Chicago Traffic Accident Lawyers Who Focus on Responsibility, Not Excuses

Understanding Chicago Traffic Accidents Under Illinois Law

Illinois law recognizes that injured people deserve protection when crashes result from negligence or systemic failure. Under 625 ILCS 5, drivers, commercial operators, and vehicle owners must follow safety rules designed to protect the public. When those rules are ignored, liability follows.

Illinois also applies modified comparative negligence under 735 ILCS 5/2-1116, meaning injured people may recover damages as long as they are not more than 50 percent at fault. Insurance carriers frequently misuse this rule to shift blame and reduce payouts. We challenge those tactics directly.

Time matters as well. Most traffic injury claims are subject to a two-year statute of limitations under 735 ILCS 5/13-202. Delays often benefit insurers, not injured people. Early legal guidance helps preserve evidence, secure crash reports from the Chicago Police Department, and protect your rights.

Chicago-Specific Systems That Affect Your Motor Vehicle Accident Case

Traffic injury claims in Chicago involve more than individual drivers. They often intersect with larger entities such as:

• Commercial fleets operating under cost-driven safety policies
• Rideshare companies regulated as Transportation Network Providers by the City of Chicago
• Public transportation systems such as the CTA and Pace
• Roadway design and maintenance overseen by CDOT and IDOT
• Insurance carriers controlling claims evaluation and settlement authority

Our work focuses on how these systems operate and where accountability must be enforced.

Legal Representation Without Financial Pressure

We handle Chicago motor vehicle accident cases on a contingency fee basis. That means our clients do not pay hourly fees or upfront retainers. We advance the costs necessary to investigate, prepare, and pursue the case.

Our fee is only collected if we succeed in obtaining compensation through settlement or verdict. This structure allows injured people to stand up to insurers and corporate defendants without financial pressure during recovery.

Types of Motor Vehicle Accident Cases We Handle in Chicago

Our practice focuses on traffic-related injuries involving cars, commercial vehicles, and vulnerable road users. We regularly help clients who need guidance from a Chicago car accident lawyer after a collision involving disputed fault or aggressive insurance tactics.

When crashes involve commercial vehicles, delivery fleets, or long-haul carriers, we represent clients working with a Chicago truck accident attorney who understands federal regulations, fleet safety records, and insurer defense strategies.

Motorcycle riders face unique risks and institutional bias. We assist injured riders seeking representation from Chicago motorcycle accident lawyers who challenge unfair fault assumptions under Illinois law.

Public transit and private buses raise separate liability issues. Our firm represents individuals injured in CTA and private carrier crashes alongside experienced Chicago bus accident attorneys who understand public entity claims and notice requirements.

Cyclists and pedestrians are among the most vulnerable road users. We advocate for people harmed due to unsafe streets, negligent drivers, or enforcement failures through our work as Chicago bicycle accident lawyers and Chicago pedestrian accident attorneys.

Rideshare collisions involve layered insurance policies and corporate decision-making. We assist clients navigating claims with Chicago Lyft accident lawyers and Chicago Uber accident attorneys who counter coverage disputes and delay tactics.

When crashes result in life-altering harm, we work closely with families seeking a Chicago brain injury lawyer or a Chicago catastrophic injury law firm capable of addressing long-term medical and financial consequences.

Many cases also overlap with broader injury claims handled by our Chicago personal injury lawyers, particularly when institutional negligence extends beyond the roadway itself.

People Over Convenience. Accountability Over Excuses.

Serious traffic injuries often expose the same pattern. Profit-driven decisions, safety shortcuts, and claims practices that prioritize cost control over people. Our firm exists to challenge those systems.

We do not frame crashes as unavoidable events. We investigate policy choices, oversight failures, and institutional conduct that turned risk into harm.

That focus protects our clients and helps prevent repeat injuries across Chicago streets.

Get the Settlement You Deserve by Holding Negligent Parties Accountable

There is a reason some firms resolve traffic injury cases faster and for more meaningful outcomes. Insurance carriers respond differently when they know a firm understands their internal systems and is prepared to challenge them.

We pursue accountability from insurance carriers and corporate transportation defendants to restore financial stability for injured Chicago families.

