Compensation for Road Rage Injuries

 Posted on November 07, 2024 in Car Accidents

Dealing with a driver with road rage can be terrifying and also dangerous. Road rage incidents tend to increase during times of civil unrest or universal stress, such as during the height of the pandemic and around election day. When people, in general, are short on patience in their daily lives, they tend to be less patient on the roads as well. This can lead to a lot of car accidents. With the election approaching, a lot of people are also displaying political bumper stickers on their vehicles. While this is a vital form of free speech, it can also lead to increased aggression on the roads between opposing sides. If you are injured by an aggressive driver, you need an experienced Will County, IL personal injury lawyer to help you maximize your compensation.

Common Signs of Road Rage 

While some drivers with road rage make themselves known quite clearly by rolling down their windows and shouting or making obscene gestures, others are harder to spot. It can be challenging to determine whether a driver is acting out of negligence or road rage. Some signs that you have been targeted by an aggressive driver include: 

• Swerving at the same vehicle more than once - If a driver swerved at you one time and ran you off the road or actually hit you, you were probably dealing with a distracted driver. If the driver who ultimately caused you to have an accident swerved at your vehicle more than once, he may have been targeting you intentionally. 
• Hard braking for no clear reason - Drivers with road rage tend to slam on their brakes abruptly as if daring the driver behind them to hit them or swerve to avoid them. Some drivers with road rage will stop in the middle of the road simply to inconvenience drivers behind them, eventually forcing others to pass them in a high-risk fashion. Another possibility is that the driver who is braking abruptly is experiencing an emergency of some type. 
• Following or repeatedly passing the target - If the driver who caused your accident was deliberately following closely behind or repeatedly getting in front of the same vehicle over and over, this was likely a road rage incident. Driving in this manner can endanger not only the vehicle being targeted but everyone nearby. You do not need to have been the target to have gotten injured by the driver with road rage. 

In some cases, drivers who cause an accident intentionally or by driving in a patently aggressive manner may face criminal charges, such as reckless driving. If the driver who caused your accident is convicted of a criminal offense, this can help your case significantly.

Contact a Joliet, IL Car Accident Attorney

McNamara Phelan McSteen, LLC is committed to helping people who have been injured by aggressive drivers. Our experienced Will County, IL car crash lawyers will do all we can to maximize your compensation. Contact us at 815-727-0100 for a complimentary consultation.