Backing-Up Car Accident Lawyer

Every vehicle has blind zones, making it challenging for the driver to see, mostly out of the rear window. These blind spots are especially dangerous while backing up a vehicle, when pedestrians, bicyclists, and even other and cars, trucks, and motorcycles might be in these blind spots.

Most “backing up” accidents occur at low speeds while driving in reverse out of a driveway or parking space, usually causing property damage. Backing up collisions cause many physical injuries and fatalities every year.

A Chicago Backing Car Accident Injuries Attorney can Help

The Chicago car accident attorneys at Rosenfeld Injury Lawyers LLC protect the legal rights of victims injured by a ‘backing-up’ vehicle accident. We represent clients who are harmed in car and truck accidents, drunk driving collisions, uninsured motorist crashes, pedestrian accidents, and medical malpractice.

Our personal injury lawyers currently represent victims throughout Illinois, including Cook County, DuPage County, Kane County, Lake County, Will County, Aurora, Chicago, Elgin, Naperville, and Schaumburg.

Backing Car Accident FAQs

Frequency and Severity of Backing-Up Auto Accidents

Backing up accidents cause thousands of car accident injuries and hundreds of fatalities each year, although they are a smaller percentage of the total amount of injury auto accidents. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) estimates that an average of 18,000 “back over” injury accidents and another 30,000 other backing accidents injuries happen each year.

Also, there are over 400 fatalities connected with backing accidents every year. Sadly, so many backing up accidents kill children and the elderly.

According to the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS), in 2017:

• Ninety-seven of 184 ‘back over’ fatalities were children under the age of five
• Seventy-one of the deaths in back over crashes were seniors seventy-years old or older
• An estimated 5,000 injuries out of 18,000 were persons under five or over seventy years of age

The statistics might be even higher as backing up crashes that occur on private property are not reported as traffic accidents but documented as non-traffic crashes. Also, many backing accidents happening in driveways or parking lots are not reported to data systems that track local traffic accidents.

Preventing Backing up Car Accidents

Everyone is responsible for reducing backing up accidents. The sad fact is that almost all back over accidents are preventable, and most are caused by passenger vehicles.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) estimates that thirty-nine percent of ‘back over accident’ fatalities happen in residential areas, mostly involving passenger vehicles. Some ways that these accidents can be prevented include:

• Driver caution – Check all mirrors and look over your shoulders to check blind spots before backing up to reduce the chance causing a backing up accident.
• Backing up safety devices – Many newer vehicles are equipped with backup sensors or cameras that alert drivers if there is anything behind the vehicle.
• Play areas – Parents can help keep kids safe by keeping outdoor play areas away from adjacent driveways.
• Pedestrian precaution – Pedestrians and bicyclists must be aware of moving vehicles. Use caution when approaching a driveway or alley where a vehicle might be exiting. Teach children to check the dangerous areas like when crossing a street and be alert around all parked vehicles that could start moving at any time.

Vehicle Back Over Injury Liability

In most car accident cases, the motorist driving in reverse is liable in a backing up accident, especially if it involves a pedestrian. As in all auto accidents, the driver’s insurance should cover damages caused by the crash.

Damages could include medical bills, lost wages, and other expenses caused by the crash.

Some drivers back into victims only to leave the scene of the accident in tragic hit-and-run cases. These victims have many options for compensation.

Drivers with uninsured motorist coverage might be able to be compensated by their personal insurance company to pay for the expenses caused by the hit-and-run “back up accident.”

Hiring a Chicago Backing Up Car Accident Lawyer

Were you or your child injured in vehicle backing accident in Chicago or elsewhere in Illinois? Do not assume that the insurance carrier for the driver who caused a backing vehicle accident will compensate you for your serious injuries or surviving family members who lost a loved one through wrongful death.

Rosenfeld Injury Lawyers LLC is a Chicago motor vehicle accident law firm committed to protecting your legal rights in the wake of an injury caused by backing-up a car or truck. Contact our car crash injury lawyers at (888) 424-5757 (toll-free phone call) to schedule a free consultation to obtain financial compensation for hospitalization costs, medical expenses, pain-and-suffering, and wrongful death.

All discussions with our law firm remain confidential through an attorney-client relationship. All necessary car accident claims must be filed before the statute of limitations expires.

Please do not send sensitive information to our law office through voicemail, email, or text message. Our attorneys follow social distancing guidelines to prevent the spread of Covid-19 (coronavirus).

Statistics and safety information about backing vehicle accidents:

• Fatalities and Injuries in Motor Vehicle Backing Crashes
• Backover Crash