Quincy Distracted Driving

Quincy Lawyers for Distracted Driving Accidents

Located along the Mississippi River in Adams County in Illinois, the city of Quincy is also known as the “Gem City.” Roughly 39,463 people live in the city as of 2020. It was considered a transportation hub in the 19th century—it remains a hub of the Tri-State region. Now it is home to sites such as the German Historic District, the John Wood Mansion, Quincy University, the Bayview Bridge, and the Gardner Museum of Architecture and Design. The city is served by four-lane highways in each direction: Avenue of the Saints and Illinois Highway 172. Other major nearby roads that connect the city to the rest of the state include I-72, which is south of the city and Illinois Route 104. State routes 96, 24, and 57 enter the city. If you were injured or a loved one died in a distracted driving accident, you should call the seasoned Quincy distracted driving accident lawyers of Katz, Friedman, Eisenstein, Johnson, Bareck & Bertuca. We have more than 60 years of experience fighting for the rights of those who were injured due to the fault of another.

Types of Distracted Driving

Any activity that takes a Quincy driver’s attention away from the road and away from being attentive to potential difficulties as they arise on the road may be dangerous and result in accident. Distracted driving could involve:

• looking at a map,
• eating,
• drinking,
• smoking,
• texting,
• using social media,
• using a navigation system,
• talking on the phone,
• reaching for objects in the vehicle,
• daydreaming,
• engaging in a heated conversation with a passenger,
• using a navigation system,
• fatigue,
• and any sort of event that causes the driver to become emotionally upset or stressed out while driving.

Texting, for instance, can cause a driver to travel the length of a football field without looking at the road—4.6 seconds of distraction while reading a text is more than enough time for an accident to occur.

Liability for Distracted Driving

If you were injured as the result of another driver’s distracted driving, our lawyers may be able to recover damages on your behalf by showing that the distracted driving was negligent. To establish negligence, we’ll need to prove it is more likely than not: (1) the other driver owed you a duty to use reasonable care while operating his or her vehicle, (2) the other driver failed to live up to this duty, (3) causation, and (4) actual damages.

Damages

When our Quincy attorneys are able to establish negligence, we may be able to obtain compensatory damages on your behalf. These damages may include both economic losses, proven through documentation, and noneconomic losses, which may be proven in many different ways, including witness testimony. The damages may be past, present or future damages, but in all cases, they need to be sufficiently certain to be recovered. Sometimes it’s necessary to retain an expert to provide opinions about these losses.

Economic damages could include medical bills, lost income, out-of-pocket losses, and replacement services. For example, if you broke your legs in a distracted driving accident and cannot clean or perform similar household chores while recovering, it might be possible to recover the cost of hiring a maid or housekeeper to perform those chores.

Noneconomic damages tend to vary more dramatically depending on the credibility of the plaintiff, what the jury believes would naturally flow from the types of injuries sustained, and their belief in the plaintiff’s counsel. It is with noneconomic damages that a plaintiff’s choice in lawyer can make the most difference to your case—when a lawyer is experienced, he will explore the full scope of your losses to determine how best to present them to the jury.

Consult a Seasoned Quincy Distracted Driving Attorney

Our experienced Quincy distracted driving lawyers have more than sixty years of experience. We work to make sure clients injured in distracted driving accidents are treated as fairly as possible in negotiations with insurers and in court and obtain all compensation to which they’re entitled. We also pursue SSDI benefits and workers’ compensation benefits claims, as appropriate. Call us at 312-724-5846 or complete our online form.