Over 20,000 people per year sustain injuries or are killed in an accident as a vehicle passenger, and in 2017 alone, the Illinois Department of Transportation reported that 213 motor vehicle passengers were killed. Motor vehicle passengers are as vulnerable as pedestrians, bicycle riders, and motorcycle riders are on the road because they are at the mercy of the other drivers and the person driving the car in which he or she is a passenger.
Since passengers have no control over the car they are in or how other people drive, questions of liability come down to legal battles between who bears the greater responsibility for the crash. Auto insurers will fight about whether the person driving the passenger or the other car caused the accident. Naturally, insurance companies want to try to save as much money as possible and will try to deflect as much liability as they can from their insured driver and toward the other operator.
No matter who is responsible for the crash, a passenger injured in a car accident or the family of an auto passenger killed in an Illinois auto accident deserves compensation. Injured passengers can receive compensation for medical bills relating to the accident, future medical expenses relating to injuries suffered in a crash, lost wages or salary, the loss of future earnings capacity, as well as pain and suffering. Passengers who sustained a catastrophic injury may receive compensation for injuries such as amputation, loss of bodily functions, loss of senses, and traumatic brain injuries, to name a few examples.
The family of a deceased passenger may recover damages under Illinois’ Wrongful Death Statute. Those damages may include the financial loss to the family caused by the death of the passenger along with monetary compensation for the emotional pain and sorrow experienced by the family caused by the wrongful death of the victim.
INJURED? CALL STEIN SHULMAN, LLC FOR YOUR INSTANT CASE ANALYSIS
Stein & Shulman, LLC has over 45 years of combined experienced in Illinois Personal Injury Law. You can receive a free and instant case review by calling our office at 312.422.0500.
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Source:http://www.idot.illinois.gov/Assets/uploads/files/Transportation-System/Resources/Safety/Crash-Reports/crash-facts/2017%20Crash%20Facts.pdf
