Car accidents are dangerous for drivers and passengers. Both adults and children alike can suffer serious injuries in a collision. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), motor vehicle accidents are a leading cause of death among children in the United States. Even children who do not die in car accidents can sustain significant injuries. The CDC reports that nearly 116,000 children suffered injuries from motor vehicle accidents in 2017. There is no way that you can know when an automobile crash is going to happen, but in the event your child is injured in a crash, contacting an experienced personal injury lawyer right away is key to seeking compensation for any damages.

The Importance of Car Seat Safety

The best way to protect your child when riding in a vehicle is to make sure he or she is restrained in an appropriate car seat. Illinois has laws that require children to be restrained in a certain way depending on their age, weight, and height. Children who are under the age of 2 years old should be secured in a rear-facing car seat until they are at least 40 pounds or 40 inches tall. After they outgrow a rear-facing car seat, they can transition to a forward-facing seat that has an internal harness system. Children should never be placed in the front seat, especially if they are in a rear-facing car seat. 

Car accidents can range in severity from a simple fender-bender in which nobody is hurt to more severe crashes that total the vehicle and kill the occupants. Many factors affect the severity of a motor vehicle collision, including the cause of the accident, the speed at which the vehicles were traveling, and even whether or not the occupants were wearing seat belts at the time of impact. While any auto accident has the capacity to be severe in both property damage and injuries to those involved, T-bone car accidents can be especially serious.

What Is a T-Bone Collision?

T-bone accidents are named so because the two vehicles involved in resemble the letter T when colliding. T-bone accidents are also referred to as side-impact collisions, because one vehicle will strike the other in the side. All car accidents can result in injuries, but side-impact crashes can result in especially severe injuries or even death. According to the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS), side-impact crashes were responsible for 23 percent of accident fatalities in 2018.

Any kind of car accident has the potential to be dangerous, resulting in serious injuries to those involved. Head-on collisions, however, tend to be some of the most traumatic types of vehicle crashes. In these cases, the force of the impact can cause significant damage to the vehicles and serious or fatal injuries to drivers and passengers. Pursuing compensation after a head-on collision is usually fairly straightforward because of the nature of the accident. However, an experienced personal injury lawyer can help you make sure you are fully compensated for your damages. 

Causes of Head-On Crashes

Car accidents can vary in severity, and they can occur for a variety of reasons. However, head-on collisions are usually very serious, and they often occur because of driver negligence. Some forms of negligence that can lead to head-on crashes include:

• Impaired driving: Those who are driving while they are under the influence (DUI) of drugs or alcohol are not driving with a clear head. Often, their judgment is skewed, and they do not make the best decisions. They may stray out of their lane and into oncoming traffic, or they may commit other errors that lead them to collide with other vehicles at high speeds, resulting in serious injuries.

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Getting into a car accident can be stressful for many reasons. In some situations, the crash may have been so severe that you sustained serious injuries that require medical care. Medical treatment is not free -- it comes at a cost. Who is responsible for taking care of these expensive bills after a vehicle collision? If you can prove that the other driver was responsible for causing the accident, he or she might be held liable for covering the costs of your medical care, the damage to your vehicle, and any other physical or financial harm you have experienced. However, even if the other driver is ultimately liable for your medical treatment and auto repairs, that does not mean the process of claiming this compensation will be simple. That is why it is essential to seek professional legal counsel to protect your rights for seeking damages. 

Seeking Medical Care After Your Accident

Receiving compensation after your auto accident is not a speedy process. A case can take months to settle, which is why you should not wait to get medical care for your injuries. In some cases, waiting to treat your injuries could severely damage your health and cause more issues down the road. You may have to file a claim under your own medical insurance or auto insurance policies and make any applicable copays in the meantime. 

Owning a dog is usually a very rewarding experience. Multiple studies have shown that canine companionship is good for humans of all ages, because a dog can reduce stress and promote relaxation. However, not everyone’s experience with dogs is good. Although canines can be domesticated, they do not always act in predictable ways, and they can cause serious harm if they decide to attack someone. Though dog bites can happen to any person, children tend to be most susceptible. Injuries sustained from a dog bite can range in severity from small scrapes or bruises to severe lacerations or serious infections. If you have been bitten by a dog in Illinois, you may be able to claim compensation for your injuries.

Legal Liability for Dog Bites

In some states, owners are not liable for first-time dog bite attacks if they did not have a reason to believe their dog was capable of that behavior. Illinois is not one of those states. According to the Illinois Animal Control Act, dog owners are responsible for injuries inflicted by their animals in most situations, even if it is the first time the dog has acted with aggression. Typically, the onlys way an owner would not be held liable is if the victim provoked the dog or if they were trespassing on the owner’s property.

Proving Negligence

Since Illinois law allows a victim to pursue compensation from an dog's owner in most dog bite cases, it may not be necessary to prove that an owner was negligent. However, a person may be able to improve the chances of success in their case if they can show that an animal's owner did not take the proper measures to protect others from injury by their dog. For example, an owner may be found to be negligent if they did not keep their dog on a leash or ensure that it was contained within a yard or enclosure. An owner may also be negligent if their dog had been found to be "dangerous" or "vicious," and they did not meet their legal requirements for ensuring that the animal was kept in a proper enclosure where it could not harm others.