Our nation’s roads have often proven dangerous for bicyclists in recent years. Each year, more than 900 bike riders are killed in tragic accidents, and with gas prices on the rise, bicycle traffic is only expected to increase this summer.

Bicyclists typically have fewer physical protections than motor vehicle occupants, and accidents involving a high-speed collision with a car or truck can have especially severe consequences. However, bicyclists do have legal rights in Illinois, including the right to pursue compensation if they are injured due to another person’s negligence.

Driver Negligence in Bicycle Accidents

In many serious bike crashes, fault lies primarily or entirely with the driver of a motor vehicle that collided with the bicyclist. Some driver behaviors that can constitute negligence include:

Accidents caused by drunk drivers injure and kill thousands of people every year. In many cases, the injuries from these accidents take months or even years to recover from, and some people will never fully recover. Under Illinois law, when you are injured because of someone else’s negligence, you may have a right to be compensated for your injuries, economic losses, and pain and suffering.

Blood Alcohol Level and Negligence

Anyone found to have a blood-alcohol level (BAC) of .08 or higher is legally intoxicated in Illinois. This means that a driver cannot defend against claims for damages by claiming he or she was not impaired. But, even if someone has a BAC of less than .08 they may still have been driving impaired and legally responsible for the accident.

Personal injury law requires that a person making a claim for damages be able to prove four things:

Every year, thousands of people are severely injured or even killed in car accidents. Sometimes the cause of the injuries seems obvious. However, in some instances, a defect or malfunction in your car may have made your injuries worse than they otherwise would have been.

Discovering Automobile Defects

While some vehicles become notorious for their defects, other more routine defects pass through unknown to most people. For example, some SUVs are well known to have a higher risk of rollover rates or roof-crush injuries. It is much lesser-known, however, that there are thousands of components in a car that may not be working properly which could make injuries in a car accident much worse.

In many cases, such defects will not be discovered unless a crash reconstruction expert examines the evidence. The expert may find that a seatbelt or airbag failed to work as designed. It may become clear that your injuries were actually made worse caused by something inside your own car.

With warmer weather quickly approaching, many riders are gearing up for rallies, runs, and good old-fashioned cruises. Sadly, the upcoming riding season also means headlines will soon feature motorcycle crashes. The “lucky” ones will suffer injuries that will one day heal. Others will suffer serious and life-altering injuries. Still others will experience a devastating crash – one that marks the end of their last ride.

What is most devastating about these crashes is that many will be the fault of another driver – someone who acted in a negligent way and then cost a family or rider a life, a limb, mobility, money, or employment. In such situations, the victim may be owed compensation. The following explains further and provides you with some key details on protecting your rights.

Negligence is a Common Factor in Motorcycle Accidents

Despite all the campaigns to “look twice and save a life,” the failure to register or “see” a motorcyclist is one of the most common factors in motorcycle crashes. Another major issue and contributing factor in motorcycle accidents is a driver’s failure to yield when the motorcyclist has the right of way. An intersection where the motorcyclist is turning left is the most common situation in which this occurs, but it can also happen when the motorcycle is on a straightaway and the other driver must enter the motorcyclist’s path to merge into traffic. All it takes is a moment of inattention by a driver for a tragic accident to take place.

The cost of a single car accident can be substantial but if you are not the at-fault driver, then you should not be the one paying for it. Expenses can add up quickly when it comes to medical bills, lost wages, and pain and suffering associated with being injured in a serious car wreck. The compensation process can be very difficult, so knowing how to go about getting what you deserve as a victim is essential. If the pain or soreness after an accident lasts for an extended period of time, you may also need to take action against the at-fault driver and his or her insurance company.

Illinois is an “At-Fault” State

In the state of Illinois, if you are not the one responsible for causing an accident, then you may be able to recieve financial compensation for expenses stemming from the wreck. In order to pursue compensation, you will likely need to file a claim with the at-fault driver’s insurance company. If you cannot recover adequate compensation through an insurance claim, you may need to file a civil lawsuit. In some cases, a car accident victim may be compensated by the at-fault driver’s employer or even a member of the at-fault driver’s household.

The victim’s own insurance company should be able to provide some compensation following a serious car accident, but it is unlikely they will cover all expenses incurred by the victim.