If you have been injured in a car accident and would like to seek compensation for your damages, the other party’s insurance company will likely ask you whether you suffer from any pre-existing conditions. Even though you cannot receive compensation for a condition that existed prior to the accident, you may be able to collect it if you can prove the accident made your condition worse.

What Is a Pre-Existing Condition?

Pre-existing conditions can be physical or mental. Some examples of the most common pre-existing conditions are high blood pressure, heart disease, diabetes, fibromyalgia, herniated discs, back injuries, and depression. Often times, the trauma of car accidents aggravates these conditions.

Leaving the scene of an accident is against the law in the state of Illinois. However, it is a common practice that drivers engage in because they are driving without insurance, are afraid of getting arrested for impaired driving, or do not have liability insurance coverage. If you are ever the victim of a hit-and-run accident, you should understand that the police play an important role in your case.

Gathering Information for Police

After a hit-and-run accident, you should gather as much information as possible to help the police. Some of this information includes license plate information, the make, color, and model of the car that fled the scene, and the description of the driver. You may not be able to gather all of this information so it’s imperative that you write down anything you can remember.

If you have been injured in a car accident, the stress of the incident, dealing with your injuries and potentially a long recovery can all create problems for you and your family. But, what if red tape makes the situation even more difficult for you? This can happen when an insurance company of the party who caused your injuries attempts to settle your case for a sum that is far less than you need to put your life back on track. Insurance companies have a notorious reputation for making “lowball” offers to avoid litigation which could result in a greater payout for you.

Auto Accident Settlements

Car accidents can take many forms. In addition to the all-too-common head-on collision, rear-end or T-bone, car accidents can also be caused by drivers under the influence or those that are distracted. The increased use of cellphones has added another layer of danger to sharing the roads and highways, as some drivers refuse to put down their phones while behind the wheel.

Auto accidents are among the leading causes of brain injuries, accounting for approximately 14 percent of all non-fatal concussions and about 26 percent of all brain injury fatalities. With more than 2.5 million cases per year, that “small” percentage equates to thousands of TBI sufferers each year. If you have experienced an auto-accident-related brain injury, the following information will help you understand the risks and your right to compensation.

Brain Injuries Are Often Lasting and Serious Injuries

Each year, around 2.5 million people visit the emergency room for a traumatic brain injury (TBI). More than 50,000 of those result in death. The remainder eventually recover, but to varying degrees and over an unpredictable timeline. Some take months; others take years. Then, there are those who never fully recover. Their memory or cognitive abilities may be permanently impaired, or they may suffer from sensitivity to lights and sound. Others are unable to read or long periods of time, or stare at a screen for more than a few minutes, which can greatly hinder their ability to work.

The warnings are all around us. “Arrive Alive; Don’t Text and Drive.” “Dnt txt n drv.” “Texting and Driving…It Can Wait.” Crash statistics from across the country indicate that texting while driving and other forms of cell phone-related distracted driving are extremely dangerous. Each year, distracted driving contributes to thousands of accidents, many of them causing serious injuries and even death.

Social Media and Distracted Driving

As you probably realize, texting and driving does not just refer to the exchange of traditional text messages, or SMS—Short Message Service—messages. Interacting on social media while driving is equally dangerous, if not more so, as many social media outlets offer features that can be even more distracting than a simple conversation. One such feature is the basis of a lawsuit now pending in Georgia, the outcome of which could lead to serious changes to the understanding of distracted driving accident liability.