Chicago Car Crash Claims Guide

Getting your Chicago crash report

Crashes on city streets are usually handled by the Chicago Police Department. You can buy the report online through CPD's traffic crash report portal using the RD (report) number and the name of someone involved. Older reports, and in-person requests, go through CPD Records Customer Service at 3510 S. Michigan Avenue.

Crashes on Chicago's expressways — the Kennedy, Dan Ryan, Eisenhower, Stevenson, and Edens — are generally investigated by the Illinois State Police, not CPD, so the report comes from ISP. Check which agency responded before you request a report.

CTA buses, city trucks, and other public vehicles

If your crash involved a city-owned vehicle or a defect in a city street, the claim is against the City of Chicago, a local public entity. Many state-law injury lawsuits against local public entities must be filed within one year under 745 ILCS 10/8-101(a), not the usual two years.

Crashes involving a CTA bus or train are covered by a separate statute. Under 70 ILCS 3605/41, a personal-injury lawsuit against the CTA must be filed within one year of the date the cause of action accrued.

Both are deadlines for filing a lawsuit, not for reporting the crash or opening an insurance claim. When the clock starts, and whether an exception applies, depends on the facts, so talk to an attorney early.

Where Chicago cases are filed

Car accident lawsuits arising in Chicago are generally filed in the Circuit Court of Cook County, with most larger injury cases heard at the Richard J. Daley Center downtown. The large majority of cases resolve without a trial.

Deadlines that apply here

• Most Illinois injury lawsuits must be filed within two years of the crash (735 ILCS 5/13-202).
• Many state-law injury lawsuits against a local public entity, such as a city, village, or park district, must be filed within one year (745 ILCS 10/8-101(a)).
• Personal-injury lawsuits against the Chicago Transit Authority have their own one-year filing deadline (70 ILCS 3605/41).
• These are deadlines for filing a lawsuit, not for reporting the crash. When the clock starts, and whether an exception applies, depends on the facts.
• Business and municipal video systems often overwrite footage within days, so preservation requests should go out early.

Major roads in and around Chicago

Busy Chicago routes where car accidents occur include:

• the Dan Ryan Expressway (I-90/94)
• Lake Shore Drive
• the Kennedy Expressway
• the Eisenhower Expressway (I-290)

If you were seriously hurt, Chicago accident victims are typically treated at Northwestern Memorial Hospital or Rush University Medical Center or University of Chicago Medical Center. Keep every record from your treatment — it is central to your claim.

Common car accident injuries we handle

Illinois comparative fault — and why it matters locally

Illinois follows a modified comparative negligence rule: your compensation is reduced by your share of fault, and if you are found more than 50% at fault you recover nothing. Insurers routinely try to shift blame onto Chicago victims to cut what they pay. We investigate and push back hard to protect your recovery.

Frequently asked questions — Chicago car accidents

Sources

• Chicago Police Department — traffic crash reports
• Circuit Court of Cook County
• 735 ILCS 5/13-202 — two-year limitations period
• 745 ILCS 10/8-101 — one-year deadline for local public entities
• 70 ILCS 3605/41 — one-year deadline for injury suits against the CTA