Rockford Speeding Accidents

Trustworthy Rockford Trial Lawyers to Pursue Damages for Victims of Speeding

Rockford is the county seat of Winnebago County and the fifth largest city in the state. Historically, like other Rust Belt cities, its economy was based on manufacturing, but that sector declined. The city covers 61.949 square miles and it is home to the Winnebago County courthouse as well as the United States District Court for the Northern District of Illinois. If you were injured in a speeding accident, you should call the trustworthy Rockford speeding accident lawyers of Katz, Friedman, Eisenstein, Johnson, Bareck & Bertuca. We’ve sought best outcomes for each of our clients for more than 60 years. We also represent clients in SSDI and workers’ compensation claims.

Recover Damages After a Rockford Speeding Accident

Speeding accidents can result in severe or even catastrophic injuries to multiple parties. These life-changing injuries include brain injuries, paralysis, amputation, complex fractures, internal bleeding, organ damage, and disfiguring lacerations. Many Rockford families and individuals do not have enough saved to handle the tremendous medical bills and wage loss that can arise as a result of a catastrophic injury. As an accident victim or the loved one of an accident victim, you may be unsure of where to turn for recourse. An experienced Rockford attorney may be able to represent you in a lawsuit for damages when another party was at fault for the accident.

Proving a Speeding Driver’s Liability

In order to recover damages after a speeding accident, we will need to show negligence by a preponderance of the evidence. We’ll need to prove these elements: (1) the defendant owed you a duty of reasonable care, (2) the defendant failed to live up to that duty of care by speeding, (3) the speeding actually and proximately (legally) caused an accident and (4) you suffered actual damages, as a result.

Fighting Claims of Comparative Negligence

While a speeding accident may seem clearcut, it is not unusual for defendants and their insurers and attorneys to raise the issue of a plaintiff’s comparative negligence to try to deflect some or all responsibility for the accident.

Under the doctrine of comparative negligence, your damages may be reduced by an amount proportionate to your share of fault for the accident. You can be barred from recovering any damages if the defendant can show you were 50% or more responsible for the accident. Needless to say, this incentivizes defendants searching carefully for a sign that the plaintiff was to blame. You may even receive a phone call from the defendant insurance adjustor hoping to find out more information or even secure an admission from you. It is important to consult a lawyer who is on your side before speaking to the defendants’ representatives.

Damages

If we can establish another driver’s speeding is to blame for the accident in which you were injured, we may be able to recover compensatory damages. These damages are intended to put you back in the position you would have been in had there been no negligence. Both economic and noneconomic damages may be recovered. Generally, economic damages are more straightforward to establish because they can be proven by documentation such as medical bills, wage stubs, invoices for replacement services, and other tangible evidence.

Noneconomic damages can include pain and suffering, emotional distress, loss of enjoyment of life, and loss of consortium. Often these damages must be proven with testimony. For example, if your leg was amputated in a speeding accident, and as a result you needed a prosthesis, and as a result, you can no longer play basketball as you used to do prior to the injury, you may be able to recover for loss of enjoyment of life.

It’s important to retain an attorney who fully explores the losses you suffered as a result of the speeding accident and is able to present those losses persuasively to a jury.

Seek Representation from a Rockford Speeding Accident Lawyer

If you were injured in a speeding accident and believe that the other party was at fault, you should call the seasoned Champaign car accident lawyers of Katz, Friedman, Eisenstein, Johnson, Bareck & Bertuca. We have more than 60 years of experience advocating for accident victims in court. We also handle SSDI and disability claims.