Is a drunk driver liable for damages after a car crash?

If you are struck by a drunk driver while traveling on an Illinois road or highway, you may be entitled to compensation. Of course, the exact amount that you’re potentially entitled to depends on a number of factors including whether you did anything that may have caused the crash to occur.

You have a duty of care toward others

All motorists have a duty of care to others with whom they share the road. Therefore, just because a motorist is impaired doesn’t mean that you can follow that motorist’s car too closely or that you can drift into that driver’s lane without checking first. Furthermore, you are still responsible for stopping at traffic lights or otherwise obeying other traffic control devices at all times. Failing to do so may cause you to incur at least some of the blame in a motor vehicle accident with an impaired driver.

Other factors may be relevant

It’s possible that other parties may be liable for damages in a crash involving a drunk driver. For instance, if the other driver’s vehicle had brakes that stopped working in the moments before the crash, the brake manufacturer may be named as a defendant in your case. If poor road conditions played a role in the wreck, the government agency responsible for maintaining the area where it occurred might be liable as well.

If you’re involved in a motor vehicle accident, you may experience numerous injuries such as a concussion, broken bones or torn ligaments. These injuries may keep you out of work or prevent you from spending time with friends or loved ones. However, the defendant may be liable for reimbursing you for lost wages or other losses that you incurred in the aftermath of the wreck.

If you have been injured in a motor vehicle collision, contact the Chicago car accident lawyers from The Personal Injury Lawyers ™ to obtain the justice you deserve.