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I was riding my motorcycle in Chicago, Illinois when a car turned left in front of me causing me to crash into it. Who is at fault?

 

A: If you have been involved in an Illinois motorcycle accident when a car turned left in front of you, the other driver is most likely at fault.

Left Turn Laws in Illinois

In Illinois, drivers must yield the right of way to all oncoming traffic when they are making a left turn at an unregulated spot on the roadway. Therefore, if a left-turning car strikes a motorcycle that is coming toward it in the opposite lane, the car will almost always be held responsible for the resulting accident.

Exceptions to Left Turn Accident Liability

There are 3 major exceptions to this situation: 

• If you ran a red light and the car actually had the right-of-way, then you would be responsible for causing the accident.
• If you were driving too fast, it may affect whether or not you will be assigned blame for the wreck. (This is usually very difficult to prove in court, so if you are asked how fast you were going at the time of the collision, do not reply unless you are absolutely sure of your speed.)
• If the car started to make a safe left turn but was prevented from doing so because of something unexpected (such as a truck ramming it from behind and pushing it into the roadway in front of you), then fault for the accident may lie elsewhere (but not with you). 

A motorcycle is usually no match for a larger vehicle. Therefore, most Illinois motorcycle accidents will result in the rider sustaining serious and sometimes fatal injuries. You can be confident that our Illinois motorcycle accident attorneys will examine all aspects of your accident, bring all responsible parties to justice, and aggressively pursue the full amount of compensation due to you for any injuries or loss you may have suffered as a result of the accident.

Contact us today for a free case evaluation - 312-263-1080.

The Law Offices of
Barry G. Doyle, P.C.
5215 Old Orchard Road
Suite 710
Skokie, IL 60077
Phone: 312.263.1080
Fax: 312.263.0153

Proudly Serving Many Illinois Cities and Counties, Including:
Chicago, Aurora, Rockford, Naperville, Joliet, Waukegan, Geneva, Sycamore, Woodstock, Kankakee, Morris, Ottawa; Cook, DuPage, Will, Lake, Winnebago, DeKalb, McHenry, Kankakee, Grundy, LaSalle, Peoria, McLean, Champaign, Tazewell Counties

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