Determining Who Is (and Isn’t) Liable to You in Your Illinois Chain-Reaction Accident

When you have suffered injuries as a result of a chain-reaction crash, getting the compensation you deserve may be a particularly complicated thing. Finding out who was (and wasn’t) at fault and, therefore, liable for the harm you suffered often requires a careful investigation of the facts and an in-depth knowledge of the law, which is why you should rely on an experienced Chicago injury lawyer when it comes time to pursue your case in court.

Back in March, smoke from a grass fire caused reduced visibility and led to a 10-vehicle pileup on Interstate 39 north of Peoria. That accident seriously injured two and inflicted non-life-threatening injuries upon six others, according to centraliilinoisproud.com.

Further south, an inexperienced driver started a chain-reaction accident when he failed to get his vehicle stopped in time. The teen rear-ended a car in front of him and did with such force that the middle vehicle rear-ended the car in front of it. The three-vehicle crash injured both occupants of the middle vehicle and a passenger in the front car, southernillinoisnow.com reported.

As noted above, these types of cases can be especially tricky. Take this example: say you were hurt as a result of a four-vehicle pileup on the Eisenhower Expressway in Elmhurst, and you were in the furthest front of the four vehicles involved.

Chain-reaction Crashes Can Come in Many Variations

Let’s call your car “Vehicle A,” the car directly behind you “B,” the car directly behind that “C” and the vehicle furthest in the rear “D.” Say Vehicle B hit you, and then Vehicle C hit Vehicle B who hit you again and then a semi-truck, D, hit Vehicle C who hit Vehicle B who hit you once more. If the evidence showed that each of the drivers of B, C, and D failed to drive at a proper speed and/or failed to follow at a reasonable distance, then all three of drivers B, C, and D could be liable to you.

On the flip side, say that you came to a stop due to traffic congestion. B stopped behind you and C stopped behind B. D, a semi-truck, didn’t stop and slammed into C, who was pushed into B who rear-ended you, causing you to suffer significant injuries. In that case, it is possible that the driver of truck D – along with his employer – might be 100% to blame for everyone’s harm.

Those are just two possible permutations. There are others where several, but not all, of the drivers owe you compensation.

The key to finding out who was or wasn’t liable is the right legal team. You need a legal team that can engage in the prompt investigation necessary to get essential physical evidence from the crash scene, and then will know how to interpret that evidence properly. You need a legal team that knows what experts your case will and won’t need. If the driver was a commercial driver, you need someone who is experienced at getting commercial driving records like logbooks and black box data, and who knows how to take on the trucking companies and their insurers powerfully, diligently, and effectively.

What you need is legal representation with the right mix of knowledge, experience, skill, and determination to get you the outcome you deserve. Look to the skilled Chicago auto accident attorneys at Katz, Friedman, Eisenstein, Johnson, Bareck & Bertuca to be the trusted advisor and powerful advocate you need. To set up a free case evaluation, contact us at 312-724-5846 or through our website.