One distracted driver on the Kennedy or a missed red light on Western Avenue is all it takes to turn an ordinary commute into months of treatment and lost income. When another driver caused your crash, a Chicago car accident attorney at Horwitz, Horwitz & Associates can investigate what happened and pursue the compensation Illinois law allows.
Our Chicago law firm has represented injured people and families across the city since 1924. We take on the investigation and the insurance company so you can focus on recovering. We handle car accident cases on a contingency fee, which means there’s no upfront cost to speak with us.
Call (800) 985-1819 or contact us online for a free consultation.
Why choose Horwitz, Horwitz & Associates after a Chicago car accident?
When you work with our attorneys, you get an experienced team that prepares every claim as if a jury will decide it. That preparation is what moves insurers, and it’s what protects you if a fair settlement never comes.
Here’s what sets our Chicago personal injury lawyers apart:
- We’ve recovered more than $1 billion for injured people across Illinois, including record-setting verdicts in some of the state’s toughest cases.
- We investigate the crash, prove negligence, document your losses, and build a claim insurers can’t easily dismiss.
- We work on a contingency fee, so you pay nothing up front and nothing unless we recover for you.
- We take over the paperwork, the insurance calls, the records requests, and the investigation while you heal.
- We keep you in the loop, so you always know where your case stands and what comes next.
Illinois gives most people two years to file a car accident lawsuit, but evidence like traffic-camera footage and witness memories fades well before then. The earlier a Chicago car accident lawyer can start, the more we can protect.
Our car accident case results
Our car accident results come from cases we were ready to take all the way to a verdict. A few examples:
- $16.4 million: A 17-year-old riding in a dealership’s loaner vehicle was left with severe brain and spinal cord injuries after a single-car crash. The dealer’s insurer wouldn’t pay its policy limits, so we tried the case, and a Cook County jury returned $16.4 million.
- $1.3 million: A driver was t-boned by a motorist pulling out of a parking lot and suffered a herniated disc in her neck. Fault wasn’t in dispute; the defense admitted it but argued her injuries weren’t serious. Michael Wierzbicki showed the damage was permanent, and the jury awarded $1.3 million covering her medical bills, pain, suffering, and loss of a normal life.
- $1 million: A woman stopped at a red light in Orland Park was hit from behind hard enough to push her into the car ahead. What looked like whiplash turned out to include a torn disc in her neck. After Michael Wierzbicki secured summary judgment on the other driver’s negligence, the jury awarded $1 million, including the cost of future surgery.
Past results depend on the facts of each case, and no attorney can promise a specific outcome.
Client testimonials
| “Excellent communication with the office. All paperwork was able to be completed via email, and updates were also immediately addressed. Any questions were answered within a days time. Thank you for helping with my settlement. Truly professionalism at its best.” —Mindy J. |
| “So far, I have dealt with 2 attorneys here from Horwitz, Horwitz & Associates for a car accident at work. Both have been very professional and have always kept me updated on what is going on, and when I reach out, they are readily available. Greatly recommend H&H when you need someone to look out for your best interest.” —Oscar S. |
Common causes of car accidents in Chicago
Most Chicago crashes come down to a driver ignoring the basics of safe driving. The causes we see most often:
- Speeding and aggressive driving. On the Kennedy and Dan Ryan, aggressive driving like weaving and tailgating leaves no room to stop when traffic backs up.
- Distracted driving. A distracted driver checking a phone can blow through a light at a corridor like Western or Ashland Avenue before they ever look up.
- Drunk or impaired driving. Crashes from impaired driving climb late at night and after big games or concerts downtown.
- Failure to yield. Left turns across oncoming traffic and rolling stops cause a large share of intersection crashes.
Winter doesn’t excuse a crash, either. Illinois drivers are expected to slow down for ice and lake-effect snow, and many pileups happen because someone didn’t.
The types of car accidents that can happen in Chicago
A few crash types account for most of the cases we handle in Chicago.
- Rear-end collisions. The stop-and-go grind on the Eisenhower and Lake Shore Drive makes rear-end crashes common, and whiplash is a frequent result.
- T-bone collisions. Side impacts happen when a driver runs a red light at a wide intersection, and a T-bone crash often causes the most serious injuries.
- Head-on collisions. Less common but among the most dangerous, a head-on collision usually comes from a wrong-way driver on a one-way street or an expressway ramp.
- Sideswipes and lane-change crashes. Merging across several lanes on the Kennedy leaves little margin when two drivers reach for the same gap.
The type of crash shapes how fault is established and which insurance policies come into play.
Common injuries from car accidents
Car accident injuries range from soft-tissue strains to permanent, life-altering harm. The faster the road, the worse they tend to be. The most common include:
- Traumatic brain injuries and concussions
- Spinal cord and back injuries
- Broken bones
- Whiplash and other soft-tissue damage
- Internal injuries and organ damage
Some of these aren’t obvious at the scene. Concussions and internal bleeding can take hours to show symptoms, so it’s worth getting evaluated even if you feel fine. After a serious crash downtown, Northwestern Memorial Hospital runs a Level I trauma center on East Huron Street.
