Chicago Reckless Driving Accident Attorneys
Driving recklessly involves consciously disregarding the substantial risk that your driving behaviors may cause. Were you injured in an auto accident with a reckless driver in Chicago? If so, you could be entitled to compensation for your losses. The Chicago reckless driving accident attorneys at Salvi, Schostok & Pritchard P.C. are ready to advocate for your rights and interests.
For over 40 years, our legal team has worked tirelessly to help injured people in Chicago and beyond pursue maximum compensation. We’ve recovered over $2.5 billion in settlements and verdicts, including over 350 multimillion-dollar awards. You can rest assured that our experienced litigators will aggressively fight for the compensation and justice you deserve.
If you were hurt in a motor vehicle accident caused by a reckless driver, the attorneys at Salvi, Schostok & Pritchard P.C. want to help you pursue financial relief. Contact our office today for a free initial case review with a Chicago reckless driving accident attorney.
What Is Considered Reckless Driving in Illinois?
Illinois’s reckless driving statute defines the offense of reckless driving as “driving any vehicle with a willful or wanton disregard for the safety of persons or property.” The law also says a person may commit reckless driving if they knowingly drive a vehicle and use an incline, such as a hill, bridge approach, or railroad crossing, to cause the vehicle to go airborne.
A reckless driver may bear liability for a car accident and face criminal charges for reckless driving. The statute usually grades reckless driving as a Class A misdemeanor, which carries penalties of up to 364 days in jail and fines of up to $2,500. However, prosecutors may charge reckless driving as a Class 4 felony if the reckless driving injures a child or a school crossing guard performing their duties or causes severe injury or permanent disability or disfigurement. this action carries a penalty of one to three years in prison and fines of up to $25,000. Reckless driving can also constitute a Class 3 felony, which carries a penalty of three to five years in prison and fines of up to $25,000 if serious injury or permanent disability or disfigurement occurs to a child or school crossing guard.
While a driver can face reckless driving charges after a car crash, civil liability is a separate matter. You could have a successful civil claim for compensation against the at-fault driver even if their reckless driving charges are dropped, result in an acquittal, or are never filed.
What Are Common Types of Reckless Driving?
Various driving behaviors may constitute a willful or wanton disregard for other people’s safety. Some common examples of reckless driving include:
- Excessive speeding (more than 20 mph over the speed limit)
- Speeding through a school zone or parking lot
- Street racing
- Tailgating
- Swerving through traffic
- Swerving around stopped traffic at an intersection or crosswalk
- Passing on the shoulder
- Cutting off other vehicles
- Aggressive driving and road rage
- Illegal turns or lane changes
- Refusing to yield the right-of-way
- Willfully running red lights or stop signs
- Choosing not to use turn signals or check mirrors before turning, changing lanes, or backing up
- Intoxicated driving
- Distracted driving, including browsing the internet, watching a movie, or reading a book
- Driving without headlights at night
- Driving a damaged or unmaintained vehicle
How Do You Prove a Reckless Driver Caused Your Accident?
Examples of evidence that car accident attorneys could use to prove that a reckless driver caused a car accident include:
- Information from police accident reports
- Traffic citations or arrest records
- Accident scene photos and videos, including traffic signs, signals, skid marks on the road, and vehicle damage
- Eyewitness testimony
- Driver cell phone records
- Post-accident drug and alcohol test results
- Vehicle event data recorder (black box) logs
- Surveillance and traffic camera or dashcam footage
- Accident reconstruction expert reports and testimony
What Compensation Is Available for Victims of Reckless Driving?
If you were injured in a reckless driving accident, you may have the right to pursue compensation for expenses and personal losses you incurred due to the crash. The Chicago reckless driving accident lawyers at Salvi, Schostok & Pritchard P.C. are ready to help you seek money for losses such as:
- Costs of medical treatment and rehabilitation for your accident injuries, including emergency care, hospitalizations, surgeries, prescriptions, pain management care, purchases of medical or mobility equipment, and physical or occupational therapy
- Costs of care and support services such as home health services and housekeeping that you may need if you suffer long-term or permanent disabilities due to your injuries
- Lost income if you need to take time off work to recover from your injuries or temporarily transfer to a lower-paying part-time or modified-duty role in line with your medical restrictions
- Lost future earning capacity and employment benefits if you develop a permanent disability that prevents you from returning to your job or being gainfully employed
- Physical pain and emotional distress
- Loss of enjoyment and quality of life caused by disabilities or visible scarring and disfigurement that interferes with daily living or participating in activities you previously enjoyed
- Costs of vehicle repairs and temporary alternative transportation expenses, such as car rental or rideshare fees
- Reimbursement for the value of your car if totaled by the accident
In exceptional cases, some plaintiffs in reckless driving accident lawsuits recover punitive damage awards. Punitive damages do not compensate a plaintiff for losses sustained due to an accident. Instead, these damages punish reckless drivers for their egregious conduct and deter others who might consider engaging in reckless driving.
Contact Salvi, Schostok & Pritchard P.C. Today for a Free Case Consultation
If you were injured when a reckless driver hit you, the reckless driving accident lawyers at Salvi, Schostok & Pritchard P.C. are ready to help you pursue maximum compensation for your accident-related losses. For over 40 years, our law firm has advocated for the rights of injury victims in Chicago and throughout Illinois, and we can do the same for you. Let us fight to hold the reckless driver accountable for their behavior.
Contact our firm today for a free, no-obligation consultation with a reckless driving accident attorney in Chicago.