Our work often involves:

• Countering liability defenses raised by insurance companies
• Challenging low initial offers that ignore long-term harm
• Exposing safety failures tied to fleet management or oversight
• Enforcing Illinois traffic and insurance laws as written

This approach protects not just individual clients, but the broader public.

Experience Proven by Results

Results never tell the whole story, but they do show a pattern. When we force insurance carriers and corporate defendants to explain what happened, preserve the evidence, and answer for safety decisions, case values often shift in a meaningful way.

Here are examples of significant outcomes our firm has achieved in serious injury and traffic-related cases. These are general illustrations, not promises. Every case depends on its facts, injuries, and available proof.

$18,500,000

Monica suffered catastrophic injuries in a head-on collision involving a commercial tractor-trailer traveling along the industrial freight routes connecting I-55 and the Stevenson corridor near Cicero Avenue. What moved the case value was not only the severity of the injuries, but the documentary trail left behind. We focused on the trucking company’s safety oversight, driver monitoring practices, and how the company attempted to manage the narrative after the crash. We also pushed for early preservation of evidence, including fleet records and the sequence of events reflected in the Chicago Police Department’s crash investigation and follow-up reports tied to that corridor. The recovery reflected both the scale of the institutional breakdown and the lifelong impact on Monica’s mobility and ongoing care needs.

$11,000,000

Paul suffered catastrophic injuries when he was struck by a commercial vehicle operating as part of a larger transportation operation near a major distribution area on the South Side, close to 95th Street and Western Avenue. The collision caused multiple traumatic injuries that required extensive surgeries and left Paul with permanent physical limitations. From the beginning, the defense attempted to frame the crash as a brief lapse by an individual driver. We built the case around the long-term consequences of catastrophic harm, including future medical care, assistive needs, loss of earning capacity, and the psychological impact of permanent disability. The recovery reflected the seriousness of Paul’s injuries and the responsibility that follows when institutional safety failures permanently alter a life.

$7,900,000

Derrick lost his leg after a driver turned left across his path at a busy Chicago intersection near Ashland Avenue and Milwaukee Avenue, an area with constant mixed traffic and limited reaction time. The defense attempted to reduce responsibility by reframing visibility and speed. We treated the matter as an accountability case rather than a disputed narrative. Factors impacting value included the permanence of the amputation, future prosthetic needs, vocational disruption, and how the physical evidence aligned with the realities of left-turn collisions at that intersection. The case resolved when the responsible insurance carrier could no longer credibly minimize what happened.

$5,000,000

Marcus sustained a serious brain injury after a violent motor vehicle collision on Lake Shore Drive, where traffic speeds and impact forces often mask the true extent of trauma in the early hours after a crash. Initial emergency care focused on orthopedic injuries, but cognitive symptoms emerged over time, including memory loss, slowed processing, and fatigue that interfered with daily functioning. The defense attempted to downplay the injury by pointing to early imaging and the absence of visible trauma. We centered the case on longitudinal medical records, neurocognitive testing, and testimony from people who knew Marcus before and after the collision. Case value was driven by the permanent impact on employment, independence, and quality of life.

$4,000,000

Anthony was a passenger on a work-related trip when a crash along I-90 near the Kennedy Expressway interchange took his life. Wrongful death claims often become battlegrounds over responsibility and the value of loss. We built the case around what the evidence showed and who controlled the risk, including how the at-fault driver’s conduct fit within the broader circumstances of the trip. The recovery reflected the scope of loss to Anthony’s family and the reality that preventable roadway decisions can have irreversible consequences. Keeping the case moving prevented delay from becoming a defense strategy.

$4,000,000

Lauren was a passenger in a rideshare vehicle traveling through a congested downtown corridor near State Street and Roosevelt Road when the driver ran a red light, causing a fatal collision. From the outset, the rideshare company attempted to narrow responsibility by separating the driver’s conduct from the platform’s role. We focused on what the company controlled, including onboarding practices, in-app monitoring, and how trip data was stored and interpreted after the crash. Factors impacting value included the clarity of the crash sequence, internal records tied to the trip, and the devastating loss suffered by Lauren’s family. The recovery reflected the reality that rideshare platforms cannot distance themselves from the systems they place on Chicago streets.

