The most expensive car accidents have caused damages worth millions of dollars, with some wrecking high-end cars and others causing life-changing injuries or fatalities. Besides the financial repercussions, these crashes have legal implications, including liability issues.
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If you or a loved one has been injured in an accident in Illinois, call the Chicago car accident attorneys at Ankin Law at 312-600-0000 for a free case evaluation.
History’s Costliest Car Accidents: A Closer Look at the Damages
Motor vehicle accidents cost the United States $340 billion a year. In 2023, the total estimated cost of accidents in Chicago and the rest of Illinois was $8 billion. Car accidents can have staggering costs, with some being more expensive than others. Below are some of the costliest car crashes that occurred on American soil.
Pagani Huayra Roadster Crash
In November 2020, Gage Gillean, a YouTuber, wrecked his father’s $3.4 million Pagani Huayra Roadster while taking it out for a drive with a friend. He lost control and crashed into a tree. He suffered minor injuries, but the hypercar was destroyed beyond repair.
Bugatti Veyron Crashes Into a Lagoon
In 2009, Andy Lee House crashed a 2006 Bugatti Veyron worth $1 million into a lagoon in Texas. He claimed he swerved into the salty water to avoid hitting a low-flying pelican. He had recently insured the vehicle for $2.2 million. However, his claim for the full $2.2 million was unsuccessful, and instead, he received a $600,000 insurance settlement. An eyewitness who had been impressed by the supercar captured the whole accident while filming the car. No birds could be seen in the video. House was eventually convicted of insurance fraud and forced to pay back the settlement to the insurance company.
Paul Walker Porsche Carrera GT Crash
Paul Walker died in 2013 when the Carrera GT he was riding in lost control and crashed into a tree and exploded. Both he and the driver, Roger Rodas, died at the scene. Paul Walker’s daughter reached a $10.1 million settlement with Rodas’ estate. According to her lawyer, Rodas was only partly responsible for the accident.
The accident resulted in lawsuits filed against Porsche. According to the lawsuit filed by Walker’s daughter, the actor had been alive for a minute and 20 seconds after the crash until the vehicle burst into flames. The lawsuit alleged that Paul would’ve survived the crash if the car had proper safety features installed inside it. The lawsuit was settled with Porsche for an undisclosed amount. Porsche also settled a separate lawsuit filed by Walker’s father, the acting executor of Walker’s estate at that time.
Chevrolet Malibu Explosion After a Rear-End Collision
In a high-profile car accident case, the gas tank of a 1979 Chevrolet Malibu exploded after it was hit in a rear-end collision. Six victims were permanently disfigured. The jury found General Motors liable for the car’s defectively designed fuel tank and awarded $4.9 billion to the victims, which included $107.6 million in compensatory damages and a $4.8 billion punitive damages award. The verdict was later reduced from $4.9 billion to $1.2 billion.
I-75 Fog Disaster
In December 1990, an unusual dense fog rapidly covered a section of Interstate 75, leading to a 99-vehicle pileup. It led to 12 deaths and 42 injuries. The chain-reaction accidents set off explosions and fires. It was reportedly the largest accident in US history in terms of the number of vehicles involved when it happened. The fog was suspected to come from the nearby Bowater paper mill and settling ponds. The multi-vehicle accident prompted lawsuits. In January 1994, Bowater agreed to a $10 million out-of-court settlement with victims and their family members.
Bowater and several other parties accused the State of Tennessee of failing to implement a proper fog detection system. The State Department of Transportation eventually paid $800,000 to settle the lawsuits that had been filed alleging negligence in the area where the accident occurred. The Department went on to implement a number of safety measures along the highway.
What the Most Expensive Car Accidents Reveal About Legal Liability
Liability is one of the complex legal issues arising in the most expensive car accidents.
