Category: car accidents

We could spend a lot of time talking about the different ways that you could avoid an accident while you commute to work. That discussion is important, and you can find information on how to avoid accidents in the related-links section on this page. However, it is not the focus of this blog post for one simple reason. That reason is this: You can do everything right, but all it takes is one distracted, drunk, or otherwise negligent driver to cause a serious accident during your commute.

And You Need to Know What to Do Next

If you are hurt on your way to work, you should take the following five steps:

1. Call 911. Report the accident if you are able, and have first responders come to the scene.
2. Call your employer. If your injuries permit, let your employer know what happened and why you will be out of work.
3. Accept medical help. This can help you control your pain and prevent your injuries from worsening.
4. Gather information at the accident scene. If your injuries allow it, take pictures of the accident scene, write down the names and contact information of accident witnesses, and record your thoughts about what happened.
5. Don’t go back to work too soon. This could jeopardize your recovery.

 

These steps will help with your physical recovery and may get you back to work sooner.

You Don’t Have to Remember All of This

It can be difficult to remember what you need to do when you are at the scene of a car accident. You are hurt, confused, and likely scared. Accordingly, we encourage you to download our FREE car accident app today so that you have it on your phone should you ever be in a crash. It will walk you through the steps that you need to take and eliminate the stress of having to make difficult decisions while you are hurt.

Drowsy driving is a serious problem that rivals driving under the influence of drugs and alcohol. In fact, the National Sleep Foundation reports that 60 percent of American motorists admit to having driven while fatigued in the past, and 37 percent of drivers admit to having fallen asleep while driving in the past twelve months. The first step in preventing dangerous drowsy driving accidents is to recognize the symptoms of drowsy driving.

Seven Signs a Driver Shouldn’t Be Behind the Wheel

How tired is too tired to drive? Motorists should stop and rest if they are:

• Having difficulty focusing or keeping their eyes open
• Daydreaming
• Missing exits or traffic signs
• Not remembering the last few miles of travel
• Exhibiting physical signs of fatigue such as yawning, rubbing their eyes, or having trouble keeping their heads up
• Feeling restless or cranky
• Having trouble staying in their lanes

 

Coffee, open windows, and loud music are no substitution for sleep and rest. Instead, tired drivers should stop driving until they are rested. Otherwise, they could cause a serious crash, a devastating injury, or a death on I-94, I-55 or another Chicago-area road.

Educate Others About the Dangers

We want you and your loved ones to stay safe. Please share this blog post on Facebook to help educate others about the signs of drowsy driving. Additionally, we invite you to download our FREE auto accident app for your cellphone so that you know what to do if you are ever involved in an accident.

Two recent studies looked at the effect of cell phone bans and texting bans on car accidents. One study, published in Science Direct, found that California’s handheld cell phone ban had no effect on reducing car accidents. Another study, published in the Journal of American Health, found that texting while driving bans have reduced teen traffic fatalities by about 11 percent.

Let’s Put Aside the Laws for a Minute

In Illinois, it is currently against the law to use a handheld cell phone while driving. The law may or may not prevent some car accident injuries and fatalities on Lake Shore Drive, the Stevenson Expressway, and other Chicago roads. For the moment, we will assume that the law does not prevent every distracted driving accident in Chicagoland.

However, there are other things that we can do to help prevent distracted driving crashes including:

• Making a personal pledge to stop distracted driving. Each driver can do his part to prevent distracted driving crashes by refusing to answer the phone or text while driving.
• Raising awareness about the problem. We can teach others about the risks of distracted driving.
• Teaching our children. We can model responsible driving behavior and enforce strict rules about distracted driving for our teenagers.

 

It is also important for drivers to know what to do if they are hurt in a distracted driving crash. People who are injured by distracted drivers may have the right to recover financial damages for their injuries. You can learn more about this in our free report, The 8 Steps to Follow After Your Illinois Car Accident.

It doesn’t matter if your child is an infant or a teen—the news is equally devastating. Your child has suffered a brain injury, a spinal cord injury, a broken bone, or another painful injury that significantly impacts his life. You can’t go back and prevent the crash that caused the injury, but there are things that you can do to make this difficult time easier for your child.

