Most car crashes involve two adult drivers. But younger drivers are responsible for an outsized share of Illinois car crashes; their lack of experience and poor decision-making skills can combine to create dangerous and even fatal road collisions. Because minors are not legal adults, obtaining compensation after an accident caused by a driver under age 19 is different from a lawsuit involving another adult. If you have recently been involved in a car crash with a teenage driver, you may want the help of an experienced Illinois car crash attorney.

What Does Illinois Law Say about Teenage Drivers’ Legal Liability?

Teenagers can be held legally liable for the same negligent actions that contribute to a car crash as an adult can. If a teen was texting and driving and caused an accident, he or she will be just as responsible as a 45-year-old. However, the law makes parents responsible for many of the consequences of a teenage driver’s recklessness. This protects victims of teenage car accidents who otherwise could not recover damages because a teen has no income or insurance.

If you have been seriously injured in a car driven by a minor, the first place to try to obtain compensation will be the minor’s car insurance or the car insurance of the minor's parents. The parent’s homeowner’s insurance or renter’s insurance may also cover a minor who lives at home. If the minor was driving without insurance and the parents are also uninsured, you may want to try to bring a personal injury lawsuit against the minor. Parents can be held responsible for the damages caused by the minor until the child turns 19, as long as the child lives at home.

Just a few weeks ago, a small plane from Illinois crashed in Ohio, killing both men on board. While large airline crashes make international news, small airplane accidents are more common and usually kill and injure far more people every year than major plane crashes. Several hundred people die in private plane crashes in a typical year, and many thousands more are injured. If you or a loved one have been injured in a private or commercial plane crash, you may want to take legal action.

Why Do Private Planes Crash More Often?

Pilots of private planes require less training and flight time than commercial airline pilots, particularly when planes are flown by private owners who fly and maintain their aircraft as a hobby. While many small airplane owners enjoy taking their friends and family on local trips, a pilot’s lack of experience or an insufficiently rigorous safety routine can contribute to a fatal plane crash.

Private airplanes also lack the autopilot functions and safety mechanisms of commercial aircraft that can correct and assist pilots in real-time, so small errors can quickly contribute to a fatal accident. While the classic idea of a plane crash happens in flight, plane crashes can also occur even when a plane is not in the air; in fact, taxiing on runways is one of the most dangerous times to be on a plane.

Lake Michigan offers unparalleled opportunities for freshwater sporting. People who live in Illinois often spend all winter waiting eagerly for the weather to warm up so they can get out onto the water and start using their boats, jet skis, and paddleboards again. While water sports and recreation are a wonderful part of living in Lake County, these activities are not without risks. In 2020 alone, 81 boating accidents were reported in Illinois, including 21 fatalities.

Even with the most careful operators, boat accidents can still happen. But when a boating accident happens because of recklessness or negligence, or because someone is operating a boat under the influence of drugs or alcohol, people who are injured may want to pursue compensation for medical costs, lost wages, pain and suffering, and more. For those who are killed in a boating accident, the victim’s loved ones may want to pursue compensation on their behalf.

Common Causes of Boating Accidents

While boating generally presents significantly less danger compared to driving on the road, boating accidents are still fairly common and the vast majority of them happen for the following reasons:

As electric scooters, or e-scooters, become more popular in Chicago, they potentially present an environmentally friendly alternative to driving and a more sanity alternative to taking public transportation. However, one significant consequence of more e-scooters is the increase in dangerous e-scooter accidents.

Not only do e-scooter riders often speed down the street without taking appropriate caution in regard to vehicular traffic, they often also violate the rules and ride on the sidewalks with pedestrians. This can present dangerous hazards to pedestrians and even pets, who are caught by surprise when e-scooter riders go flying past at high speeds. Add this to the danger that e-scooter riders face when they get into car crashes, and you have a perfect storm of dangerous accidents waiting to happen. As summer approaches and the city of Chicago allows three companies to apply for permits to operate up to 6,000 electric scooters, those who have been injured in e-scooter accidents may wonder if they can take action.

E-Scooters Present Dangers While Being Ridden and While Docked

While e-scooter accidents most often happen when a rider crashes into a vehicle or pedestrian, injuries also occur when e-scooters are left strewn about on sidewalks, curbs, and other public areas. Although e-scooters may be convenient for those who use them, many people complain of the nuisance e-scooters cause when they are ridden recklessly or left laying on the ground. Chicago hopes to mitigate some of the nuisance complaints by requiring e-scooters to be locked to appropriate objects after use, although this measure does not reduce risks while scooters are being ridden.

Illinois law gives injured people the right to seek financial compensation if another party’s actions or negligent inaction caused them harm. For example, someone struck by a drunk driver may be able to bring a claim against the driver and/or the driver’s auto insurance company. Someone who is injured by a defective product may bring a claim against the party that designed or manufactured the product. Premises liability accidents like slip and fall accidents may also lead to a personal injury claim.

Whatever the cause, a serious accident can have devastating long-term financial consequences for the injured person and their family. Lost income from missed work and lost earning capacity are often some of the largest financial burdens to overcome after an injurious accident.

Recovering Lost Income After a Serious Injury

Brain injuries, spine injuries, broken bones, burns, and other serious injuries often require extensive recovery time. Many people injured by another party’s negligence have to stay in the hospital for several days or even weeks. Others need long-term rehabilitative care. Not only are these medical needs expensive, but they can also prevent the injured person from working.