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A couple weeks ago, two vehicles traveling on I-64 near mile marker 43.5, were involved in an accident. A Chevy truck rear-ended a Toyota Camry, pushing it off the road and eventually overturning it. The Camry’s driver was uninjured but his passenger was taken to a nearby hospital with minor injuries. Unfortunately, the driver of the Chevy truck drove off immediately after the collision; investigation is ongoing at this time.

Hit and run accidents, such as this one, happen often. As a matter of fact, and according to AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety (AAA), nearly 11 percent of all reported auto accidents involve at least one vehicle fleeing the scene. A lot of times they involve fatalities! Also according AAA, hit and run accidents result in about 1,500 fatalities every single year!

It is important to know and understand what to do if you are involved in a hit and run accident. First, however, if you, or a loved one, were involved in a hit and run, it is imperative that you contact an experienced personal injury attorney. You may be eligible for compensation. Your compensation may include, but is not limited to, medical expense, lost wages, emotional distress and pain and suffering.

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Face it, something that you never want to experience is a rollover crash. However, please be aware that rollover crashes happen often. As a matter of fact, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) reports that more than 280,000 rollover crashes occur annually. These accidents, on average, claim more than 10,000 lives every year!

Just last week, a couple days before Halloween, a 19-year-old Illinois sustained serious, but not life-threatening, injuries in a rollover crash. The crash happened during rush hour around 5:30 p.m. This was a single vehicle accident. At the time of the accident, the young girl was driving westbound when her vehicle drifted onto the shoulder of the road. As novice drivers tend to do, this young driver overcorrected her vehicle causing it to overturn numerous times. The vehicle came to rest in the center of the highway. Luckily, this female driver was wearing a seatbelt. On the arrival of emergency crews, the female had to be extricated from the vehicle. She was then flown to a nearby hospital for treatment.

Given the severity and frequency of rollover crashes, it is important to understand how to avoid these accidents. If you are a victim of an auto accident at the fault of another person, it is imperative that you hire an experienced personal injury attorney. You may be entitled to compensation for your resulting damages.  

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With Thanksgiving this week and the holiday season upon us, many will likely be making travel plans to spend time with friends and family. In fact, AAA is reporting that this year will see the most travel for the Thanksgiving holiday since 2007. This will probably mean more cars on the road and more traffic for drivers across the country to contend with as they navigate the roadways later this week. Experts are warning drivers to prepare for the biggest Thanksgiving travel rush in a number of years. Of course, with more traffic comes the possibility of car accidents, as well.

Reasons for Increased Traffic

Those planning on traveling this holiday should expect to be on the roadways a little longer, according to a projection by auto club AAA. AAA is anticipating a 4.2 percent increase in travel as compared to last year, with 46.3 million people expected to travel at least 50 miles from their homes during the holiday weekend. If correct, this would be the highest traffic volume reported since the year 2007. Experts are saying that more people are willing and able to travel this year as compared to recent years past due to an improved economy, a larger amount of disposable income, lower gas prices, and overall consumer optimism. With increased consumer confidence, they say, comes an increased desire to travel for the holiday season.
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Recently, in Kane County, Illinois, two 16-year olds were killed in a car accident. The accident happened around 5:00 p.m. this past Saturday, north of Elburn, Kane County, near Meredith and Beith roads. The two teenagers were traveling westbound in a 2002 Chevrolet S-10 pickup truck. Their truck stopped at an intersection stop sign. From here, the truck slowly crept into the intersection right in front of a southbound 1979 Peterbilt tractor-trailer carrying corn. The tractor-trailer crashed into the teens’ truck killing the two teens.  

Teens and Auto Accidents

This may not surprise you, but teens are responsible for a high number of auto accidents. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (“CDC”) reports that 221,313 teens visited the emergency room in 2014 for injuries they incurred in an auto accident. During that same year, 2,270 teens died because of a car accident.

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Speeding, or driving over the posted speed limit, continues to be a common cause of car accidents, sometimes fatal accidents. According to the United States Department of Transportation, National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), speeding is among the most frequent causes of car accidents. This is certainly true here in Illinois, too.   

A couple weeks prior to this post, at around 5:30 p.m., a black Toyota Camry was speeding above the posted speed limit on I – 94 North near 87th Street. This vehicle was occupied by its driver and one passenger. Suddenly, this speeding Camry moved slightly out of its lane of traffic. It powerfully struck a stop sign and, unfortunately, struck a concrete barrier head on. The vehicle’s two occupants were not wearing their seatbelts. They were rushed to a nearby hospital. The car’s driver, 24 years of age, was pronounced dead at the hospital and the passenger, 31 years of age, remains in critical condition.