The most common locations and dangerous roads for car accidents in Chicago
A handful of routes carry the most crash risk in Chicago. The expressways top the list: the Kennedy (I-90/94), the Dan Ryan, the Eisenhower (I-290), and the Stevenson (I-55) all pair heavy volume with sudden slowdowns. Lake Shore Drive’s curves and tight merges cause their share, and surface streets like Western Avenue and Ashland Avenue see frequent intersection collisions. If you were hurt on any of them or anywhere else in the city, our Chicago car accident attorneys can help you reconstruct what happened.
What should you do after a car accident?
After a Chicago crash, focus on two things: your health and the evidence. Getting medical care and documenting the scene early protects both you and any claim you file. The order below works.
- See a doctor, even if you feel okay. Adrenaline masks injuries, and conditions like concussions surface later. Early records also tie your injuries to the crash.
- Document what you can. Photos of the vehicles, the intersection, the traffic signals, and any skid marks help, along with the other driver’s information and the names of any witnesses.
- Get the crash report. Chicago police reports are available through the CPD Records Division, and they capture traffic violations and witness statements.
- Tell your insurer carefully. Report the crash, but you don’t have to give a recorded statement before talking to a lawyer.
- Keep records. Save every medical bill and log your missed work and out-of-pocket costs.
- Talk to a Chicago car accident lawyer. The sooner we begin, the more traffic-camera and surveillance footage we can preserve before it’s overwritten.
What to expect from the car accident claim process
Most Illinois car accident claims move through the same stages. We start by collecting the police report, your medical records, your lost-income documentation, and whatever camera footage exists near the scene. Once your treatment stabilizes, we send the at-fault driver’s insurer a demand backed by those losses, and negotiations begin. If the insurer won’t pay a fair amount, we file suit within the two-year deadline and take the case through discovery toward trial. Most claims settle along the way. The ones that settle well are usually the ones an insurer believes we’re ready to try.
What types of car accident compensation are available?
Under Illinois law, you can recover for the full range of damages a crash causes. They fall into two main groups, with a third that applies in limited cases.
Economic damages cover the losses you can document: emergency and ongoing medical care, future treatment, lost wages, reduced earning capacity, and vehicle repair. Each is provable through bills and records.
Non-economic damages cover the harm that has no invoice, including physical pain, emotional distress, disfigurement, and the loss of a normal life. These often make up the larger part of a serious claim.
In a narrow set of cases, such as a crash caused by drunk driving or extreme recklessness, an Illinois court may also award punitive damages to punish the at-fault driver.
Determining fault in Chicago
Illinois follows a modified comparative negligence rule. You can recover as long as you’re no more than 50% at fault for the crash, and your award is reduced by your share of the blame. If you’re found more than 50% at fault, you recover nothing, which is one reason insurers try to pin as much blame on you as they can.
Fault also isn’t limited to the other driver. Depending on the crash, liability can extend to an employer whose driver was on the clock, a trucking or delivery company, a rideshare company’s insurance, or a government agency responsible for a malfunctioning signal or a dangerous road defect. Identifying every responsible party often determines how much coverage is actually available to you.
Talk to a Chicago car accident attorney at Horwitz, Horwitz & Associates
You don’t have to face the insurance company alone. A free consultation will tell you whether you have a claim and what it may be worth, and we’ll handle the insurer from there so you can focus on healing. You won’t owe an attorney’s fee unless we recover compensation for you.
Call (800) 985-1819 or contact us online to speak with a Chicago car accident lawyer at Horwitz, Horwitz & Associates.
Frequently asked questions about Chicago car accidents
How much does a Chicago car accident lawyer cost?
Nothing up front. We work on a contingency fee, so our fee is a percentage of what we recover. If there’s no recovery, you owe no attorney’s fee, and the consultation is free.
What’s the deadline to file a car accident claim in Illinois?
Two years in most cases. You generally have two years from the date of the crash to file a personal injury lawsuit under 735 ILCS 5/13-202. If a government entity is involved, such as the city or the CTA, a one-year deadline can apply, so it’s best to confirm yours early.
What if the other driver doesn’t have insurance?
You may still have a path to compensation. If you carry uninsured or underinsured motorist coverage, your own policy can apply when the at-fault driver has no insurance or too little. A car accident lawyer Chicago locals work with can review your policy and explain how it applies.
How long will my Chicago car accident case take?
Anywhere from a few months to a couple of years. Claims with clear fault and stable injuries settle faster. Serious injuries or a contested liability fight take longer, especially once a lawsuit is filed. Settling is generally quicker than trial, as long as the offer reflects what the case is worth.
