Car Accident Attorney Glenview

If you were involved in a single-vehicle accident, you may think that you are automatically at fault for the accident and thus your auto insurance rates are going to go up. You may be right. But not always. Contact Barry Zlotowicz, a car accident lawyer in Glenview for a free consultation at 847-305-4105.

According to the National Highway Transportation Safety Administration (NHTSA), in 2016, the most recent year records are available, there were 1,082 auto accident-related fatalities in the state of Illinois. Of those fatalities, 588 of them were the result of a single vehicle accident.

In other words, over one half of all people who died in auto accident fatalities in 2016 died without colliding with another vehicle.

Causes of single vehicle accidents

The primary causes of single vehicle accidents are exactly what you’d expect. They include:

• Driving under the influence
• Texting/talking on a mobile phone
• Falling asleep at the wheel
• High rate of speed (especially around corners)
• Hitting an animal (such as a deer)

However, there are other reasons as well. I’m an attorney in Glenview, IL. I don’t get too many deer calls out here. But I have had a few. Several of the calls I’ve received are from people who were involved in solo vehicle accidents but the accident was not there fault.

Single vehicle accidents that aren’t your fault

For example, what if you are driving your car and your vehicle blows a tire and you crash? Or perhaps another part of your vehicle malfunctions, like your transmission. In this case, the single vehicle accident might not be your fault.

However, the burden is on you to prove that you were not at fault for the accident and that the product or auto maker was. In this situation, keeping control of your vehicle and preventing any modification or repairs from taking place prior to inspection by an expert is critical.

What if you were driving down the Edens and suddenly a car swerves into your lane causing you to swerve to avoid it. You lose control of your vehicle and crash. The accident was not your fault was it? It might have been. Cars swerve at other cars all the time and accidents do not always result.

In this case, it is important to locate witnesses who observed the other vehicle cause the accident. Regardless, this one is an uphill climb.

Perhaps your accident was caused by bad road conditions like gravel in the roadway. I spoke about this in my blog article on recovering for injuries suffered while a passenger in a vehicle. Generally speaking, arguing that the road caused the accident won’t work. Lots of people hit gravel or potholes and don’t crash. And others are able to avoid them altogether. For clarification as to whether this applies to your fact pattern, consult with your insurance agent.

For a free consultation with a car crash attorney in Glenview, call me today at 847-305-4105. I may not be able to help you avoid responsibility for a single vehicle accident, but I am happy to confer with you about how you should deal with your auto insurance company.

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