When a driver speeds excessively, races, weaves through traffic, or ignores basic traffic rules, calling the resulting crash an “accident” can be misleading. These collisions are often preventable and may result from choices that put everyone else on the road at risk.
If you were injured because of reckless driving, you may be able to recover compensation for your medical expenses, lost income, pain and suffering, and other losses. However, even when the other driver’s conduct seems clearly dangerous, compensation is not automatic. You still have to show how the driver caused the crash and how the collision affected you.
Power Rogers, LLP represents people injured in serious motor vehicle crashes throughout Chicago. Our firm has recovered more than $6 billion for clients, and we are prepared to investigate what happened, deal with insurance companies, and take a case to court when necessary. We offer free consultations and handle personal injury cases on a contingency-fee basis, so there is no upfront attorney fee.
Click here to schedule a confidential consultation or call our office at (312) 236-9381.
Key Takeaways
- Reckless driving accidents in Chicago may involve excessive speeding, street racing, aggressive lane changes, or other dangerous behavior, but injured victims must establish that the driver’s negligence caused the crash and their resulting injuries.
- Victims of reckless driving accidents in Illinois may recover compensation for medical expenses, lost wages, reduced earning capacity, pain and suffering, disability, and property damage, with punitive damages potentially available in particularly egregious cases.
- Illinois generally allows two years to file a reckless driving personal injury lawsuit, and its modified comparative negligence rule allows injured victims to recover compensation if they are not more than 50% responsible for the accident, with damages reduced according to their share of fault.
What Is Reckless Driving in Illinois?
In Illinois, reckless driving generally means driving in a way that shows a serious disregard for the safety of other people or property. The law is intentionally broad, so there is no single speed or maneuver that automatically makes driving reckless. Whether conduct crosses that line depends on what the driver was doing and the circumstances surrounding it.
Examples of driving that may be considered reckless include:
- Excessive speeding
- Racing another vehicle
- Weaving aggressively through traffic
- Making repeated unsafe lane changes
- Running red lights or stop signs at high speed
- Driving the wrong way
- Combining several dangerous behaviors at once
- Intentionally using a hill, bridge approach, or railroad crossing to make a vehicle airborne
How Do You Prove Negligence in a Reckless Driving Accident Case?
A reckless driving ticket or criminal charge can be important evidence after a crash, but it does not by itself establish your right to compensation. To recover damages, you still need to show what the driver did, how that conduct caused or contributed to the collision, that the crash caused your injuries, and what losses resulted.
Building that proof usually draws on several types of evidence, including:
- The police report and any citations issued at the scene.
- Traffic camera, surveillance, or dashcam video showing how the crash unfolded.
- Statements from witnesses who saw the driver’s behavior before impact.
- Vehicle data, such as event data recorder information, that can show speed or braking.
- Photos and physical evidence from the crash scene and vehicles involved.
- Cellphone records, when distraction may have played a role.
- Accident reconstruction analysis in serious or heavily disputed cases.
Even when reckless driving seems obvious to everyone involved, insurers routinely dispute causation, argue that you share some fault, question the severity of your injuries, or push back on the value of your damages. That’s exactly where experienced legal representation starts to matter.
Click here to schedule a confidential consultation or call our office at (312) 236-9381.
How a Chicago Reckless Driving Accident Lawyer at Power Rogers, LLP Can Help
Power Rogers, LLP has spent decades handling serious motor vehicle cases in Chicago, and we’ve built a reputation for taking cases to trial when insurance companies won’t offer a fair resolution. Since 1993, our firm has recovered more than $6 billion in verdicts and settlements for clients across a range of personal injury and wrongful death matters.
When our Chicago car accident lawyers take on a case, our work can include:
- Investigating how the crash happened. We gather police records, video, witness accounts, vehicle data, and other available evidence to determine what the driver was doing before the collision and how that conduct caused the crash.
- Documenting the full extent of your injuries and losses. We build the medical and financial record needed to account for treatment, lost income, lasting limitations, future care, and other consequences of the accident.
- Handling the insurance company on your behalf. We present the evidence supporting your case, respond to disputes over fault or damages, and negotiate for compensation that reflects what you have lost.