Establishing Liability for Damages Is Crucial
In the most expensive car accident cases, the losses reach millions of dollars. Shouldering the resulting expenses and losses can bleed you dry financially. The repair or replacement costs can be significant, especially if classic or luxury vehicles are involved. Accidents can also be expensive beyond repair costs, leaving victims with medical debt and income loss. Determining who’s liable in such accidents is critical to ensure the responsible party is held accountable for your losses.
Illinois is an at-fault state, so the party that’s found responsible for a crash is held liable for the injuries and damages suffered. You can file a claim against the at-fault party’s insurance company to recover compensation for losses like medical bills, car repairs, and lost income. Determining compensation for pain and suffering from a car accident is also essential, as you may be eligible to recover non-economic damages.
Insurance Companies Try to Minimize Liability in Accidents
Insurance companies and their adjusters go to great lengths to minimize their financial liability or deny liability altogether. That’s one of the reasons it’s important to work with a car accident lawyer. If you handle your case alone, the insurance company will try to pay out as little compensation as possible for injuries and damages. In the Bugatti Veyron accident, the owner received a $600,000 settlement after driving the million-dollar supercar he had insured for $2.2 million into a lagoon.
Witnesses Accounts Can Help Establish Liability
Video footage of the crash or statements from eyewitnesses can help establish fault and liability. Eyewitnesses can provide independent accounts of an accident that can help corroborate or dispute the accounts of those who were directly involved in the crash and help with liability assessment. For example, in the Bugatti Veyron accident, the eyewitness video that was posted online was used by the insurance company to sue the car owner for fraud and ask back the settlement money.
Multiple Parties May Be Liable
Car accident liability could fall on multiple parties. The at-fault driver is the most obvious party that can be held liable for a car accident. If a vehicle defect causes or contributes to the accident, such as in the Chevrolet Malibu crash, the manufacturer could be held responsible for the injuries sustained. Government entities could be held liable for poor road conditions, inadequate signage, and other regulatory failures. An employer may share liability if the at-fault driver was working at the time of the crash.
How a Car Accident Lawyer Breaks Down Financial Responsibility in Chicago
Determining the parties that hold fault and liability for your car accident and losses can be challenging. It often requires thorough investigations. Car accident lawyers establish fault and liability by thoroughly investigating your accident, analyzing evidence like:
- Official police report
- Witness statements
- Photographs and surveillance footage
- Nature of damage a vehicle sustained and points of impact
- Tickets issued after the crash
- Expert opinions
In complex accidents, car accident lawyers can bring in accident reconstructionists to help establish what caused the crash. Some evidence a car accident lawyer collects may be hard for you to access without legal assistance. An evaluation of all these details while taking the relevant Illinois laws and regulations, such as traffic laws and the comparative negligence concept, into consideration enables a Chicago lawyer to identify all the liable parties and assign responsibility for the crash.
A car accident attorney will comprehensively assess the impact of the accident and injuries, including medical bills, lost income, property damage, pain and suffering, lost earning capacity, and future medical expenses, to determine the full extent of your damages. This is crucial in ascertaining the appropriate compensation to seek before beginning settlement negotiations with the at-fault party’s insurance company. Past and future medical expenses form a sizable part of personal injury claims. That’s why the answer to “Should I see a doctor after a car accident?” is yes.
Insurance firms aim to pay the lowest possible amount to settle claims. Some people who’ve settled claims without legal assistance have had to ask, “Can I reopen a car accident case?” after later realizing their damages were worth more than what they were offered. Your car accident attorney will negotiate with the insurance company on your behalf to ensure you receive a fair settlement that adequately covers your damages and protect you from being forced to accept a lowball offer.
If the at-fault party’s insurance coverage isn’t enough to cover your damages, your lawyer will pursue other options. These may include filing a lawsuit to recover the compensation you’re entitled to directly from the responsible party, pursuing compensation from other responsible parties, and filing a claim against your own policy under your underinsured motorist coverage.
At Ankin Law, our Chicago car accident lawyers have recovered hundreds of millions of dollars on behalf of Illinois crash victims. We’ll help you hold the responsible parties financially accountable to protect your future. Contact us today for a free consultation about your legal options.