What You Can Do Now

Your child’s recovery may require the effort of the whole family, but your child is the only one experiencing the physical pain. As you move through the days, weeks, and sometimes months or years following your child’s car crash on the North-South Tollway, Eisenhower Expressway, or other Chicago road, it is important to:

• Get your child the medical care he needs. If you think your child needs a second opinion, don’t hesitate to get it. Additionally, make sure that your child gets the rehabilitation therapy and recommended follow-up care.
• Encourage visits from your child’s friends, as appropriate. As long as it won’t interfere with your child’s physical recovery, it is important that your child feel included, and not isolated, from his friends.
• Help your child with his fears. It may be difficult for your child to get back into a car, or he may fear death. It is important to talk about these fears and to seek professional help, as appropriate.
• Talk to your child’s school. You don’t want your child to fall behind in school. Talk about accommodations that can be made for your child.
• Accept help. You are going to be very busy helping your child. Accept help from your family and friends when it comes to cleaning your house, running errands, making meals, or caring for your other children.

 

Do you know any parents in the Chicago area? It is impossible to know when a serious car accident will occur, so it is important to be prepared. Please share this blog post on Twitter and Facebook to let other parents know what they can do after a crash, and please download our FREE accident app to your cell phone for step-by-step instructions about what to do after an accident.

Seven Practical Things to Do After a Car Accident

You aren’t going to get a settlement on the side of the Stevenson Expressway and you aren’t likely to get the other driver to admit fault on the side of the Eisenhower Expressway, but there are still important things that you can do to protect your rights after a car accident.

Seven Things to Do If You are Physically Able

Your car crash recovery may start at the accident scene and continue for many months after the moment of impact. Accordingly, it may be important for you to:

1. Call 911. Police and first responders should be dispatched to the scene of your accident.
2. Accept emergency medical help and follow-up medical care. You want to manage your pain and begin recovering from your injuries.
3. Take pictures of the accident scene. This may be important evidence in any legal action.
4. Get the names and contact information of witnesses. They may be useful to your recovery.
5. Notify your employer. You may be out of work, depending on your injuries.
6. Watch what you say and whom you say it to. Now is not the time to update your Facebook status or to become best friends with the other driver.
7. Call a lawyer. Let your attorney worry about what to do next to protect your financial recovery while you concentrate on your physical recovery.

 

Of course, every accident is unique and you shouldn’t panic if you are unable to do everything on this list. You may still be able to make a fair recovery.

Want to Be Prepared?

Things can quickly become confusing at the scene of an accident. It is hard for anyone to remember what to do in a stressful situation. For that reason, we encourage you to download our FREE car accident app to your smartphone. Keep it with you and open it if you are involved in an accident. It will walk you through the steps that you need to take and remind you of what you can do to stay safe.

 

Significant Eye Injuries Possible in Illinois Car Crash

You couldn’t have anticipated that your car accident would happen as you traveled the Chicago Skyway. You couldn’t have known that an unsecured object in your vehicle would strike your eye, that the airbag would harm your eye, or that you would suffer a brain injury that impacted your vision. Yet, something happened to impair your eyesight and change your life.

What Happened?

A doctor will need to diagnose your specific eye injury. However, if you’ve been injured in a car crash, then you should be aware that you could suffer one of these serious effects:

• Orbital Fracture. This occurs when the bone of the eye socket breaks. Any change in vision, swelling, or pain should be immediately reported to a doctor for prompt diagnosis and treatment. Serious changes in vision may occur.
• Retinal Detachment. Retinal detachment is an emergency medical situation that occurs when the retina separates from the blood vessels providing it with oxygen. If you see floaters in front of your eye, flashes of light, or a shadow in your field of vision then you should get emergency care to prevent permanent vision loss.
• Hyphema. Hyphema means that there is blood in the front of the eye. Without emergency medical care it could result in vision loss.
• Traumatic Maculopathy. This is an injury to the macula located at the center of the retina. An injury to this area of the eye can also result in vision loss.
• Traumatic Optic Neuropathy. Diagnosis and treatment of this type of accidental eye injury is often difficult. However, this injury can result in vision loss or the loss of color vision.

Other, more minor eye injuries, such as black eyes or corneal abrasions may also occur.

Think About Legal Help After You Visit a Doctor

If you have suffered a significant eye injury in a car accident on I-90, US-41, or any other Illinois road then we encourage you to find out more about your rights and your possible recovery. You can get started right now by using the live chat option on this website or by calling us directly for a free consultation.