- Taking the case to court when necessary. If the insurer will not offer a fair resolution, our attorneys are prepared to litigate the case and present it to a jury.
Our goal is to not only demonstrate what happened and who was responsible, but to ensure that your claim accounts for the full impact the accident has had, and may continue to have, on your life.
What Types of Compensation Can We Help Reckless Driving Accident Victims Pursue?
The compensation available depends on the injuries involved and how the crash has affected your life. Depending on your losses, you may be able to recover compensation for:
- Medical expenses, including future treatment related to your injuries
- Lost income and reduced future earning capacity
- Pain and suffering
- Disability
- Disfigurement
- Loss of normal life, including limitations on your usual activities and routines
- Property damage, where applicable
- Wrongful death damages for surviving family members when a reckless driving crash is fatal
In some cases, punitive damages may also be available when the driver’s conduct was especially egregious. They are not awarded simply because the driver was cited for reckless driving, so whether they can be pursued depends on the specific facts of the case.
The goal is to account for both what the crash has already cost you and the financial and personal effects that may continue into the future.
What Can You Do Now to Protect Your Reckless Driving Accident Claim?
If the immediate aftermath of the crash has passed, there are still steps you can take to protect your ability to recover compensation:
- Continue with your medical treatment. Follow your providers’ recommendations and attend follow-up appointments. Gaps in treatment can make it harder to document your injuries and may give the insurer an opportunity to question their severity.
- Keep track of your losses. Save medical bills, records of missed work, receipts for accident-related expenses, work restrictions, and other documentation showing how the crash has affected you financially and personally.
- Preserve what you already have. Keep photos, videos, dashcam footage, witness information, insurance correspondence, and other materials related to the crash. Do not delete or discard potential evidence before your case has been reviewed.
- Be careful when dealing with insurance companies. Be cautious about recorded statements and settlement offers before you understand what your case may be worth.
- Limit what you share publicly. Social media posts about the accident, your injuries, or your activities can be used to challenge what you are claiming, even when a post seems harmless or unrelated.
- Consult a reckless driving accident attorney in Chicago. A lawyer can evaluate fault, identify the insurance coverage available, assess the losses that should be included in your case, explain important deadlines, and take steps to obtain or preserve additional evidence when necessary.
FAQs About Chicago Reckless Driving Accident Claims
In most cases, Illinois law gives you two years from the date of the accident to file a personal injury lawsuit. Some situations carry different or shorter deadlines, including claims involving government vehicles or entities, so it’s worth having your specific timeline reviewed by our team rather than assuming the standard two-year window applies.
Yes, as long as you weren’t more than 50% at fault for the accident. Illinois has adopted modified comparative negligence as the standard for recovery. That means your compensation gets reduced by your percentage of fault, but you may recover only if you are less than 50% at fault. If you’re found more than 50% responsible, Illinois law bars recovery entirely.
No. Your civil injury claim is separate from any criminal or traffic case against the other driver. You can pursue compensation based on the evidence of negligence in your case even if the driver is never convicted of reckless driving, or if the criminal case is reduced, dismissed, or never filed at all.
Yes. Power Rogers, LLP is located at 70 West Madison Street, Suite 5500, Chicago, IL 60602, in the heart of the Loop. We represent people injured in reckless driving crashes throughout Chicago and the surrounding area.
Schedule a Free Consultation With a Chicago Reckless Driving Accident Lawyer
If you were hurt in a Chicago car accident caused by another driver’s excessive speed, racing, or reckless behavior behind the wheel, you don’t have to sort out the insurance dispute or the investigation on your own. Power Rogers, LLP can look into what the driver was doing before the crash, preserve the evidence that supports your claim, deal directly with the insurance company, and pursue the compensation you need to cover what this accident has cost you and your family. That same approach applies whether your case involves a serious injury claim or, in the worst circumstances, a wrongful death claim on behalf of someone you lost.
We offer free consultations and work on a contingency fee basis, so you don’t pay anything unless we recover compensation for you. Contact our office to talk through what happened and find out where your case stands.
