Car Accident Lawyer Rockford

Car Accident Lawyer Rockford 

Nobody plans to suffer serious injuries in a car accident, especially when most traffic collisions could be prevented if drivers took more care behind the wheel. However, auto accidents happen much more often than you might expect in Rockford and across the state. When a motor vehicle crash occurs, it can leave a driver and other occupants in the vehicle with severe injuries that require extensive medical treatment, multiple surgeries, and rehabilitation. In many cases, car accident victims are unable to work due to the seriousness of their injuries.

At Clark Frost Zucchi, we believe that injury victims should not be responsible for paying the costs of another driver’s carelessness. To learn more about filing a lawsuit, you should speak with an aggressive Rockford car accident lawyer as soon as possible.

Get the Facts About Car Accidents in Rockford, Illinois

How often do auto accidents occur in Rockford, Illinois? Are some individuals at greater risk of sustaining injuries in a crash than others? And what are some of the reasons that traffic collisions occur? A report on the 2014 Illinois Crash Facts and Statistics from the Illinois Department of Transportation (IDOT) provides the following information:

• More than 296,000 motor vehicle crashes occurred in the state of Illinois in 2014;
• About 20 percent of all accidents, or just over 61,000 collisions, resulted in personal injuries;
• There were 845 fatalities in motor vehicle crashes in 2014;
• Around 15 percent of the injury crashes were severe or life-threatening injuries;
• Pedestrians were involved in 1.6 percent of all crashes in Illinois;
• Bicyclists were involved in 1.1 percent of reported collisions;
• Motorcycle accidents accounted for 1.2 percent of all motor vehicle crashes, but 13.7 percent of all fatal collisions;
• Crashes involving tractor-trailers, or large trucks, accounted for almost 4 percent of all accidents and more than 10 percent of all fatal collisions;
• Nearly 80 percent of deadly accident happened on dry public roadways (in other words, inclement weather did not play a role in the collision); and
• Nearly 50 percent of all fatal crashes happened during daylight hours.

When the report refers to severe or life-threatening injuries, it defines those as an “incapacitating injury . . . which prevents the injured person from walking, driving, or normally continuing the activities he/she was capable of performing before the injury occurred.”

Damages in a Rockford Auto Accident Claim

What types of damages can a Rockford car accident plaintiff be eligible to receive? In general, personal injury plaintiffs typically are eligible to seek two types of compensatory damages, both of which are designed to compensate a victim for her losses:

• Economic damages, or objective financial losses from medical bills and rehabilitation costs; and
• Non-economic damages, or subjective losses from pain and suffering, for example.

Under Illinois law (735 ILCS 5/2-1115.05), a car accident plaintiff also may be eligible for punitive damages. Unlike compensatory damages, punitive damages are designed to punish bad actions and deter future reckless conduct.

Contact a Rockford Car Accident Lawyer

Were you recently injured in a traffic collision in or around Rockford, Illinois? An experienced Rockford car accident lawyer can help with your claim. Contact Clark Frost Zucchi today.