$3,200,000

Samuel, who was visually impaired, was struck in a marked crosswalk by a large commercial vehicle making a turn near 79th Street and Halsted. These cases often hinge on whether institutional actors followed basic safety practices for urban turns, scanning, and speed control. We emphasized the realities of Chicago crosswalks, where pedestrians rely on predictable vehicle behavior to move safely. The defense attempted to shift blame, but the evidence showed the collision was preventable. The recovery reflected severe orthopedic trauma, prolonged rehabilitation, and the lasting impact on Samuel’s independence.

$2,730,000

Elena suffered serious injuries when a bus made a turn and struck a cyclist near a busy transfer area close to Clark Street and Belmont Avenue. In bus-related cases, we look closely at operator training, route pressure, and how the organization responds to prior safety issues. We also examine how incident documentation is generated and controlled in the hours following a crash. The recovery reflected how institutional safety practices, rather than chance, often determine whether a vulnerable road user is protected or put at risk.

$2,250,000

Nina was a commuter cyclist riding to work when she was struck near Milwaukee Avenue and Division Street, a corridor known for heavy bike traffic and frequent conflicts. Insurers often attempt to minimize these cases by arguing that cyclists appear unexpectedly or that injuries are overstated. We grounded the claim in scene documentation, medical timeline consistency, and how the mechanics of the crash aligned with known risk points on Chicago streets. The recovery reflected the lasting effects of head trauma and the reality that vulnerable road users absorb the consequences when drivers and systems fail to prioritize safety.

What Makes Us the Best Motor Vehicle Accident Attorneys in Chicago

Choosing a lawyer after a serious traffic injury is rarely about marketing claims. It is about whether a firm has the experience and credibility to confront insurers, corporate defendants, and institutions that control how claims are valued and resolved.

For nearly 25 years, we have represented people harmed by serious accidents across Chicago and throughout Illinois. Our work has resulted in more than $450 million recovered in settlements and verdicts across motor vehicle crashes and other high-impact personal injury cases. These outcomes reflect a consistent focus on accountability, not volume.

Recognition That Reflects the Work We Do

Our advocacy on behalf of injured people has led to recognition from organizations that evaluate legal ability, ethics, and results. These distinctions matter only because they align with how we practice:

• Membership in the Million Dollar Advocates Forum, reflecting recoveries in high-stakes cases
• Repeated recognition by Super Lawyers® for professional achievement
• Active involvement in the American Association for Justice and the Illinois Trial Lawyers Association, organizations focused on protecting injured people through civil litigation
• An A+ rating with the Better Business Bureau, reflecting long-standing client trust
• Ongoing contributions to The National Law Review, addressing legal issues tied to institutional negligence
• A 10/10 AVVO rating, based on experience, peer review, and client feedback

These acknowledgments reinforce what our clients already know: we take on cases where accountability matters.

Focused Representation for People, Not Case Counts

We have represented more than 5,000 clients facing serious injury, loss, and uncertainty. Many came to us after being pressured by insurers or overwhelmed by systems designed to protect themselves first.

Our role is to slow the process down, explain what happened, and advocate with clarity and purpose. We take the time to understand not just the injury, but the decisions that caused it and the institutions responsible.

If you are looking for a Chicago personal injury law firm that prioritizes preparation, accountability, and standing with clients when it matters most, we are ready to talk.

Leadership Grounded in Accountability

Our firm is led by Jonathan Rosenfeld, a Chicago personal injury lawyer, whose practice centers on advocating for vulnerable people harmed by institutional negligence. He represents individuals and families facing insurance carriers, corporate transportation systems, and other powerful entities that control safety standards and claims outcomes.

Jonathan Rosenfeld holds insurers and corporate defendants accountable to enforce legal responsibility and protect injured people under Illinois law. His work countering institutional defenses and claims minimization tactics has earned national recognition and professional honors tied directly to accountability-driven advocacy.

His leadership shapes how we practice, how we evaluate cases, and how we stand with our clients.

Speak With a Chicago Traffic Accident Lawyer

If you were injured in a traffic or motor vehicle collision in Chicago, we are ready to listen. We will explain how Illinois law applies, identify the institutions involved, and help you understand your options without pressure.

You deserve answers. We stand with you in seeking them. Contact us for a free consultation today.