Car Accident Attorney Hyde Park

Car accidents in Hyde Park can be devastating. Even if you do everything right behind the wheel and pay attention to your surroundings while wearing a seat belt, another motorist’s reckless or careless behavior can result in a life-threatening or even deadly motor vehicle crash. You deserve to seek compensation, and an experienced Hyde Park car accident attorney can help.

Get the Facts About Hyde Park Car Accidents

What do you need to know about car accidents in Hyde Park? According to a report from the Illinois Department of Transportation, the following are some key facts and figures about car crashes in the state in recent years:

• In 2019, there were 312,988 motor vehicle collisions reported to police. In 2020, while much of the state was under stay-at-home orders, reported crashes dropped to 246,752.
• About 21 percent of all reported car accidents involved injury (about 52,000 collisions).
• Over 1,000 accidents in Illinois resulted in a fatality in 2020.
• Speeding was a primary factor in more than 31 percent of all collisions in 2020.
• In 2020, motorcycle accidents accounted for about 14 percent of all fatal collisions and about 4 percent of all injury crashes in Illinois.
• Truck accidents in 2020 accounted for about 4 percent of all accidents and over 9 percent of deadly collisions.

Causes of Hyde Park Car Crashes

What causes most traffic collisions in Hyde Park? According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), the following are some of the most common causes of motor vehicle crashes:

• Aggressive driving
• Distracted driving
• Fatigued or drowsy driving
• Drunk driving or impaired driving
• Auto defect
• Poor road conditions
• Inclement weather

Statute of Limitations in Your Hyde Park Car Accident Case

The Illinois statute of limitations (735 ILCS 5/13-202) for most personal injury cases, including most car accident claims, is two years. What is the statute of limitations? The statute of limitations is the period of time in which a personal injury victim is permitted to file a legal claim. With a two-year statute of limitations for a car accident case, an injury victim must file their claim within two years from the date they sustained the injuries, which is the date of the accident.

Typically, unless there is a way to “toll” the statute of limitations (or to stop it from running), once that two-year period is up, the victim cannot file a claim for compensation. Given the short time window, it is extremely important to speak with a Hyde Park car accident attorney as soon as possible.

Contributory Fault and Your Hyde Park Car Accident Claim

What will happen if the court says you are partially at fault for the accident? Under Illinois contributory fault law (735 ILCS 5/2-1116), as long as you are not 51 percent or more at fault for the crash, then you can still recover damages. However, your recovery will be reduced by the proportion of your fault. For example, if the court finds you are 10 percent at fault, your recovery will be reduced by 10 percent.

Contact a Car Accident Lawyer in Hyde Park

If you or someone you love sustained serious injuries in a motor vehicle collision, you should have an aggressive car accident lawyer in Hyde Park on your side. Contact The Horwitz Law Group to learn more about how you can obtain financial compensation.