Failure to Yield Accidents

Under the Illinois Vehicle Code, when two cars entering an intersection from different roadways at approximately the same time, the driver on the left must yield the right-of-way to the car on the right. Choosing not to follow that basic rule of the road can cause serious injuries in a multi-vehicle collision.

The Chicago lawyers at Kreisman Law Offices have more than 40 years of experience handling failure to yield right-of-way accidents in Illinois. This Illinois Vehicle Code rule is often times ignored causing serious and unforeseen injuries to drivers and passengers in car accidents.

With advances in technology, many drivers today leave their homes with some mobile device on their person. Because the mobile devices and remote location devices are so prevalent, drivers may become distracted. Some Illinois drivers are found talking on their cell phones, texting or even e-mailing while driving, all at great risk of injury to themselves, their passengers and others.

There are many kinds of failure to yield accidents that can occur.

• Failure to yield on a flashing red or yellow light.
• Failure to yield to a funeral procession.
• Failure to yield to a Chicago Transit Authority bus or other municipal bus merging into your lane of traffic.
• Failure to yield to an emergency police, fire or ambulance vehicle.
• Failure to yield to a pedestrian walking in a crosswalk or approaching a crossing area.
• Failure to yield to a vehicle exiting a private drive or alley.
• Failure to yield to children in a school zone.
• Failure to yield when merging onto a highway or expressway.
• Failure to yield to a bicycle rider in a bicycle lane.

In Illinois, a failure to yield accident may be caused by a driver’s violation of state law. It is most important to hire experienced attorneys when you or someone you know has been injured in a failure to yield crash. Robert Kreisman of Kreisman Law Offices has more than 40 years of experience handling the investigation of car accident scenes, analyzing medical expenses, lost income, pain and suffering, cost of care and other damages that a client may have suffered in a failure to yield car crash.

In Illinois, when two vehicles enter an intersection controlled by stop signs or by a blinking red light, the same rule that applies to the uncontrolled intersection, which is the party vehicle on the left, must yield the right-of-way to the party vehicle on the right. This would hold true if the intersection were T-shaped. A driver required to turn shall yield to cross traffic.

Sometimes judgment in driving is obvious. For example, if another vehicle is speeding in an uncontrolled intersection, the speeding driver has forfeited the right-of-way which might have otherwise been granted by the other driver.

Observing the right-of-way and yielding will prevent car accidents at intersections. Drivers in Illinois should always be aware of the other driver. That means to be alert and watchful of drivers violating state traffic laws.

Often times intersection, failure to yield the right of way cases are complicated by an accident scene that appears to makes the party at fault unclear. Therefore, how the vehicles are situated after such a crash is important. The vehicles should not be moved until a police official has arrived, made a thorough assessment and requested that the drivers or tow trucks move the vehicles from the roadway for the safety of other passing motor vehicles. The police should interview all witnesses, drivers and passengers if possible at the scene. Many time in serious crashes, the injured are rushed to the nearest hospital. In that case do not be offended or surprised if after treatment and medically stable a police officer arrives at the hospital to interview a driver or passenger involved in the intersection collision.

If you or a loved one has been involved in a failure to yield accident, contact Kreisman Law Offices at 312.346.0045 or toll free 800.583.8002 for a free and immediate consultation, or complete a contact form online. We are here to assist you and your family so that responsible parties are held accountable for the injuries or death to passengers of cars or trucks involved in failure to yield accidents. These cases require thorough investigation which includes photographing the area of the crash, interviewing all of the witnesses and the collection of all medical records, bills and proof of lost time from work or lost wages or earnings because of injuries suffered in the incident.