When road rage causes accidents, it can leave victims with potentially serious injuries, property damage, and questions about their legal situation. Road rage is an escalation of aggressive driving. As explained by the Insurance Information Institute (III), aggressive driving can involve:
Speeding
Following too closely behind vehicles, or tailgating
Racing
Driving too fast for conditions
Failing to yield
Operating a vehicle in a reckless manner
Passing where prohibited
Changing lanes erratically
According to a report on a study conducted for the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), aggressive driving occasionally escalates and results in threatening behavior or violence.
“Road Rage” is the label used to describe this type of angry and violent behavior on the road by aggressive drivers. NHTSA defines aggressive driving as, “The operation of a motor vehicle in a manner that endangers or is likely to endanger persons or property.” An important distinction between aggressive driving and road rage is that the first is a traffic violation, while road rage can be a criminal offense.
If some aggressive driving escalates to road rage and causes an accident, it is important to know what steps should be taken next. An experienced Chicago car accident lawyer can help you at every step of the way. Our Chicago car accident attorneys are ready to not only offer guidance throughout the whole legal process of your personal injury claim but also fight for the fair compensation you deserve.
Have you been injured in an accident? Get help from the experienced lawyers at The Kryder Law Group.
When road rage causes injuries, victims should seek medical attention immediately, even if the wounds do not seem severe. It is important to take photos and document everything in case road rage affects fault in an insurance claim. It is critical to collect evidence, which can include:
Photos of the road rage perpetrator’s license plate
Witness accounts to the reckless driving
Details of road rage that occurred before an accident
The best course of action after road rage leaves you with injuries and damages is to contact a lawyer. A road rage accident attorney can review the details of your car accident case and help determine its value.
If you or a loved one was injured in an accident caused by aggressive and reckless driving, an experienced Chicago car accident lawyer from The Kryder Law Group, LLC, can fight for compensation on your behalf. Our legal team can offer you a free consultation to assess your case. We can answer questions about your case including what it may be worth as well as how long it will take.
Call The Kryder Law Group, LLC, today for a free case evaluation. Aggressive driving behavior can have serious consequences and leave you with injuries that can change you life drastically. A key attorney client relationship can make sure you’re not missing out on the recovery you need and deserve.
We Can Help You Identify Recoverable Damages from Your Car Accident
After a motor vehicle accident, you may be left with a variety of damages. Those damages include your general losses and out-of-pocket expenses from the accident with the aggressive driver.
Your experienced Chicago personal injury lawyer can help you identify these recoverable damages to help determine the value of your claim. Your economic damages, which have a predetermined monetary value, can be identified with certain documentation. For instance, you may consult with your medical providers to obtain documentation of your medical expenses. Your non-economic damages, such as your pain and suffering, will also require evidence for them to be awarded.
Such evidence could include any relevant medical bills and expenses that you incurred as a result of the road rage accident. Additionally, any lost wages or loss of future earning capacity can be factored into your road rage claim for personal injury.
Additionally, any emotional distress you suffered as a result of road rage accidents can be factored into claims. Proving emotional distress can be difficult, as it is often intangible. However, certain evidence can help substantiate your claim.
For example, you may provide testimony from friends or family members who witnessed the road rage incident and saw how it affected you. Alternatively, you may provide documentation such as therapy bills or letters from mental health professionals commenting on the emotional distress you suffered as a result of the road rage accident.
Once you gather proof of your damages, you can monetize them and combine their values. This figure will represent your total losses from the accident. You may use this value as a compensation goal when entering insurance negotiations so that you do not accept an offer that is unfair to you.
Examples of Recoverable Damages from an Aggressive Driving Car Accident
Individual recoverable damages from a car accident, both economic and noneconomic, may include:
Current medical bills
Future medical expenses
Ambulance transportation
Rehabilitation and physical therapy
Lost wages
Future lost wages
Property damages
Emotional distress
Loss of consortium
Loss of enjoyment
If your loved one lost their life from the road rage accident, you may also pursue recoverable damages from a wrongful death lawsuit. These recoverable damages may include:
Funeral costs
Cremation or burial costs
Lost financial protection
Loss of a parental figure
Managing Your Claim with The Kryder Law Group, LLC
After a car accident with an aggressive driver, you may have a lot going on at once. Between trying to recover from your injuries and spending time with your family, it may be difficult for you to manage a legal battle on your own. A Chicago road rage accident lawyer can manage your case from the day you complete your free consultation up until you reach a settlement or judgment.
