Many victims of assault, sexual assault, battery, robbery, or other crimes are unaware of all of their legal options. Most realize that they may be able to report the perpetrator to the police, but they are unaware of the civil legal actions they may take. If you or a loved one were injured in a bar fight, mugging, or other violent act caused by inadequate security, you may be able to bring a premises liability lawsuit against the property owner or occupier. You may be able to recover compensation for medical expenses, physical pain, emotional and mental suffering, and more.

Insufficient Security Measures Can Lead to Avoidable Injuries

Businesses like restaurants, bars, nightclubs, retail stores, and apartment complexes cannot prevent every conceivable injury from occurring on the property. However, property owners are held to certain safety standards by law. Per the Illinois Premises Liability Act, property owners and property occupiers are required to exercise “reasonable care” to prevent avoidable injuries from occurring on their property. This includes taking reasonable steps to prevent crime and violent acts. What constitutes “reasonable care” is often difficult to determine. The level of security that a business needs depends on many different factors including the overall level of crime in the area and whether visitors to the property have been harmed by criminal acts in the past.

Examples of Negligent Security at a Commercial Business

Individuals patronizing a business should not have to worry about being the victim of an attack. Business owners and/or property owners should take steps to reduce the chances of customers being victimized. Examples of negligent security may include:

According to the most recent data from the Illinois Department of Transportation, pedestrians are involved in less than 2 percent of all motor vehicle accidents, but more than 16 percent of all fatal accidents. In total, more than 150 pedestrians were killed and more than 4,500 were injured in Illinois in 2018. It is important to understand the causes of these accidents, both to try to reduce their number and so that victims know when they have a case for compensation due to a driver’s negligence.

Contributors to Pedestrian Accidents and Injuries

Pedestrian accidents can happen for many reasons, but certain factors are especially prominent both in Illinois and throughout the U.S. Some of these include:

• Environmental factors - In Illinois, the majority of pedestrian accidents resulting in injuries or fatalities occur in urban areas. Pedestrian injury crashes are fairly evenly split between day and night hours, but fatal pedestrian accidents are much more likely to happen at night, when there is less visibility.
• Alcohol impairment - More than 40 percent of the pedestrians who died in Illinois in 2018 were found to have some amount of alcohol in their system at the time of the accident. Drunk drivers are also a frequent cause of serious accidents involving pedestrians.
• Distractions - Distraction on the part of both drivers and pedestrians is another common feature of these accidents. Often, this involves looking at a cell phone or listening to music while driving or walking near the road.
• Traffic law violations - Pedestrians who attempt to cross the street without a crosswalk or walk sign put themselves at risk, and drivers who speed or fail to yield to pedestrians at a crosswalk or intersection can often cause a crash.

Protecting Illinois Pedestrians

Pedestrians can take steps to protect themselves from accidents when they are aware of the common causes. For example, they can avoid walking near the road after drinking alcohol, or using their cell phone while walking in a high-traffic area. They can also make themselves more visible at night with lights and reflective clothing, and make sure that they cross the road in clearly marked areas. That said, drivers bear an important responsibility to avoid behavior that puts pedestrians at risk, and when an accident happens because of a driver’s negligence, an injured pedestrian has the right to pursue compensation.

If you have been injured in an accident with a large commercial truck, one of the most important things to determine is whether the accident was caused entirely by the actions of the truck driver, or if there were other contributing factors behind the scenes that may point to the negligence of other parties. One such factor in many truck accidents is cargo that has been improperly secured. An attorney who understands how loose cargo contributes to accidents can help you gather important evidence to support your claim and pursue all possible options for compensation.

How Does Loose Cargo Cause an Illinois Truck Crash?

A truck’s cargo load often weighs tens of thousands of pounds, and in order for a driver to safely transport this heavy cargo, it must be appropriately distributed throughout the trailer. Cargo that is not held securely in place can shift while the truck is on the road, throwing off the weight distribution and the truck’s balance. This can cause the driver to lose control of the vehicle, in many cases leading to a rollover accident.

In some cases, loose cargo can also drop off of the truck bed entirely and onto the road. When this happens, nearby drivers and pedestrians can be struck by heavy cargo, either injuring them directly or causing them to lose control of their own vehicles. In other cases, drivers may be involved in accidents as they try to avoid fallen truck cargo that is obstructing the road.

Being injured in a car crash is stressful enough on its own, but it can be even more difficult when the driver responsible for the collision flees the scene, calling into question your ability to hold him or her accountable for your damages through a personal injury lawsuit. However, you do have options after a hit-and-run accident, and in many cases it is even possible to identify and locate the at-fault driver.

What Should I Do If I Am Injured in a Hit-and-Run?

Although the other driver may leave the scene after the accident, it is best for you to stay put and call 911. This can not only ensure that you get the immediate medical attention you need for your injuries, but also notify law enforcement so that they can come to the scene of the crash and create a report.

An officer may ask you and other witnesses for details regarding the circumstances of the accident, as well as any possible identifying features of the at-fault driver. Leaving the scene of a crash involving injury or death is a felony offense in Illinois, and law enforcement will often be motivated to investigate and apprehend the suspected offender. Any information you can provide regarding the appearance of the vehicle or the driver, the driver’s license plate number, or the direction in which the driver fled can help officers find the driver and notify you of their identity so that you can file a claim against them.

Many people are so used to the task of driving that it almost becomes automatic, and their minds may wander to other things while they are on the road. However, the truth is that driving often requires one’s full attention, and anything that distracts from the task at hand can potentially lead to an accident. When these car crashes occur, the distracted driver can often be found at fault.

Examples of Distracted Driving

In general, safe driving requires eyes on the road, hands on the wheel, and concentration on the driving task. Distracted driving can involve anything that detracts from one or more of these things. Some possible examples include:

• Using a cell phone - This may be the first example that comes to mind, especially since Illinois law specifically prohibits texting and other handheld cell phone use while operating a motor vehicle.
• Eating or drinking - This often involves taking hands off of the wheel, which can delay a driver’s reaction time.
• Reaching for an object - This can remove the driver’s hands from the wheel and their eyes from the road.
• Talking to a passenger - This can involve simply getting lost in conversation, or turning to speak to a passenger in the backseat. Children are common distractions for parents, while young drivers often face distractions from their peers.
• Adjusting car controls - Radio, GPS, and climate controls are often positioned such that a driver has to reach away from the steering wheel and look away from the road to adjust them.
• Looking at something outside of the vehicle - Distractions on the side of the road often take a driver’s attention away from what is happening in front of them, which may lead to lane drift or a rear-end collision.

Any of these behaviors, as well as other examples of distracted driving, may be considered negligent if they cause an accident that injures another person.