Auto Accident Lawyers in Waukegan, IL

Personal Injury Law

Automobile accidents are the most common form of personal injury cases in our court system. Every ten seconds, a car accident occurs. The legal issue is usually considered to be one of negligence.

This means that the driver must exercise reasonable care under the circumstances. The drivers, or their insurance companies, who are considered negligent are required to pay for damages to people or property caused by an accident. Even with no-fault laws, damage must still be assessed. While our simple instincts can usually see who was at fault, we may not know which law was specifically violated.

Our lawyers at DLP can show you which factors to look for in the legal sense and can take action to protect your rights and damage you may have suffered. Some of the factors involved in accidents include, but are not limited to, the following:

  • Disobeying traffic signs or signals
  • Failing to signal while turning
  • Driving above or below the posted speed limit
  • Disregarding weather or traffic conditions
  • Failing to drive on the proper side of the road
  • Driving under the influence of drugs or alcohol
  • Reckless driving with willful and wanton disregard for safety
  • Aggressive driving that, while seemingly responsible, can be similar to reckless driving
  • Improper or excessive lane changing
  • Failing to signal intent

Even when a person is not at fault, they may need help in dealing with insurance companies. In certain cases, accidents are caused by factors unrelated to the conduct of any particular driver. For example, an automobile accident may occur due to a defect in someone’s car. In such a case, a manufacturer or supplier may be responsible for a problem caused by a defect that may be covered by the law of product liability.

The major mistake people make is to assume they have the answers to accidents without legal assistance to assure full protection of their rights. Determining how much a claim should be is a critical aspect of the legal process. Our lawyers at DLP will aggressively pursue your claim to its maximum limit.

In addition to automobile accidents, an estimated 8,000 boat accidents occur each year, averaging 5,000 injuries, over 800 fatalities, and causing over 50 million dollars in property damage. More than 12 million boats and personal watercraft (PWC) are registered in the United States. The use of personal watercraft, including water skis and boating in general, result in more than 4,000 serious injuries and 800 deaths.

The potential claims of a person injured by a watercraft are affected by the several categories the claimant falls under, such as seaman, social guest, business visitor, bystander, swimmer, or water skier. The category you fall under determines the legal rules that apply to your claim.

While train accidents are still a problem, they do not match the more dangerous conditions of the nineteenth century but are still serious.

Plane accident victims have rights that are protected by several sets of laws and regulating agencies, including the Air Commerce Act of 1926; regulations established by the Civil Aeronautics Act of 1938; the Federal Aviation Act, which established the Federal Aviation Agency in 1958; the Federal Tort Claims Act; the Foreign Sovereign Immunities Act; and the Aviation Disaster Family Assistance act in 1996 after the TWA crash that killed 230 people off Long Island in New York. This act related to rights of victims and their families being notified before their names are made public. It requires that the airlines offer crisis counseling; to make hotel rooms, food, and transportation available; to retrieve dental records and other ways to identifying the victims; and to consult family members about a possible memorial to the victims.

Owners and general contractors have an obligation to keep a site safe. If there is an accident, a worker or bystander may be able to make a claim against an owner or general contractor in addition to a worker’s compensation claim. If you have lost a loved one in an accident or as the result of a faulty or defective product or piece of equipment, you may be entitled to a claim for that loss. You may have a claim on another party responsible for conditions at the site even if that party is not present.