Can Pedestrians Recover If Partly at Fault in Illinois?
Key Takeaways Yes, usually. Recovery is barred only where your share is more than 50%. At exactly 50% you still recover half. The line is above half, not at it. Crossing outside a crosswalk is not a bar. The driver’s duty of due care survives it. That is in the statute expressly, and it applies […]
What to Do After Being Hit by a Car in Illinois
Key Takeaways Accept the ambulance. Declining it is used later to argue the injury was minor. Keep your clothing unwashed. It can carry paint transfer and shows the impact. Do not say you are fine, or that it was your fault. You do not yet know either. Get the details of anyone who stopped, not […]
Hit-and-Run Pedestrian Accidents in Illinois
Key Takeaways You can claim even if the driver is never identified. Your own auto policy can respond even though you were on foot. Coverage is for bodily injury, which is what a struck pedestrian has. Report to the police immediately. Insurers generally require a report. Footage decides these cases, and it is overwritten within […]
When to Get a Lawyer After a Pedestrian Accident
Key Takeaways Not every case needs a lawyer. A genuinely minor, undisputed incident may not. Any suggestion you were at fault changes that, because the percentage decides the money. A possible public defendant is the strongest reason to move, since the deadline halves. Being partly at fault does not bar you unless your share exceeds […]
Pedestrian Accident Claims in Illinois: Your Rights
Key Takeaways Drivers must stop and yield at crosswalks, not merely slow down. A driver’s duty of due care applies “notwithstanding” every other rule of the road. Passing a vehicle stopped at a crosswalk is prohibited, which is the classic way pedestrians are struck. Your own fault reduces rather than bars, unless it exceeds 50%. […]
What to Do After a Motorcycle Crash in Illinois
Key Takeaways Do not remove your helmet or gear until you are checked. Both are also evidence. Call the police for injury, death, or damage over $1,500. Keep the motorcycle. Do not let it be repaired or scrapped before it is documented. Get examined the same day, because riders absorb impacts that do not show […]
Hit-and-Run Motorcycle Accidents in Illinois
Key Takeaways You can still recover even if the driver is never found. Illinois policies must cover hit-and-run vehicles. That coverage is for bodily injury, which is exactly what an injured rider has. Your limits are probably your liability limits, unless you rejected the excess in writing. The claim goes to arbitration, before the American […]
Why Illinois Motorcycle Accident Claims Are Different
Key Takeaways Rider injuries are more severe, so the same negligence produces a much larger claim. Riders start behind on fault, because assumptions about motorcyclists are widely held. The at-fault driver’s policy is often too small, which makes your own coverage central. The motorcycle is evidence, and it is usually disposed of early. Deadlines can […]
Comparative Negligence and Illinois Motorcycle Riders
Key Takeaways The rule is the same for riders. Barred only above 50%; reduced below it. The arguments are not the same. Riders face assumptions no car driver faces. “I never saw the motorcycle” is not a defense. It is a description of the breach. Helmets sit in an unsettled space. The seat belt statute […]
Illinois Motorcycle Laws Every Rider Should Know
Key Takeaways No statewide helmet requirement. The Vehicle Code requires eye protection and says nothing about helmets. Eye protection is mandatory for the rider and every passenger — and a windshield can satisfy it. One hand on a grip at all times the motorcycle is moving. A passenger must be able to reach the footrest. […]