Chicago Black Ice Car Accident Lawyers

When winter weather strikes Chicago, the potential for black ice car accidents makes driving more dangerous than ever. These crashes happen with almost no warning and can leave victims severely injured and facing a mountain of medical debt.

Sadly, many insurers dismiss these accidents as the result of bad weather and only provide victims with a small payment that can’t cover their damages. At Lane Brown, LLC, we know that a black ice car accident often results from someone else’s negligence, which entitles you to compensation.

But you need to act quickly. Call us at (312) 332-1400 to start your claim before the Illinois statute of limitations runs out and prevents you from getting compensation for your injuries.

Injured on Black Ice? Talk to a Chicago Attorney Today

Read on to learn more about car accidents caused by black ice and find out how Lane Brown, LLC can help you recover compensation for your crash:

• What Makes Black Ice Car Accidents So Common and Dangerous?
• Who Can Be Held Liable in a Black Ice Accident?
• Compensation That Can Be Recovered After an Accident
• What To Do After a Black Ice Crash
• Why Choose Lane Brown, LLC?
• Black Ice Car Accident FAQ

What Makes Black Ice Car Accidents So Common and Dangerous?

Black ice is one of the deadliest winter driving hazards in Chicago. Here are a few examples of what makes it so dangerous:

• Near invisibility: Black ice looks just like asphalt. While a driver might slow down for a patch of snow in the road, they’re likely to go full speed ahead over a patch of black ice. When someone hits these slick spots of ice at high speed, they can easily lose control and slam into another vehicle.
• Forms below freezing: Even when the air is slightly above freezing, moisture can refreeze in shaded areas. Drivers often think conditions are totally safe, only to find themselves skidding out of control seconds later.
• Appears in high-risk areas: Black ice is more likely to form in areas where the temperature drops lower than the rest of the road, like tunnels and bridges. Unfortunately, crashes in these areas tend to be more perilous, as cars can skid off bridges and overpasses or into the walls of narrow tunnels.

Who Can Be Held Liable in a Black Ice Accident?

Insurance companies often argue that black ice car accidents are no one’s fault. That’s not always true. Liability still exists if negligence is involved. Here are some examples of parties that can be held liable for damages caused by black ice car accidents:

• Reckless drivers: Motorists who speed, tailgate, text, or fail to adjust for winter road conditions can be held liable. Even if black ice contributed, their negligence clearly amplified the danger.
• Property owners and municipalities: Property owners and municipalities in Illinois may have a duty to mitigate the formation of black ice. For example, if a big-box retail store owns a large shopping complex, they may be responsible for salting the parking lot. Similarly, city road crews need to employ ice prevention measures and clearly mark dangerous areas with signage. Failure to salt roads or warn drivers of danger can make the party responsible for maintaining the area liable for any crashes.
• Commercial drivers and their employers: Trucking companies and delivery services often push drivers to move forward with deliveries despite icy conditions. If their negligence contributed to your crash, they may face liability too. Lane Brown, LLC, understands how to investigate these crashes and identify any at-fault parties. With our help, you can hold negligent drivers and property owners financially accountable for your damages.

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Compensation That Can Be Recovered After an Accident

After a black ice car accident, many victims face overwhelming medical costs, missed wages, car damage, and even lifelong disabilities. A personal injury claim is often the only way to restore financial stability and secure treatment.

Common damages that can be recovered during a claim include:

• Medical expenses (emergency care, surgery, physical therapy, etc.)
• Lost wages due to reduced earning capacity
• Pain and suffering, including emotional trauma
• Permanent disabilities that reduce victims’ quality of life
• Property damage, including total vehicle loss

Our Chicago car accident lawyers fight aggressively to calculate the full value of your claim. Insurance companies routinely undervalue black ice car accident cases, but Lane Brown, LLC makes sure you don’t settle for less than you deserve.

