The roads were clear so you zoomed ahead. But your high speed made it difficult to brake when the car in front of you stopped suddenly, and so you crashed. The police came to the scene, and you are now facing criminal charges.
What can happen to you? What can you do?
If you were involved in a high speed accident, you may be looking at serious consequences. Even if there were no witnesses, you can be charged with misdemeanor speeding (625 ILCS 5/11-605.1) based on accident reconstruction evidence. If you were speeding in a school or construction zone, you can be charged with a special speed limit offense (625 ILCS 5/11-605). If someone was seriously injured or killed, you may well be looking at reckless homicide charges (720 ILCS 5/9-3). If you left the scene of the accident, you can be charged with that (625 ILCS 5/11-401).
Depending on the offense, you can be hit with anything from a Class B Misdemeanor, punishable by 6 months in jail to a Class 1 Felony, punishable by 4 to 7 years in prison.
If you are charged with any of the above offenses, contact an experienced defense attorney immediately. Do not try to talk your way out of your situation. More often than not, your attempt at a reasonable explanation will instead help the state to convict you.
An experienced attorney can review your situation in order to present your defense in its most favorable light. Is there video of the accident? Did the police witness anything personally? Were you actually at fault? Are the conclusions made by the state’s accident reconstruction expert reasonable? Is it worth hiring your own? Can the state prove all the elements of your offense beyond a reasonable doubt?
Even if the evidence against you is overwhelming, your situation may not be hopeless. An attorney, who is respected in the courthouse, may be able to negotiate a more favorable plea agreement than you could on your own.
If you have questions about this or another related Illinois criminal or traffic matter, please contact Matt Keenan at 847-568-0160 or email matt@mattkeenanlaw.com.
See our related blogs:
2014 Update to Illinois Speeding Law
Update to Illinois Speeding Law: The Crackdown Continues
“I Didn’t Know I Hit Anyone”: Leaving the Scene of an Accident in Illinois
(Besides Skokie, Matt Keenan also serves the communities of Arlington Heights, Chicago, Deerfield, Des Plaines, Evanston, Glenview, Morton Grove, Mount Prospect, Niles, Northbrook, Park Ridge, Rolling Meadows, Wilmette and Winnetka.)
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Illinois Jurisprudence: Criminal Law and Procedure. Vol. 1. (LexisNexis 2014).
Illinois Jurisprudence: Criminal Law and Procedure. Vol. 1. (LexisNexis 2014).