Passengers usually are not responsible for causing the crash itself. However, passengers may still suffer serious injuries and pursue compensation for medical bills and other financial losses with help from a St. Charles car accident lawyer.
Passengers frequently suffer injuries in:
- Rear-end collisions
- T-bone accidents
- Head-on crashes
- Rollover accidents
- Multi-vehicle collisions
If you were hurt in a car crash as a passenger, you may have the right to pursue compensation through a personal injury claim in St. Charles. In many cases, passengers can recover damages regardless of which driver caused the accident.
Passengers May Have a Personal Injury Claim Against the At-Fault Driver
Illinois is an at-fault state for car accidents. Injured passengers may generally pursue compensation against the driver who caused the accident. This can include the driver(s) of another vehicle, the driver of the vehicle the passenger was riding in, or all of the above.
Passenger injury claims are typically filed against the at-fault driver’s automobile insurance company rather than against the driver directly. This provides a degree of separation for passengers concerned about taking legal or insurance action against the person who was driving them.
Some accidents involve shared fault between multiple drivers. In these situations, passengers may potentially pursue claims against more than one insurance policy.
You May Be Able To Recover Multiple Forms of Compensation
Passengers commonly suffer serious injuries because they may not anticipate the collision and have little opportunity to brace for impact before the crash occurs.
As an injured passenger, you may be able to seek compensation for your economic and non-economic damages resulting from the accident. Depending on the circumstances, your compensation award may include money for:
- Emergency medical treatment
- Hospital bills
- Physical therapy
- Future medical care
- Lost wages
- Reduced earning capacity
- Pain and suffering
- Emotional distress
- Permanent disability
A full compensation award should address all of your financial and personal losses related to the crash and put you in a similar position to the one you were in before the incident.
Your Recovery May Be Limited If You Were Distracting the Driver of Your Vehicle
Although passengers are rarely primarily responsible for causing accidents, there are situations where a passenger’s conduct may be considered negligent.
Illinois follows a modified comparative fault system. Under this rule, your compensation may be reduced if your contributed to the accident in some way, such as by:
- Distracting the driver
- Grabbing the steering wheel
- Encouraging reckless driving
- Interfering with safe vehicle operation
These situations are uncommon but do occur from time to time. Even if you shares some responsibility for the collision, compensation may still be available so long as you are not more than 50% (i.e., mostly) responsible for the accident.
Contact an Experienced Illinois Car Accident Lawyer for Help
If you were injured in a car accident as a passenger, you have legal rights. An experienced Illinois car accident lawyer can help you pursue injury claims against every driver who shares liability for the harm you suffered.
Contact Feagans Law Group for help understanding your rights and legal options. We offer free consultations.