Automobile Accident Causes and Statistics

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) estimates that 31,110 people died in crashes from January through October, 2008, compared with 34,502 during the same period in 2007.  According to the Illinois Department of Health a total of 1,389 people lost their lives as a result of motor vehicle accidents in 2006.

The statistics reflect a time when Americans were driving significantly less because of high gasoline prices.  The U.S. Department of Transportation recently announced that Americans drove 8.9 billion fewer miles in October of 2008 than in October, 2007, which represents the 12th straight month of decline.  In that 12-month period, drivers in this country logged 100 billion fewer miles that in the prior 12-month period. 

However, it appears that today more than ever, Americans are distracted behind the wheel.  Legislatures across the country are recognizing that distractions from multi-tasking can be dangerous as they stiffen penalties for driving while using cell phones, text messaging, putting on make-up or eating.  The use of consumer electronics while driving, especially among teen drivers, can increase the likelihood of accidents on the road.  A 2006 study conducted by the NHTSA attributed a driver’s inattention, within the three seconds preceding a crash, as the cause of 80 percent of automobile accidents.

Clifford Law Offices has Experienced Automobile Accident Attorneys

Clifford Law Offices has been representing the victims of serious automobile accidents for 30 years. The combined experience of our attorneys amounts to hundreds of years of personal injury and wrongful death casework resulting in countless victories for our clients.

Robert Clifford was awarded a record $24.1 million verdict for an eight-year-old Chicago boy for injuries he suffered when a Chicago Transit Authority bus struck him in a school crosswalk. Robert Walsh and Craig Squillace reached a $2.8 million settlement for a 16-year-old who suffered a traumatic brain injury when a bus struck the vehicle in which he was riding as a passenger. Tim Tomasik received $1.31 million on behalf of a family whose 23-year-old daughter was killed after a speeding car rear-ended her on the Eisenhower Expressway. Kevin Durkin and Brian Nash obtained $348,333 on behalf of a 42-year-old male taxi passenger who sustained severe facial fractures and dental injuries when his cab ran a red light at an intersection and collided with another vehicle.

With the resources to support a case that only a world-class firm like the Clifford Law Offices can provide, our attorneys will examine all possible causes of the crash.  It can be an issue of vehicle maintenance, driver fatigue, driver negligence, excessive speed, alcohol use, tire blowouts, sudden braking, brake failure, unsafe safety systems or warning devices, failure to yield the right of way, tailgating, or unsafe road conditions.

To evaluate the losses of an automobile accident victim, we will look at all of the relevant areas including medical expenses, lost wages, future earnings, future medical care, pain and suffering, grief, sorrow and mental suffering, loss of quality of life and any other possible damage claims.