How Do Negligent Driving Behaviors Impact Crash Victims?

 Posted on September 26, 2024 in Car accidents

All too often, negligent drivers cause car crashes that seriously injure or kill others. These collisions not only affect the victims, but they also impact families. Recent Chicago-area accidents highlight negligent driving behaviors and their consequences.

If someone else’s negligent driving harms you or someone you love, you may be entitled to compensation through a personal injury claim or wrongful death action. If you are eligible, you will need evidence showing that the at-fault driver was negligent, and an experienced lawyer from Quinn Law Group, LLC can investigate your accident to uncover that evidence.

What Are Real-Life Examples of How Negligent Driving Affects Victims?

All drivers have a legal duty to use reasonable care to avoid harming others. Unfortunately, many motorists engage in negligent driving behaviors every day, such as speeding, driving under the influence of fatigue, alcohol, or drugs, failing to yield the right of way, disregarding traffic signs and signals, and fleeing the scene of an accident.

Two recent incidents demonstrate that there are real consequences to these and other negligent driving behaviors:

• In July, a motorist died because an allegedly intoxicated driver was traveling south in the northbound lanes of I-90 near Park Ridge and hit his car.
• A hit-and-run driver ran through a Northlake stop sign and hit two teen bicyclists in September, leaving one in a coma and seriously injuring the other.

Although driving under the influence is illegal, many people do not understand how alcohol and drug impairments can prevent them from driving safely. In the first case mentioned, these impairments apparently led someone to drive in the wrong direction on the interstate. The driver has been charged with criminal offenses.

Although the reason for the hit-and-run accident is unclear, the injured boys should not have been left lying on the road. The driver was later identified and taken into custody. Along with the physical injuries suffered by the teens, their families are left reeling by the fact that the at-fault driver did not stop to help them or report the collision, which is illegal.

Do Criminal Charges Affect Your Eligibility for Compensation?

Personal injury claims are civil matters and are entirely separate from criminal charges. A criminal conviction may serve as evidence to support your claim, but your eligibility for filing does not depend on the criminal aspects of the case.

Most personal injury cases, including car accidents, are based on negligence. To establish negligence, you must show that:

· Someone owed you a duty of care.

· That party breached their duty.

·  The breach directly injured you.

·  You suffered damages due to the breach.

Your legal team from Quinn Law Group, LLC knows how to establish negligence and liability to hold at-fault parties accountable for the harm they cause.

Accidents and the injuries they cause differ. Eligible damages may include medical expenses, ongoing care, property damage, lost wages, pain and suffering, and other losses that diminish the victim’s quality of life. In qualifying wrongful death claims, family members may also receive compensation for funeral and burial expenses and the various losses they suffer due to the death.

Call Our Skilled Des Plaines, IL Car Accident Lawyer

When a negligent driver impacts your life, you need effective legal representation to get the compensation you deserve. At Quinn Law Group, LLC, we will do everything possible to protect your best interests and hold the responsible party accountable. Call us at 847-232-7180 for your free consultation with our dedicated Glenview, IL personal injury attorney.