Failure To Yield Accident Lawyers

When another driver fails to yield and you get hurt, you need to seek justice fast. Failure-to-yield accidents happen every day – at yellow lights, intersections, parking lots, and highway ramps. In 2023, there were 53,825 turning accidents in Illinois and 37,319 same-direction side-swipe crashes, many of which you can bet were caused by failing to yield.

If someone else’s failure to yield has left you with a smashed vehicle, mounting medical bills, lost wages, and a long road to recovery, you need a relentless lawyer to build a strong case and doggedly pursue compensation. If you’re ready to hold the at-fault driver accountable, a Collins Law car accident attorney is ready to hear your story.

Why Failure-to-Yield Accidents Happen

Failure-to-yield accidents often happen when vehicles attempt to execute a left turn. If the driver making the turn does not wait for oncoming vehicles to pass, or oncoming drivers drive aggressively, collisions can happen.

Highway on-ramps are another place where failure-to-yield accidents commonly occur. If the car enters too fast or too closely to vehicles in front, the result can be disastrous.

Even on regular roads, drivers can pull out at intersections without checking for approaching traffic, resulting in frightening accidents for both parties. Sadly, pedestrians and cyclists trying to cross the road lawfully can get caught up in failure-to-yield crashes, sometimes resulting in tragic consequences due to the lack of protection a car provides.

Traffic laws are clear: All drivers have a duty of care toward other road users and must follow traffic regulations. Failure to do so can result in catastrophic injuries to pedestrians, cyclists, and car passengers and serious financial repercussions. The relentless lawyers at Collins Law are ready to fight for fair compensation for your losses.

What the Law Says About Yielding

Each state has traffic laws that set out scenarios when drivers must yield. Failure-to-yield accident attorneys will look for evidence that the at-fault driver failed to yield and therefore caused your accident. The 2025 Illinois Rules of the Road mention yielding 59 times, which provides an indication of how important this concept is for safe driving.

Here are a few situations in which drivers must yield to other vehicles and pedestrians:

• Approaching a merge sign: Drivers may need to either increase or decrease speed to yield
• Crossing pedestrians: When pedestrians are on marked crosswalks or children are near school zone crosswalks on school days, and when making right turns
• Approaching a yield sign: Every driver must slow down and may need to stop, as other drivers have the right-of-way
• Approaching four-way stop intersections: The driver who stops first has the right to leave first; all other vehicles must then yield to the vehicle on the right
• Making a left: If there is oncoming traffic, you must always yield

It’s the job of your Collins Law car accident lawyer to build a strong case showing that the other driver failed to yield and this negligence caused your injuries.

Proving Negligence in Failure-to-Yield Car Accident Cases

One of the most distressing aspects of failure-to-yield car crashes is that when a driver fails to yield and encroaches on your lane, your car is the one that plows into his or her car. Even though there was little you could do to avoid a collision, you may feel responsible. A bullying insurance company may seize on this to try to get you to accept blame.

Why legal advice is essential

Hitting the other car first does not mean the accident was your fault. It means that you need to talk to an experienced Collins Law failure-to-yield accident lawyer who has seen similar situations many times before. Your attorney can weigh up all the evidence and build a strong case to show you were actually the victim of the other driver’s reckless driving.

Evidence to build a strong case for compensation

He said/she said accounts from drivers do not cut it in failure-to-yield accidents. Instead, your attorney may work with an investigator who can gather compelling evidence, such as:

• Police reports: The police compile impartial reports of the facts surrounding the accident, including their understanding of how it occurred. This may include a helpful diagram that may give evidence of a failure to yield. If the other driver was under the influence of drugs or alcohol, there may also be evidence of a citation that could strengthen your case.
• Video footage: Dashcam or security camera footage can provide invaluable evidence of what happened in the moments leading up to your accident.
• Witness statements: Eyewitnesses who had a clear view of the accident may be able to testify as to which driver had the right-of-way or which acted negligently.
• Photographs and videos from the scene: If you are able, take videos of the accident scene, the damage to your vehicle, and your injuries. The position of the vehicle, skid marks, and the location of the damage on your vehicle could all be telltale signs of who failed to yield before your crash.

In serious cases or when fault is unclear, your relentless Collins Law failure-to-yield accident lawyer may work with accident reconstruction specialists to reconstruct what happened in your accident. These highly trained technicians use evidence such as skid marks, vehicle damage, and eyewitness accounts to create a report that can be used as evidence of fault in negotiations and court.

Compensation in Failure-to-Yield Accident Cases

Failure-to-yield accidents may be common, but they can leave lasting consequences. Each case is unique, and the amount of compensation you may be able to recover will vary depending on the severity of your injuries and other factors.

However, you may be able to recover economic damages, such as:

• Medical expenses
• Rehabilitation costs
• Lost wages
• Loss of earning capacity
• Property damage

Additionally, you may be entitled to compensation for the non-economic losses you have suffered, including:

• Pain and suffering
• Emotional distress
• Disfigurement
• Loss of consortium (normal marital relationship)
• Loss of enjoyment of life

An experienced Collins Law failure-to-yield accident attorney can explain the compensation you may be able to recover at your initial consultation.

Let Our Relentless Lawyers Pursue Justice for You

You should not have to bear the burden of one negligent driver’s failure to yield to oncoming traffic alone. You need an experienced attorney to lift the burden off your shoulders and fight relentlessly for the best result in your case.

The car accident attorneys at Collins Law have established an outstanding track record of fighting for and winning on behalf of Illinois car accident victims. In one failure-to-yield case, we secured a $450,000 settlement for a pedestrian who was struck by a car while crossing a crosswalk. Are you ready to discover what your case could be worth?

Receive free, personalized legal advice from a Collins Law failure-to-yield accident attorney today. Call (630) 527-1595 or reach out online to schedule a free consultation today.