Investigating Your Case
Car accident attorneys can take the stress of pursuing financial compensation and achieving justice off your shoulders while you focus on returning back to good health from your injury. Once your lawyer reviews your first-hand account of the road rage incident, they can help you prove your damages and value your case. To do so, they may conduct an investigation to obtain evidence from your accident. This evidence may include a police report, photographs of the accident and your injuries, surveillance video, eyewitness testimony, and expert analysis of the accident.
Negotiating with the Insurance Company
After you report your accident to your insurance company, an attorney can manage all remaining communications as your claim gets processed. This can help car accident victims avoid admitting fault over a recorded line. An attorney can also ensure you do not accept an insurance settlement that does not cover your damages fairly.
Filing a Lawsuit
If you want to file a lawsuit in Illinois, you must file your case within the statute of limitations. According to the Illinois Code of Civil Procedure (ILCS) §735, personal injury victims generally have up to two years after their accident to file a lawsuit. If the claim is filed beyond the statutory deadline, the judge overseeing your case may dismiss your case. Should this happen, you may have to forfeit your rights to pursue compensation for your damages.
Above all, your attorney will consistently protect your rights throughout your legal battle. To begin a free consultation with a road rage car accident lawyer in Chicago, call The Kryder Law Group, LLC, now.
Options for Recovering Compensation
When pursuing compensation that covers damages from a road rage car accident, claimants generally have two options: filing an insurance claim or filing a personal injury lawsuit.
Many claimants begin with an insurance claim before going to trial. This is generally because both parties involved are looking to avoid a potentially costly trial. Instead, out-of-court negotiations may take place between you and the opposing driver’s insurance company.
It may take several offers from an insurance company to reach a fair settlement that covers your losses. If your Chicago road rage accident lawyer is unable to secure compensation from negotiations with an insurance company, they may file a personal injury lawsuit on your behalf. From here, any monetary reward for your damages will be determined by the judge overlooking your case.
Request a Free Consultation Today with The Kryder Law Group, LLC
If another driver caused your car accident in Chicago, due to road rage, The Kryder Law Group, LLC, can step in and help you seek justice for your losses. We help accident victims throughout Illinois and the Chicago metropolitan area including:
Cook County
DuPage County
Kane County
Lake County
McHenry County
Will County
Although road rage behavior can be a factor in many types of car accidents, road rage collisions often cause serious injuries. In order to prove road rage was the primary reason for your accident, it must have been evident before the collision occurred. When other motorists tailgate or speed past, it could be a sign that road rage leading to auto accidents is imminent. Although road rage can be difficult to prove in an accident case, other motorists’ dangerous driving behaviors may help you prove the negligence of the other driver.
If an aggressive driver caused your collision, contact a Chicago road rage accident lawyer from The Kryder Law Group, LLC, who may investigate the incident and seek any eyewitness accounts that could establish road rage as the cause of your accident. Our team can help you pursue damages such as compensation for any injuries and property damage that may have been caused in the road rage incident.
After a road rage car accident in Chicago, call The Kryder Law Group, LLC today for a free consultation.
Past Results for Our Clients
If you have a serious injury from an accident caused by another driver who was driving aggressively, it is important to seek legal help right away. The attorneys at our firm have a track record of successful results, and we are prepared to fight for the compensation you deserve. In one situation, we won $2.2 million for a person injured in a severe car crash. In another case, we won a $2 million dollar recovery for a man struck by a speeding vehicle.
We have helped thousands of car accident victims to recover millions of dollars and we are proud of our results. We are here to listen to you and help you get the justice you deserve. Contact us today for a free consultation to discuss the details of your case. We’ll answer your questions about what to expect including the value of your case and how long it might take to get your settlement check.
What to Expect from Your Free Consultation with Our Chicago Car Accident Attorneys
If you have been injured in an accident caused by road rage, it is important to hire a lawyer. Call us for a free consultation and we will evaluate your case and identify the compensation you are entitled to receive. We will also discuss the extent of your injuries and whether specialists are needed. We will give you an estimate of how long the case will take to complete and answer any questions you may have.
We’ll Fight to Get You the Compensation You Deserve for Your Injuries
Our road rage accident lawyers will provide a free consultation and fight to get you the compensation you deserve. We make sure that victims receive the money they need to pay their medical expenses, cover time off of work, and otherwise recover from their injuries. To discuss your case with one of our road rage lawyers in Chicago, call us today.
(312) 223-1700 