Chicago Personal Injury Lawyer Blog

Here is some solid free legal advice from a Chicago Injury Lawyer: If you are going to drink and drive (bad idea) and crash into another car (even worse idea), I would strongly suggest that you do not hit a police car. And yet that is exactly what happened this past Friday night on the South Side of Chicago.

An alleged DUI driver was involved in a head on car accident with a marked Chicago police car at Pershing Road and Morgan Street at about 10 p.m., according to the Chicago Sun-Times. Ramiro Salgado of Chicago, Illinois has been charged with aggravated driving under the influence of alcohol, driving with a suspended license, no prooof of insurance and driving with open alcohol in his vehicle. Bond has been set at $25,000 by Cook County Judge Laura Sullivan.

Salgado was allegedly driving in an SUV eastbound on Pershing Road while intoxicated when he collided with the squad car at Morgan Street. The Chicago police officer was reportedly injured and taken to Rush University Medical Center. The SUV driver was not injured.

Posted by Dave Abels | Permalink | Email This Post

Posted In: Auto Accident , Legal Advice , Personal Injury

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Chicago, Illinois accident attorneys could be busy this week after our area was hit with ice and snow over the weekend. Usually the first few nasty snows of the season result in a lot of car crashes. It seems like every year people forget how to handle their vehicles in winter conditions and many cars are sliding all over the roads.

Here are a few suggestions if involved in a motor vehicle accident:

AT THE COLLISION SITE:

Stop, and do not leave the accident locations. Criminal charges can result from fleeing the accident site.

Make sure no one in your car is seriously injured.

Call the police to report the car crash, and let them know if anyone is injured. Make sure a police report is made, as you will need it later.

Get your car off the road (if you can do it safely).

Use your hazard lights, and flares if you have them.

Do not argue with any of the other parties involved in the accident.

Obtain information from the other persons involved (name, address, insurance information) and obtain witness info. as well.

Do not accept fault for the accident.

Talk to police, make sure to give your side of the story.

If hurt, let the police and paramedics know. Do not refuse medical care if you are in pain, and take the ambulance ride to the hospital to get checked out.

AFTER THE ACCIDENT:

Call us ASAP after the accident. The sooner we know what is going on, the better we can advise you. Call 312-399-8988 24 hours to speak to an accident lawyer.

Seek medical treatment if you have been injured.

Do not get tricked in to giving a written or recorded statement to the other driver's insurance company before consulting with an accident lawyer.

Report the accident to your own insurance company.

If the police never came to the scene of the accident, go to the nearest police station and make a report.

IF YOU HAVE ALREADY BEEN IN AN ACCIDENT, CONTACT OUR OFFICE IMMEDIATELY, AS EVERY ACCIDENT IS DIFFERENT AND WE MAY HAVE IMPORTANT ADVICE THAT IS NOT LISTED ABOVE. Call 312-399-8988 for 24 hour injury attorney assistance.

Posted by Dave Abels | Permalink | Email This Post

Posted In: Auto Accident , Legal Advice

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Often I am asked by people calling from the Chicago, Illinois area if they really need a personal injury lawyer when involved in an auto accident, slip & fall, work injury or any other type of personal injury case. The short answer is YES, you definitely want an accident attorney on your side!

I actually tell people that if they want my injury law firm's help, that's great. But if they are not comfortable with me, get different injury attorney. Don't try to go it alone.

I tell potential clients to do this for many reasons. First, you don't want to damage your own personal injury claim. From day one there can be obstacles to overcome in an injury case. Within hours after an accident you may find yourself speaking to the other person's insurance carrier. Injured people often don't realize that the goal of the other side's insurance company is to mitigate damages, meaning they want to pay you as little money as possible. One of the first things they might ask you for is a recorded statement that can eventually be used against you in settlement negotiations.

The earlier in the case you have a personal injury attorney protecting your rights, the better off you will be. An injury lawyer has the same goal that you do. They want to put as much money in your pocket as possible. Personal injury lawyers take a percentage of whatever money they collect for you. That means the more money they collect for you, the more money they make for themselves. They have a built in incentive to collect as much money as possible for you.

Continue reading "Do I Really Need an Illinois Personal Injury Lawyer if Involved in an Accident?" »

Posted by Dave Abels | Permalink | Email This Post

Posted In: Legal Advice

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