Injured in a Red Light Car Accident in Springfield? The Car Accident Lawyers at the Noll Law Office in Illinois Can Help You
Since intersections are one of the most dangerous segments of roadways accounting for half of all traffic injuries and 25% of all traffic fatalities, traffic control devices are often used to facilitate safe and orderly administration of traffic. Although there are many traffic control devices like stop signs, yield signs, or even traffic circles, traffic lights are one of the most common and well-known. The traffic light system is internationally known that red means stop, green means go – even young children are taught that. However, far too many drivers fail to follow traffic lights which can result in a red light car accident in Springfield. Indeed, over 1,100 people are killed each year due to a driver running a red light. Even though liability is often pretty clear to the parties, many defense lawyers and insurance adjusters will take advantage of the fact that intersection car accidents are often credibility disputes as to who had the green light. Unfortunately, this means that victims and their families may need to fight back by hiring an experienced car accident lawyer in Springfield to help them.
Here at the Noll Law Office, our compassionate and experienced legal team can help victims and their families protect their rights to compensation after a motor vehicle accident, especially a red light car accident in Springfield or elsewhere in Illinois. Unlike other bodily injury law firms, the Noll Law Office handles cases in-house and does not farm cases out to new lawyers or large churn-and-burn law firms. Rather, their fifth-generation lawyers handle each case based on its specific needs – not applying a cookie-cutter approach. If you or a loved one were seriously injured in any type of motor vehicle accident in Illinois, call their experienced car accident lawyers in Springfield to schedule a FREE consultation at (217) 414-8889.
Illinois Law and Red Lights
It is well-known that red means stop. This is an international symbol and one that is taught to young children. Unfortunately, some drivers risk causing a serious or fatal traffic accident by running a red light. Sometimes this is accidental, such as being distracted, but other times it is intentional and self-serving to avoid waiting at a light or to rush to get somewhere faster.
There are two parts of Illinois law that establish that red lights mean stop. The first is the common law, or decisional law made by judges, which establishes that all motorists must use reasonable care in the use or operation of their motor vehicle. This includes following the traffic laws and normal customs of operating a motor vehicle. To that extent, this means complying with what we know from common knowledge – including children – that a red light means stop. When motorists fail to stop at a red light and cause a motor vehicle accident, they may be liable under the common law.
Additionally, Illinois statutory law, or legislatively-made law, also establishes the red light system in our state that drivers must comply with. Specifically, 625 ILCS 5/11-305 requires all drivers to obey traffic control devices such as traffic lights. Whereas 625 ILCS 5/11-306 establishes the color system, and provides that vehicles must stop at a steady red light. A motorist who violates these statutes by running a red light and causing a car accident may be liable under the doctrine of negligence per se, which establishes that the violation of a statute that is meant to prevent a harm to a victim is automatically at fault. As a result, a victim will not need to establish fault but only focus on causation and damages.
Common Reasons Why Defendants May Run a Red Light
There are many reasons why a defendant may run a red light and cause a red light car accident in Springfield or somewhere else in Illinois. Nearly all of these reasons are based on negligence, meaning that a defendant’s conduct was either unreasonable under the common law or violated a statute – sometimes both.
Some of the most common causes include the following:
- Distracted driving
- Drugged driving
- Drunk driving
- Texting while driving or using a cell phone while driving
- Speeding
- Inattention
- Driving too fast for the traffic or weather conditions
- Aggressive driving or road rage
- Mechanical failures (i.e., brake failures)
- Using the wrong lane (i.e., red light on going straight, but green turn signal)
- Eating while driving
- Inexperience
- Racing
- Speeding through a yellow light that was already red
- Jumping a green light, and
- Other negligent conduct.
Victims Who are Hurt in a Red Light Car Accident in Springfield Should Call the Noll Law Office
Anyone who has been seriously injured in a motor vehicle accident in Illinois should call the Noll Law Office for help. Their experienced car accident lawyers in Springfield have dedicated their practice to representing those who were unfairly injured by the careless or reckless conduct of other drivers, businesses, or government agencies or actors. The Noll Law Office provides victims and their families with FREE case evaluations and only has their legal bills paid after they have recovered compensation for you. In order to get started today, contact the Noll Law Office to learn more about how their compassionate lawyers can help you.