact our Bloomington rear-end-collision lawyers today at 888-826-8682 for a free consultation.

While cell phones and similar electronic devices are used by most people on a near-constant basis, many people understand that texting while driving or using a handheld phone to make a call while behind the wheel can be very dangerous. Public safety campaigns have emphasized the dangers of these activities, and laws have been passed that make it illegal to use electronic devices while driving unless they are in hands-free mode. However, there are multiple other forms of distracted driving that can lead to dangerous car accidents. Victims who have been injured in these types of accidents can work with an attorney to determine their options for pursuing compensation from a distracted driver.

Activities That Can Take a Driver’s Attention Away From the Road

Distracted driving may involve visual distractions in which a person looks away from the road, manual distractions in which a driver takes their hands off the steering wheel, or cognitive distractions in which a driver’s attention is focused on something other than the act of driving. Texting or using a cell phone can be especially dangerous, since these actions involve all three types of distractions. However, there are multiple other activities that can cause a driver to be distracted, including: