A 21 year old woman was apparently injured in a two-vehicle crash at Interstate 74-Interstate 54 interchange late yesterday near Champaign, Illinois. According to Illinois State Trooper, the 21 yr old woman was driving a pick-up and was merging onto I-74 northbound from I-57 when she lost control of the vehicle.
The pick-up truck spun across both westbound lanes on I-74 before it was hit by a westbound semi-truck driven by a 50 yr-old man of Columbus, Ohio. The woman was extricated from the truck and taken to Carle Foundation Hospital in Urbana and there was no information on her condition at the time of the article post in The News-Gazette.
While the woman was given a citation, the type of citation is not always indicative of what may or may not have happened. Initially, officers take witness statements, examine the condition of vehicles and terrain and have to make an initial decision. A citation does not always indicate liability or fault which is a common misconception of many. If you have been injured in an auto accident, there are some things you need to know before deciding whether or not you need legal representation:
- You are seriously injured, meaning, have you sustained an injury that will not improve in the next few weeks. Have you been injured to the point that your life will be changed? Often, back injuries, bone fractures and neck injuries will have a permanent effect on your life. When you think “serious injuries”, generally you think brain injury or paralysis. Those are serious injuries without a doubt and definitely those injuries require legal representation. Frequently, neck and back injuries begin as nagging pain, yet weeks and months later, the pain doesn’t go away.
- The other party is claiming you are ‘at-fault’. If the other party is claiming that you are at fault, you need representation
- If you were involved in an auto accident with a commercial vehicle. You need to know that commercial vehicles and their drivers will have legal representation and thus, that may put you at a disadvantage with the insurance company unless you are legally represented as well.
If you are not sure whether or not you need legal representation, you should now that most personal injury attorneys offer free consultations. Not everyone that contacts me needs an attorney, but you are wise to ask questions before making any decisions regarding your claim or before signing anything with an insurance company. In fact, even if you are certain that you do Not need legal representation, you should still wait a minimum of 30-60 days to fully determine the extent of your injuries. Too many times I have talked with a person who thought their pain would cease only to have it continue and worsen over the coming months. They signed a release and accepted money from their insurance company before fully determining if they were hurt……….unfortunately, the odds of helping someone after they sign an insurnance release is extremely difficult. So, use caution in making decisions about your future following an accident and make use of free resources such as free consultations. Information is power and you should have the information.
At The Cagle Law Firm, we represent seriously injured victims of accidents. You can contact our office seven days a week and get a one-on-one consultation at 1(800) 685-3302.
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