Oak Lawn Motor Vehicle Accident Lawyer

By a significant margin, traffic accidents are the most common cause of personal injuries in Illinois and across the United States each year. Many of those injuries end up having life-altering consequences for the people involved. Even if you just need help covering emergency medical bills and other short-term medical expenses, you may have a surprisingly difficult time getting the restitution you deserve even if you are certain someone else is to blame for your crash.

Whether you were hit by a reckless commuter car driver, a careless trucker or bus operator, or even someone not paying on a motorcycle, you should strongly consider getting help from an Oak Lawn motor vehicle accident lawyer before trying to demand civil compensation.

A knowledgeable personal injury attorney could be a vital lifeline to building a strong claim against the person who injured you and navigating around common legal and procedural roadblocks to recovery.

The Role of Negligence in Motor Vehicle Crash Claims

With relatively few exceptions, “negligence” is the legal principle that most motor vehicle accident claims in Oak Lawn are built around. Put simply, everyone who drives any kind of vehicle on public roads assumes the same “duty of care” requiring them to obey traffic laws and generally act rationally behind the wheel. A plaintiff who can prove the defendant “breached” this duty by doing something reckless, careless, or illegal, and causes a crash resulting in injury , has met all the criteria necessary to establish legal negligence. This applies to car accidents, truck crashes, bus collisions, and motorcycle accidents.

Someone found negligent in relation to a motor vehicle wreck in Oak Lawn can be made to pay for all economic and non-economic repercussions of the accident not already covered by insurance, including:

  • Short-term and long-term medical bills
  • Car repair/replacement costs, plus other forms of personal property damage
  • Lost work income, benefits, or long-term earning ability
  • Physical pain and discomfort from injuries
  • Mental and psychological suffering from injuries or the crash itself
  • Lost enjoyment of life, potentially including lost consortium

A qualified attorney can go into further detail about what damages could be factored into a specific claim during a private consultation.

Who Could Be Liable for a Motor Vehicle Wreck?

Most of the time, the person most directly liable for a motor vehicle crash is an individual driver who acted negligently as described above. However, individual drivers are not always the only parties who could potentially hold civil liability for a wreck, especially if that driver works for a trucking company, or for a commercial or public bus operator.

In these kinds of situations, the company which employed that negligent driver may be “vicariously liable” for their employee’s misconduct. Naming that company as a defendant in a claim could be key to maximizing total compensation by the end of the case.

Once again, a motor vehicle accident lawyer in Oak Lawn could help identify exactly who is to blame for a particular crash and ensure they are all held accountable to the fullest extent possible under Illinois civil law.

Talk to an Oak Lawn Motor Vehicle Accident Attorney About Legal Options

Motor vehicle crashes can be traumatic experiences even if you walk away from them without a scratch. As you may have unfortunately learned recently, getting seriously hurt through a traffic collision can be stressful and debilitating on multiple levels. Without help from seasoned legal counsel, you may have extremely low chances of getting reimbursed for your damages by the person who was responsible for causing them.

An Oak Lawn motor vehicle accident lawyer could stand by your side throughout your legal proceedings and work to make sure your claim has the best possible outcome. Schedule a consultation with McCready Law by calling today and asking for a free consultation.