Speeding poses major costs to our society. The NHTSA estimates that speeding-related crashes costs our society around $40 billion. In the year 2012, speeding was a cause in nearly 30 percent of all fatal car accidents. In that same year, 10,219 traffic fatalities were caused by speeding out of a total 33,561 traffic-related fatalities.        

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It does not take much snow to cause serious traffic problems. As you may remember, earlier this January here in Illinois, on one particular rush-hour snowstorm, it snowed less than one inch of snow but caused traffic chaos. The snow was mixed with ice and reduced visibility. This created a cocktail for disaster. The storm led to several car crashes and the death of a pedestrian when an out of control car struck him. An Illinois state trooper was also injured in a car crash. Witnesses said that, despite the conditions, people were driving too close to other vehicles.  

This article will list ways of avoiding accidents when driving in the snow. First, if you were involved in a car accident, it is important that you hire an attorney for your case.

How to stay Safe in these Conditions

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While there is no remedy for the significant size discrepancy that exists between a passenger vehicle and a semi truck, there are many ways that we can all do our own part to reduce the number of large truck accidents on the roads while also keeping our loved ones and ourselves safe.

Stay Alert and Always Practice Defensive Driving—It is always best to use extra caution around large trucks and tractor-trailers. These vehicles are very different to operate compared to other cars and SUVs, and they behave quite differently as well. At highway speeds, and especially in adverse conditions, make sure to give trucks space to maneuver, stop and turn. Don’t cut trucks off to reach an exit or nearby turn, and respect truck drivers.

Avoid the Blind Spots of Large Trucks—Semi trucks and other large tractor-trailers have enormous blind spots, and this makes driving around these vehicles especially dangerous. Roughly 1/3rd of all truck accidents are a result of a car driving in the blind spot of a semi. In this respect, the best rule of thumb is: if you can’t see a truck driver’s side mirrors, you know for a fact a truck driver can’t see you either.

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Recently, in March 2016, a 20-year old and a 16-year old driver were street racing against one another on Eola at a high rate of speed. The 20-year old, driving a 2007 Pontiac Grand Prix allegedly caused a 2011 Dodge Charger, driven by the 16-year old, to crash into a 2004 Toyota Highlander as it was making a left turn.  

Inside the Highlander were a 49-year old man and his 15-year old daughter. The 49-year old man died from this accident and his 15-year old daughter was seriously injured. The driver of the Grand Prix was charged with nine counts of reckless homicide, two counts of aggravated street racing, aggravated speeding and reckless driving. The driver of the Charger was charged with one count of reckless homicide and two counts of aggravated street racing.   

If you were involved in an accident at the fault of another driver it is imperative that you seek legal representation. Doing so will increase your chances of receiving adequate compensation for your injuries or damages incurred.

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As I am sure you know, seatbelts save lives. By not wearing your seat belt, or by wearing it improperly, this can be deadly. Recently, a 41-year old driver was headed northbound on Interstate 55, north of Lincoln, Illinois, when his vehicle got jammed in the guardrail and became totally disabled. He was stuck in the middle of the left and right lanes.

While stuck in this position, his vehicle was struck in the rear by a vehicle headed northbound. From here, his vehicle was struck yet again by a second vehicle. The 41-year old driver was killed in this car accident.

It was discovered that he was not wearing seat belt. Had he been properly wearing his seat belt, there is a chance that he would have survived this car accident. Nearly every day of the year, around 6,400 people are injured in a car crash. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the proper use of a seat belt reduces serious injury and death in auto accidents by around 50 percent! Simply put, and per the CDC, wearing a seat belt is the most effective way to save your life and reduce the risk of being seriously injured.

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As you probably already know, there are a lot of car accidents here in Illinois. According to the Illinois Department of Transportation, there were 76,352 crashes reported in 2012 for which damage to any one person’s property totaled between $501 and $1,500. There are also a lot of fatal auto accidents here in Illinois. Also according to the Illinois Department of Transportation, there were 886 fatal car crashes resulting in 956 fatalities in 2012 alone. With all of these reported car accidents, some common causes stand out.

Common Causes of Auto Accidents

Here is a quick non-exclusive list of common causes of car accidents. This list also explains how you may avoid these common causes.

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