What To Do After a Black Ice Crash

After a car accident, take the following actions to improve your chances of a successful personal injury claim:

1. Call 911 immediately: This will bring a police officer and an ambulance to the crash scene. The officer, usually a Cook County Sheriff’s deputy or a Chicago police officer, will create an accident report. Later on, your lawyer can use this report as evidence of another party’s negligence.
2. Seek medical attention: Even if your injuries seem minor, you may have severe internal injuries that won’t become apparent until later. Visiting an ER or doctor also creates definitive records of your injuries. Your lawyer needs these records to properly calculate the damages you’re owed.
3. Document the scene: If it’s safe, photograph the roadway, any ice patches, and all vehicles. Take the time to write down your recollection of the accident as well. At this point, your memories are fresh, which can help you capture details you’ll forget later on.
4. Collect witness information: Eyewitnesses can support your case long after road conditions change. Provided you can, consider asking bystanders for their contact information.
5. Contact a lawyer immediately: There is a limited amount of time to file a personal injury claim in Illinois. More pressingly, evidence is easiest to gather in the days and weeks following a crash.

Lane Brown’s Chicago car accident lawyers can begin collecting evidence before it decays and file your claim before the statute of limitations runs out.

Speak With a Lawyer Before Evidence Disappears

Why Choose Lane Brown, LLC?

Not every lawyer understands the unique challenges of weather-related collisions. Insurance companies bank on this when handling black ice car accident claims. Lane Brown, LLC has a proven record of success against the tactics that insurance companies use to avoid giving you what you’re owed.

Our attorneys have spent decades negotiating with insurance companies and have gone to trial when these companies wouldn’t pay up. In that time, we’ve seen insurers use every trick in the book, from pinning the blame on weather to delaying negotiations in the hope that you’ll settle for less.

Time after time, our attorneys have produced carefully selected evidence that nullifies these tactics and helps countless victims get the money needed to recover from an accident.

Serving Chicago, the Surrounding Suburbs, and Clients Statewide in Illinois

Call Chicago’s Most Experienced Black Ice Car Accident Attorneys

You don’t have forever to file a claim. Act quickly to beat the statute of limitations and gather evidence before it gets lost or forgotten. Contact Lane Brown, LLC now at (312) 332-1400 to schedule a free consultation with one of our car accident lawyers.

Black Ice Car Accident FAQ

What are the common causes of black ice car accidents in Chicago?

Black ice car accidents are a pressing danger in Chicago. And while there are certainly instances where no one is at fault for an accident involving this winter weather hazard, these crashes are often preventable. Some common causes of black ice car accidents include:

• Poor road maintenance: City road crews and property owners may have a duty to keep roadways, parking lots, and even driveways clear of weather hazards. If any of these parties neglect that duty, they could be at fault for the damages.
• Excessive speed: When weather conditions are poor, people need to slow down. Some don’t follow this advice and drive their car well over the speed limit. If a driver hits a patch of black ice while speeding, they can rapidly lose control and slam into another vehicle. Even worse, the reckless driver would have little opportunity to apply the brakes, as black ice offers almost no traction. When a speeding driver hits another car, it leads to worse injuries.
• Unpreparedness: Living in Chicago, there are certain things you should do each day to ensure your car is drivable. This includes simple tasks like defrosting and scraping your windows in the winter, removing any snow from your car, and ensuring you have plenty of tire tread. When people don’t do these things, it increases the likelihood of an accident, which can put them at fault.
• Bad signage: While road crews generally try their best to minimize the presence of black ice, certain locations like bridges and tunnels can form ice patches faster than crews can handle. In these areas, there needs to be signage communicating the risk of black ice. If signage isn’t present in these areas, there’s a chance that the city could be liable for your injuries.

If your black ice car accident was worsened, or even outright caused, by any of the above, you’re entitled to compensation for any damages. Call Lane Brown, LLC at (312) 332-1400 to see how you can get what you’re owed.