Car accidents often lead to serious injuries or death. Many Illinois residents have suffered physical injuries, property damage and disability due to car accidents. In many of these cases the accident was caused by the negligent actions of the other driver.
According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, motor vehicle accidents cost the United States $242 billion in economic and financial expenses. In the year 2010 alone 32,999 people died due to car accidents in the United States. In the same year over 3.9 million people were injured. Car accidents also have a huge financial impact: in 2010 over 24 million vehicles were damaged due to car accidents across the United States.
The economic as well as the social impact of a car accident is clear in cases in which distracted driving is a factor. In many other car accident cases, the driver is found to be under the influence of alcohol. Over 22 percent of the economic costs of car accidents can be attributed to intoxicated drivers. Car accidents in which alcohol was the cause resulted in 11,226 deaths and $43.2 billion in economic losses.
The severe economic impact of motor vehicle accidents on society as a whole is clear. Individual victims also suffer economically. Car accident victims often need to endure long and expensive medical treatment and rehabilitation, which can also adversely affect their work and employment prospects. The victims of car accidents frequently finds it beneficial to consult an attorney in order to recover damages from the negligent driver and their insurance company.
Source: NHTSA.DOT.gov, “The economic and societal impact of motor vehicle crashes, 2010 (revised),” May 2015